What we learned from our #WFH experience

By Ahmed Wafi

The future is at home.

A whole lot of us have been working from home for close to two months now and with the end of this episode edging closer, many of us have already managed to adapt to it. In fact, some of us are actually more productive while others have plenty of distractions ranging from Netflix to needy pets.

But hey, you gotta do what you gotta do! Here are some things we all learned from our to-be two-month stint from working at home.

You need a little motivation
Getting into the mood of “let’s get to work!” when you would rather lounge in your PJs needs a little kick to get started. Even if you’re not really clocking in physically at the office, last thing you want is for your boss to tell you to buck up. If this is you, check out this motivational video.

Teaches you discipline
We’ve all heard the saying never bring work back home and don’t bring home to work. Uh-oh, what do we do now?

Nobody ever feels like working when they are home – so during the whole #WFH, you’re doing just routine things like checking your email. Which is OK… in the beginning to get you used to the idea of working from home. But hey, this is Day 50++ and you really should move on from sending and replying emails.

Which means, you need to do real work.

That’s where discipline comes in. So you don’t feel like working but things need to be done. You need to start adapting to your #WFH office ASAP so be like water, my friend!

For starters, have a routine to follow. This puts you in the mindset for work and maybe even more. But don’t forget, even at work you clock out at the end of the day. Make sure you do the same – walk away from your computer for the rest of the day and watch that Netflix documentary you’ve been wanting to see all day.

What you wear matters
A lot of self-help articles written by professionals will tell you that dressing the part for your work from home day will improve your productivity – it puts you in the right mindset to go out there (or rather, stay in there) and meet that deadline!

So if you’ve been Zooming in your “home clothes” or just lounging in your T-shirt and shorts, perhaps it’s time to “get dressed” for work? Forget the suit and tie but at least go for a clean polo tee or a casual (but not too casual) dress so you don’t feel or look like you just rolled out of bed. The whole process of actually getting dressed will instantly put you in productivity mode – try it!

You can actually be more productive
You save about an hour (or two sometimes) in commute time and you have a fairly flexible schedule, working whenever you want without some of the stresses you’re used to in the office. So really, the only thing stopping you from reaching a new level of productivity and performance is yourself!

Strong internet connection is a blessing
Because seeing everyone frozen on screen during a conference call will not only frustrate yourself but also everyone else in the call. During times like this we see how important technology is in getting things done. It’s no wonder the United Nations believes internet access is a human right!

What did you learn from your stint working from home? Tweet us at @graduan or drop us an email at [email protected] to get in touch!

Photo by Dayne Topkin on Unsplash

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