There are lots of unanswered questions at the moment, and what’s going on in the world may feel a little bit scary. Lots of you might never have worked from home before, and don’t know how you might manage working from home. So we thought we’d share our tops tips with you, as well as clever ways to make working from home the very easiest it can be.
Those first few days of working from home might feel great – laptop in bed, wearing your PJs. Not having to ‘dress up’ or look ‘work smart’. The ability to watch Netflix whilst writing your emails. But after a while (definitely shorter than you think), you will start to get sick of it. Working from home is an art, and so here are our top tips for remaining productive.
Tips for working productively at home
- No Housework – Ever. It might be great that you can unload the washing machine, and get another two loads done before the end of the day. When you are procrastinating, bleaching the bin might sound like a good idea. But it’s not. You wouldn’t start randomly deep cleaning the office, or nip out to the laundrette four times in one day. So no housework is allowed at home either, until your work is done.
- Stick to working hours – You can set these. You might decide 7am – 3pm works best, 9am – 6pm, 10am – 3pm. It doesn’t matter what your hours are, you just need to set them. It might actually be worth shortening those hours too. You will find it harder to concentrate at home, so work more productively for shorter periods of time.
- Get yourself outside – This might not necessarily be possible over the next couple of weeks. But for now, and as much as you can, get yourself outside and into the fresh air. ‘Walk to work’. Leave the house, walk around the block, and walk in to work. Lunch time also works too. Take a proper lunch break, and don’t just sit at your computer for the whole day.
- Do not snack – It’s so easy when working at home to find yourself at 11am having eaten an entire pack of biscuits. And this does nothing for you productivity levels. Eat your meals at normal meal times, and if you do need to snack, make sure it’s healthy.
- Have the same conversations – Working from home, although great at the beginning, will start to feel lonely. So make sure that you still have those conversations that you might have at work. Create an office WhatsApp group, and chat in it just as you would in the office. Just try not to let it distract you from your work!
How to make working from home MORE comfortable
Working from home brings many challenges to space that is not often prepared for it. For years our customers have chosen our products to enhance and create space at home and finding a place to work from is very much at the heart of many of our multifunctional products.
So to make working from home as comfortable as it can possibly be, try to create an ‘office corner’. Lots of homes aren’t meant to be used for working from home, and so you might not yet have anywhere to really work productively. So however you can, create a dedicated office space.
If you have a small area of wall currently not being used, then our two fold shelf would be absolutely perfect. At just 80cm wide and 26cm deep, it really doesn’t take up much space at all. In one single action this clever box converts from storage to a desk. You can mount it at any height you like, so it can be used as either a sitting or standing desk. And at just £295, it’s a very manageable solution. Particularly with so much uncertainty. We have lots in stock for immediate delivery, so just get in touch with us on hello@furl.co.uk to make working from home so much more comfortable.
If the sofa really is your only option, you don’t have to suffer with back pain for the next however many weeks. As we have the very best solution for sofa working. Our Horizon table is actually nicknamed, the couch table. It looks like any ordinary coffee table, but actually lifts up and over the sofa to the perfect height for working from the sofa. And if that’s not clever enough, it’s got storage underneath for everything you might need for work. Again we have lots of stock available, so just give us a call on 0208 4516 999.
More permanent working from home solutions
Business may change following everything happening, and for a while working from home may have to continue. With unknown finances, and companies realising that their workforce working from home is actually possible, it may become a slightly more permanent working solution. Or at least for a little while anyway, until everything manages to get back on its feet.
So we also have a more permanent desk solution for you in our Flatmate. The sleek look allows you to turn any room in your house into a stylish home office or study. Flatmate is fully connected – it has a mains socket built in so that you can keep your laptop charging out of sight. And it also features a light perfect for potential abnormal working hours. It also has an impressive amount of storage too. Again just get in touch to find out more.
Other multifunctional tables that could help you working at home
All of our tables are multifunctional. We have a six seater dining table, that extends to seat 10 people. Which might come in handy if you need to hold a board meeting from the dining table rather than the office.
We have coffee tables that also rise and extend to seat up to 8 people. Which would be perfect for those wanting a little extra company at home without the space to really accommodate it.
Most of our stock can be viewed here – Clever Tables and Desks, but we do have more available than you see on the website, so please get in touch if you want to discuss your options.
The prospect of working from home is now our reality, and all of a sudden we have found ourselves taking all measures to keep those around us safe. Remember to keep up to date with government advice, help out those in need as much as you can do, and be kind to one another. We are all in this together, and we will pull through it all.