Lockdown 2.0, a new Hollywood sci-fi film starring Tom Cruise or another month sat in your spare room working from home? We know which one we’d prefer.
Here are our top tips for WFH as we wave goodbye to the office and enter the UK’s second lockdown.
Keep warm.
Whether it’s an electric blanket, hot water bottle or cocker spaniel perched on your feet, in classic Jon Snow style, winter is coming and you need to keep warm. No one wants to type through frostbite or spend an eye-watering amount on the heating bill. Layer up, wrap the blankets and get the fire on.
Take a walk.
Guys, it’s Autumn. The leaves are stunning, there are loads of cute dogs in the parks and the air is so crisp it feels like you have a new set of lungs. Sounds obvious but taking a walk on your lunch allows time to de-stress and decompress, and it’s the perfect time to listen to a new podcast or album. We’re an office of podcast fanatics so make sure you check out our 2020 Weekly Highlights over on Instagram Stories for all our latest recommendations for your lunchtime walk.
Coffee shop sounds playlist.
Neighbours who have taken up tap dancing on your ceiling? Fresh roadworks taking place a metre within your WFH table? Random dripping tap that you’ve been meaning to sort for the last 2 years? Drown it out with the coffee shop playlist. It’s the perfect limbo for those who can’t concentrate with the radio on but miss the background office chatter.
Zoom.
Yes, we all slated Zoom when it first arrived on the scene, but ultimately this is our ‘new normal’ (we promise we’ll only say that once throughout this whole blog). For some of your colleagues, this might be the only bit of social interaction they have throughout the whole
day so make conversation and stay engaged. Things may still be tricky for some people and right now those little gestures go a long way.
Plan your lunches.
For many of us, food is life and working with the knowledge that a wonderful lunch is on the horizon spurs us on. WFH means goodbye to cold Pret sandwiches and sad looking salads. Make a lasagne, bake some bread, the world is your oyster. But probably avoid oysters.
Have a workspace.
Working from your kitchen table is great when you can reach into the biscuit cupboard without having to stand, but it’s not really doing anything for your productivity. If you can, set up a dedicated workspace in your home so you can work steadily, without distractions. Before starting work ensure you have everything you need e.g. charged laptop & phone, relevant documents, note-taking paraphernalia, pint of wine. Only kidding, our office bar doesn’t open till 2pm on Fridays.
Have alone time.
Remember when lockdown first started and you realised that your girlfriend/sister/father-in-law/best friend was one of *those* office people? Maybe they hummed whilst they were concentrating or cough nervously to the sound of the ticking clock. Or maybe they used the phrase ‘blue-sky thinking’ when talking to clients. Whatever it was, it was irritating. The key to an uninterrupted workday is to set boundaries, and ensure that the people you live with try not to distract you too much. Let them know when you have important calls, deadlines and to not disturb you unless they’re ordering a lunchtime Chinese or have some spare Krispy Kremes.
