A Work From Home Guide
As most of our proactive businesses now have most of their workforce working from home I thought it was timely to roll out our WFH guide. How to get set up and support local business while you do it. One of the biggest concerns regarding this move is:
Staying Connected
Being productive!
We have started zoom meetings and find this an excellent way to stay connected. We also encourage the use of an instant messaging function such as zoom chat so we can stay connected throughout the day. All the minor chat that isn’t worthy of an email but adds to the connectivity of the workplace is perfect for IM.
Productivity is a little harder you can spend 8 hours fluffing on a task that in a productive headspace would take you 5 minutes. Experts say productivity stems from your work environment. The number one productivity tip for working from home is to create a comfortable, permanent space for your new “office” – the kitchen bench or dining table is not going to cut it! Check out our guide for keeping up a normal life in a whole new world. We started to realise that setting ourselves up created a lot of opportunities to support local businesses. We wanted to create workspaces that motivate and give us a space to focus at a time when life is … chaotic!
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but just some of the members we know have been able to help us out when setting up our new home-based productive workspace.
Office equipment and Stationery
Mackay Office Equipment
Snacks
Dispensary
9th Lane Grind
Cool Mango
Ma’s Pizza Kitchen
Marque bar & Grill
The Grazing Goat
Tech
Trantech Computers
NQBE
EHW Tech
2iT Technology
Indoor Plant
Porters Mitre 10
To-do list
Poster paper from your local newsagency. Yep, we have a bright pink poster with all the things the Chamber wants to achieve when we are Covid-19 free!
Tips for being productive at home:
Create a cool space and support local businesses while doing so.
Maintain your normal morning routine, exercise and take away coffee.
Write lists for yourself to ensure you are on task.
Schedule normal lunch breaks to go and sit outside or complete household chores, keeping your day structured will keep you on track.
Treat 5pm like a deadline – when working from home the accessibility to your computer is 24/7 and so our brains may wander off – and the time is always there to be made up (logging back on at 9pm) – if we treat 5pm as a deadline we will be more productive and stop working 16 hours for what can be done in 8.
Get dressed. Yes, pajamas at work are really fun for a few days, but setting a delineation between work starting and finishing will help your headspace.
If you have any other tips for this list, send them through.
Until next time, wash your hands, stay safe and keep in touch.
Regards,
Victoria Gracie
MRCOC President