Home Office: how to be efficient?

Have you experienced online classes during covid? You know that time when you turned off the camera and listened to the class while you were in the background making lunch and chatting with your friends? How effective did you find this method of learning? Do you think the same thing would happen if you had to work from the comfort of your own room?

By now, the term “home office” is in everyone’s vocabulary. Many people encounter this form of work when working parallel with their studies, but even online education can be considered a kind of home office.

Opinions are divided regarding this form of work. Some people love it, but some people don’t think it is an effective way to work. Others simply say that the home office is not suited to their personality. In the words of Judit Szatmári, career coach and consultant the home office “suits everyone, is for everyone, and everyone can do it. The difference is how quickly you can make the transition and how comfortable you feel in it”. Therefore, it is different that we are reluctant to choose to work from home, of that we claim that we cannot work effectively that way referring to our personality.  Of course, this kind of work environment will be experienced differently by a more introverted person than a more outgoing, sociable colleague, but if you are able to be conscious, you will be able to learn.

It is worth taking the time and energy to get enough self-knowledge to figure out what is challenging you, so that you can consciously create the conditions for working at home. The many advantages that can be gained by occasionally spending a working day from home can be a motivating force.

What are these benefits?

• Easier work-life balance: while working at home, you can start a laundry or do other small housework that do not interfere with work.
• Saving money and time by not having to go into the office.
• A mentally upbuilding effect of spending more quality time with oneself, friends and family.
• Less stress and less personal conflict will result in more productive work.

However, in addition to forming the home office according to our needs using self-awareness to make it work effectively, let’s look at some other tips and advice.

What can we do to make the home office work well?

• Let’s realize for ourselves why the home office is good.
• Let’s create the physical environment. Have a dedicated work area to be designed to be ergonomically suitable (do not work lying in bed!)
• Mental preparation: create routine that includes morning preparation. Don’t start working in pyjamas.
• Self-management: write an agenda, a weekly plan of what we want to accomplish. Prioritize tasks in which lists can really help. It may also contribute to coordination with housework.
• Active communication with colleagues, because they don’t see where we get stuck, we have to ask them for help. Clear and open communication!
• Let’s consciously pay attention to eat healthily, exercise and schedule meetings with friends. This all helps against loneliness.
• An if you feel that working from home is very lonely, then dare to ask your supervisor or a professional for help.

Of course, the employer and the relationship with your supervisor play a key role in the operation of an efficient home office. However, if we create the right conditions physically and in attitude, we will greatly facilitate the cooperation.

Source: Self-Developer Academy – online lecture: Judit Szatmári, career coach and consultant