How we mange it as a web design agency Cape Town
Many businesses have started advising employees to work from home in the ongoing bid to control the coronavirus outbreak. This means that a lot of us are dealing with an unusual challenge – working from home for the first time, full-time. We experince this as Web Design Agency Cape Town.
Even if you’ve done it before, working from home because of coronavirus might feel like a whole new world because it happened so suddenly. It might be for an extended period of time rather than a day here and there (and you’re not at all sure how long it’ll last). Your whole company is involved. And you can’t necessarily socialize in person outside of work.
Hopefully these tips will ensure that you are successful both at getting your work done and maintain your mental well-being. We know it has assisted us as one of the top digital marketing agencies Cape Town has:
- Get Dressed
A simple tip, but it’s a crucial one. It might be tempting to stay in pyjamas all day, but trust me, I gave into temptation and my day started off slower and I was less productive overall.
You don’t need to dress as formally as you might for work, but the simple act of changing clothes serves as a signal that it’s time to wake up and get things done.
Getting dressed also applies to other appearance-based tasks. Take a shower, brush your teeth and brush your hair, even put on makeup if that’s what you’d usually do. You don’t need to go as all out as you would for the office if you don’t want to, but waking up and taking care of your appearance can go a long way toward helping you feel like you’re taking care of yourself.
Besides, just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean that no one from work will see you. It’s 2020 and we’re all about to have a lot of video meetings.
- Designate a Workspace or Home Office
One of the big challenges when it comes to working remotely is keeping your work and home lives separate.
If you’re used to going into an office each day, the separation between work and home is physical and you want to try to recreate that as much as possible with a designated physical workspace at home. If you are fortunate enough to have a separate room, that is great. However, if you live in a small apartment where your space is your kitchen, living room and bedroom all in one, you can choose a corner that feels separate from the rest of you home.
Try to make your workspace comfortable with a chair you can sit in for eight hours a day and a few decorations. Find an area with good natural lighting if at all possible. Even if you don’t usually spend a lot of time outdoors, losing out on the time you spend outdoors during your commute can start to weigh on you quickly, and it will only happen faster if you don’t have natural light coming in.
Entering your workspace will help you turn “on” at the beginning of the day and get down to work. On the flipside, leaving your workspace will also help you turn “off” at the end of the day and fully disengage. That’s why it’s also important not to spread yourself across your home—while it might seem great to be able to move from desk to couch to bed, if you let your laptop creep into your downtime space, it makes it harder to keep your work separate from your home life. Thisis especially true, as we have found out one of the digital marketing agencies Cape Town can be proud of.
- Keep Clearly Defined Working Hours
Just as you designate and separate your physical workspace, you should be clear about when you’re working and when you’re not. You’ll get your best work done and be most ready to transition back to the office if you stick with your regular hours. Plus, if your role is collaborative, being on the same schedule as your co-workers makes everything much easier.
Working from home means you are in charge of your environment and have to treat yourself like an employee. This means holding yourself accountable, but also recognizing when enough is enough, just as a good manager might. If you feel yourself extending your work hours because you aren’t doing anything in the evening…tell yourself it’s time to put work away, recharge, and start tomorrow with a fresh mind. The work will be there in the morning.
If you live with other people, this separation is even more critical. Communicate with the people you live with to establish boundaries so you can cut down on distractions during the workday—and then disconnect and give the people you care about your full attention. Having a separate time and space to work will allow you to be more present in your home life. We need this so much as we provide digital marketing Claremont and the rest of Cape Town.
- Build Transitions Into (and Out of) Work
Your morning commute not only gets you to work from one physical location to another but it also gives your brain time to prepare for work. Just because you’re not traveling doesn’t mean you shouldn’t carve out equivalent routines to help you ease into your workday.
Maybe you usually read or listen to music on your commute. You can do that at home. Or maybe you can spend some time with a pet or loved one. You can even add in a workout (preferably at home because of the coronavirus, but see what is being recommended where you live) or spend some time on a hobby (again, make sure it’s appropriate given the health recommendations where you are).
At the other end of the day, the evening commute does the reverse. Commuters often take for granted the time they have in the car or on the train to wind down from a hectic workday and mentally prepare themselves for their evening routine. Generally, you’re not going from getting a huge presentation done right to making dinner or doing chores. If you try to jump directly, your brain doesn’t have time to hit the reset button, which can make you less present as you transition back into your personal life.”
Give yourself something that will signal the end of work and serve as a buffer. E.g. take your dog for a long walk as soon as you done for the day. It helps decompress with something physical and fun and the habit will be self-enforcing as your dog will remind you when it’s time for his walk.
- Don’t Get Too Sucked in by the News—or Anything Else
Distraction is one of the big challenges facing people who work from home—especially people who aren’t used to it. Your home is right in front of you so that means that whatever you’re usually thinking about getting home to after work is now with you. It’s human to get distracted. But you need to be wary of how much you let yourself get distracted.
You probably already take a few breaks throughout the day at the office, and that’s fine to do at home, too. Using that time to throw in a load of laundry is OK, but try not to look at your new work arrangement as an opportunity to finally clean out that closet or anything else that takes a lot of sustained focus.
Right now, one of the biggest distractions is the news. And if you’re working remotely because of the new coronavirus, checking in on COVID-19 updates is going to be at the front of your mind. It’s good to stay informed, of course, but it’s also easy to scroll yourself into an anxious mess.
As a company that provides digital marketing Claremont, we suggest setting timers for any breaks you take. You don’t want to get too immersed and forget that you’re at work altogether. If you’re someone who’s susceptible to getting distracted every time you get a News alert, turn your notifications off during the workday, too. The news will still be there after 5 PM
- Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
If you don’t usually work from home, chances are there will be some bumps in the road if you have to suddenly go fully remote. The key to steering through these bumps is communication—especially with your manager and direct reports. Either before you make the switch or as soon as you know it’s happening, come up with a plan that lays out expectations for how often you should check in and how you’ll convey any changes or new assignments to one another. Do the same with anyone you usually work collaboratively with throughout the day.
This plan is likely to change as you go. And that’s OK. This is a new situation for everyone. So make sure to circle back and change the plan if problems come up. You’ll also encounter unique challenges as you try to do your job remotely, which can vary greatly depending on the type of work you do. Don’t hesitate to reach out to the same people you would usually turn to for help—even if you’re not in the same building as them.
And you don’t have to stick with only text-based communication. Do not default to email if you would have spoken to a co-worker face-to-face while at the office. You might find it’s best to check in with your boss and co-workers over the phone or through video chat. This will cut down on miscommunication and break up some of the social isolation that can come from working from home.
- Don’t Forget to Socialize
When the whole office suddenly starts working from home, you’re cutting off a lot of the casual social interactions you’re used to having throughout the day that help you feel less lonely and break up the monotony of work. People forget they need to be around others because it’s the small talk and random fire alarms that keep your days feeling unique and prevent that hamster-wheel feeling. When you work from home, you don’t have that.
Combat this by talking with your co-workers throughout the day through calls, text, Zoom, Skype or however your company communicates. If you usually ask your co-workers about their weekends, keep that up. If you’d usually comment to them about a specific topic, reach out. These little interactions go a long way.
You can also schedule morning video call kick-offs with your whole team so you make space for that first-getting-into-work small talk, or carve out time for other check-ins throughout the day.
- Set boundaries with your children
Lastly, on top of communicating with your colleagues it’s crucial to set boundaries with your kids when working remotely, especially if they’re school-aged.
It may be helpful to allow your kids to watch more TV and play more games than usual in order to keep them occupied. In this even you need to explain to your kids that this is a special thing, and this freedom won’t go on forever.
Outside of being more flexible about screen-time, you should also tell your kids when you need to be in “do not disturb” mode.
A really good way to implement “do not disturb” is have a physical sign on the door with a thumbs up, thumbs down or whatever works as a signal for when you truly cannot be interrupted.
Digi-guru, a web design agency Cape Town can be proud of, has been working closely with our clients to respond appropriately to coronavirus concerns and make strategic adjustments in their marketing messages and demand generation tactics. We understand that there is no virtual experience that comes close to attending a concert, visiting a museum etc. However social distancing measures are likely to drive more people to shop online. Digi-guru can assist businesses to take pro-active steps to prepare for this. Our services include;
- Ensuring your website content is well-optimized for search
- Updating your Google My Business page with the most accurate, up-to-date information
- Improving your website user experience to increase online conversions
- Exploring new paid advertising opportunities, including social media ads
- Developing more engaging email marketing campaigns
- Using video marketing to stand out in customers’ crowded newsfeeds
Visit our website today to find out more about our web design agency Cape Town or digital marketing services or WhatsApp us: 071 411 9718