A Guide to Home Office Productivity During a Global Health Crisis

Even though we are writing this during a time of a worldwide health crisis (COVID-19), which is forcing more and more employees to stay at home and minimise the number of infected people, working from home is nothing new to us.

Being in the digital industry, we are very lucky to be part of this newly found tribe of “digital nomads” that can seemingly work from anywhere in the world. It sounds very appealing but it also takes a certain kind of person and atmosphere in order for one to stay productive outside the walls of the usual office.

This is why we’ve decided to share some of our home office tips and tricks that get us in our most productive mode and keep us focused for (most of) the day.

Tip 1: Clean up your space 📚

First and foremost, you gotta have a clean working space. There are probably very few people that can work effectively even in clutter, so this is the most basic step you can take towards calling your home your new office.

An organised desk will also put you in the mood to take on your tasks and start checking them off your list. Add a calendar, some pens, a notebook or maybe even a candle! You can find a lot of inspiration on Pinterest or by checking out our home office set-ups below.

Tip 2: Make yourself comfortable 🧑🏻‍💻

Now it’s time to get yourself positioned. Hopefully, you have a comfortable chair already that is going to support your back and not let you slouch.

After you’ve cleaned your desk, you should also position your computer or monitor in such a way that your eyes are looking down at it. So, it should either be at eye level or a little below but be mindful not to bend your shoulders too much. Your keyboard should also be positioned in such a way that it makes your forearms parallel to the floor.

Tip 3: Track your time ⏰

It’s easy to get lost in your tasks when the boundaries between chilling at home and ‘smashing it’ at the office start to overlap. Try to pre-plan your breaks and maybe even create a meal schedule for the week ahead. This will keep you motivated to finish your tasks on time!

Tip 4: Get dressed for work 👔

As silly as this one might sound, you have no idea how much power our work ‘uniforms’ actually hold!

It’s very easy to fall into the ‘pyjamas all day’ loop when you’re working from home, especially if you have other members of your family around as well. You don’t need to wear a full-on suit and tie but a clean t-shirt and jeans will most definitely do the job!

Tip 5: Communicate ✋

Self-isolation does not necessarily mean that you should put all your communicating on hold.

In times of crisis, or even if you’re just feeling a bit under the weather and need to take a day at home, Slack, Zoom, Hangouts and even Facebook Messenger will be your lifelines to help you keep your work going.

The team at Stan+Vision has definitely been utilising all of the available software we have so that we can still feel connected, even when we’re all working from different places.

We hope that these tips on how to be productive while you’re self-isolating in your home office will help you get your tasks done and your deadlines met!

Do you have any home office tips?