As more and more businesses are pushing employees to work from the safety of their home, here are a few good tips.
- Set aside a specific place exclusively for work. You may be able to deduct it from your taxes and it will help you psychologically.
- Create a daily work schedule. It’s easy to get sucked into being available to work any time, any day. If you work for one company, try to set well-defined work hours to avoid phone calls and emails without boundaries on your personal time.
- Be an extrovert. Working remotely can prevent you from building workplace relationships and chances to meet new people in an office — those things rarely happen when you work from home. Making more phone calls or even online meetings where you interact instead of just email someone can make a big difference
- Ramp up your tech skills. Help is not always on the way. If you run into a technical glitch with your computer, you may very well be left to your own devices.
- Network electronically. You should, for instance, get active in LinkedIn groups that relate to your work, employer, alma mater, past employers, or other interests that you follow. It’s key to comment on posts from others and add in your own two cents. It displays your expertise and gives you a virtual feeling of being connected to a community.