Plenty of us fantasizes about working from the comfort of our home in favour of more sleep, family, Netflix or exercise time. But working remotely is a double-edged sword — sure, you get to stay home, but it can be harder to focus on actually working. Whether it’s cooking or a pile of laundry that suddenly looks more appealing than your bosses’ to-do list, or a quick three-hour binge of that one Netflix show you’ve been dying to watch, staying productive at home can take a little extra effort. Working from home plus, quarantine can make us lose our minds. 
 

Many of us are experiencing a heightened amount of negativity, anxiety, fear, stress, depression, and psychosomatic conditions just to name a few. Having such a mindset makes it difficult for us to be able to maintain our focus and give the right amount of attention to our work. Productivity is lost and there is a huge drop in work efficiency levels. Your routine might be disrupted, but your life still needs to be normal. It’s important to create a sense of order and balance during the coronavirus outbreak. Here are a few tips that can encourage wellness while working from home.

 

1. Chose a dedicated workspace

 

Get off the couch and definitely out of your bed. Rather than slouching on your couch or cooping in your room with a laptop, it would be better if you could find a space which is not dedicated to leisure. Try to find yourself a comfortable spot to work that you can associate with your job. A desk and an ergonomically designed chair would help you work better, and make you feel less lethargic and vulnerable to headaches or back pain.  Clean up your desk, organize & shut down all your distractions. Try to mirror your work schedule at home.

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2. Get dressed and maintain your routine
 

 Your dress impacts your mood. Get showered and dressed in comfortable formal clothes. Don’t sit in your pyjamas the whole day. It is amazing to see how our dress can impact our mood. So in your working hours stay formally dressed and change into your pyjamas once your work is done. Also, try and have all the meals in your day, work out a little at home & maintain your sleep patterns. Get up on time and sleep on time otherwise, it can lead to you having disrupted sleep cycles, which mess up your physical and mental health.
 

3. Chit-chat with your colleagues
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Ideally, work efficiency should increase when you have no work gossips to distract you, however, social interactions help alleviate feelings of loneliness and increase feelings of togetherness, cohesiveness and team efficiency. So it’s important to keep in touch with our team while working. During breaks and lunchtime, chit-chat with your colleagues. You feel a little better when you know that everyone is experiencing the same things that you are. Knowing that you are not alone in this, would help you face this pandemic.

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4. Switch off all the distraction 
 

Harmless social media notifications at the office become deadly productivity and efficiency killers during work from home. Turn off all the social media notifications, and news channels on both laptops and mobiles. These distractions would simply delay the work needed to be done, which would drastically reduce your efficiency and may cost you your job.

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5. Schedule regular breaks
 

Get up every 45 minutes and move around the house. Do stretches, intake water, take a few deep breaths, have an energy drink and then hop back on your desk. Sitting for long hours can induce body aches. 

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6. Stay committed to your time and deliverables
 

Avoid home chores or personal appointments during working hours except during scheduled breaks. Don’t abuse work from home by being unavailable or else you will compromise your professional respect and may lose your job when your company cuts costs to deal with Corona-triggered challenges.