Working from home has many benefits. I do not lose time commuting to work. I avoid the drive to work, looking for parking, getting stuck in traffic, going on the train and all those time wasters. Additionally, I get to see my family more, as when I finish work, I do not have to travel home to see them.

Working from Home

Nevertheless, We have many distractions at home, and I do not have my manager looking over my shoulder. This means I can experience a drop in efficiency. What should I do to ensure that I am effectively working from home?

1. Dedicate a Space for Work

Create a specific working space that is a separate area from your general home life. Make sure there is a boundary and this area is for work, and the rest of your home is for rest. Too many people have a blurred line and work in areas close to where they have their everyday lives. This makes it harder to focus, and family members can also come to distract you.

2. Regular work schedule

It is easy to end up never switching off from work or having a less clear program. Therefore, you need to try to keep to a more regular work schedule to ensure that there are boundaries. You need to separate time at work from personal time. This is vital for your well-being for those workaholics amongst us and productivity for those who struggle to focus.

3. Turn off Social Media

Social Media is very distracting, and it can use up your day. Make an effort to ensure that your mobile devices and computer are not connected to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn or any other platform. This will ensure you do not get waylaid during your day.

4. Program catch-ups with your team

You must make time to work with your team members. This is vital for an Executive Assistant because you must ensure that you keep engaging with your manager and that your special relationship doesn’t suffer. This could lead to you failing to work in partnership with your manager, and you will drop your performance.

5. Exercise

Do not allow yourself to stay behind your desk and do no exercise. Commuting is a source of activity if you take the train, subway or bus. Therefore, you need to ensure that you make time to exercise.

6. Stress Relief

Ensure that you have a means of avoiding stress when at work. People working alone often can feel overwhelmed. Therefore, a go-to place to relax and de-stress during breaks is important. In the office, we do this by going for coffee etc. You need some alternative when you are working from home.

You will also need excellent Microsoft Office skills to work from home without any issues. This naturally means you need to know about SharePoint, Office 365 and Teams. These are commonly used for people working remotely. Many organizations have chosen to train their employees in these programs to ensure people can work well at home. You can find these training courses from Microsoft Office training academies.