Do you wish to work from home or the comfort of a coffee shop? Do you also get scared as to how the whole experience will turn out? Rest assured, there are many like you.
I was in the same boat until a year ago. But my friends encouraged me to give it a shot. The next thing I knew was I was subscribing to the Spectrum package deals for my home office and ordering a worktable for myself. And the rest is history. Here are all the things that no one told me before I started working remotely but I want you to know.
A Separate Phone
NEVER. I repeat never have the same phone number for both your friends and family as well as your work. There should be two separate numbers and two separate phones. Now many people will argue that some smartphones come with the dual sim feature. However, what you may not realize is that smartphones do not have a very long battery life. And if you choose to use one device for both your work and leisure, you will always find yourself hooked to the charging port.
Therefore, to avoid any inconvenience, you should have separate phones. Also, note that with separate phones you can have separate WhatsApp for both numbers as well. Hence, making it easy for you to keep both your work and personal lives separate from each other.
Office Stuff
Working from home does not imply that you do not have to invest in the office related stuff. The need to do so increases when you are working from home. As you will not have access to supplies that readily as you do in an office. Therefore, keep yourself equipped with all the essentials.
The list includes files, paper, stationery, printer, and office space. The latter is important to remind you that you are working. This might sound strange to you. But when you work from a couch, you will not get that office feel. As a result, you will tend to get lazy. Therefore, to avoid it, you should dedicate an office space in your home.
Working Hours
Remote workers often complain that they end up working more than they would in the office. And this brings into light one very important point – defining your working hours. No one will do it for you. So, it is only you who has to convey it to the clients and customers regarding the hours of your work. Following that, you should make a conscious effort not to take any calls before and after the defined hours. Because that time is for YOU. As you also need to relax and unwind after a day’s long work.
Color
How many of you are familiar with the concept of color psychology? If not, then read this. Psychologists say that if you are in an environment that makes you happy, you tend to perform better. And colors make an individual elated. Therefore, make sure that your office space is not all boring. Add colors to it. These do not necessarily have to be in the form of colorfully painted walls. Instead, you can choose to have a colorful chair or a table. If not that, then some decoration pieces or frames would do. Bring your creativity to use and see what you can do to have a pop of color around yourself. Because it is essential.
Good Chair
As you will be spending a major portion of your day on that chair, you might as well invest in a good and comfortable one. Although, it will cost you more than an ordinary office chair. But it is essential to take care of your back. You do not want to end up having a backache almost every other day. Therefore, invest in a quality chair. You will thank me later for this precious advice.
Get a Plant
Apart from purchasing a comfortable chair, you should also consider getting a plant or two for your office space. It is low maintenance but the soothing and calming effect that it has on you is beyond explanation. You won’t understand it unless you surround yourself with some greenery.
Pin Board
No matter how many notepads or sticky notes you have on your devices, to keep yourself from forgetting the crucial tasks, it is essential to have a pinboard. However, you can use it for putting up a picture or two of yourself as well. And if not that, a motivational quote is always a good idea. Apart from that, you will never have to fear missing out on a task as all of them will be before your eyes at all times.
I even write down my Internet bill pay date on the pinboard. This is the level of my reliance on it. So now you should invest in one too.
