2020 has been an odd year for all of us. It has involved a lot of significant change to our day to day lives that has proven challenging to get used to.
The rise of coronavirus has seen governments around the world implementing a host of measures to keep us as safe as possible. For many of us, this has meant spending a whole lot of time at home.
Rather than heading out to work, many of us are now working from our own homes on a remote basis instead. This change has come hand in hand with plenty of positives.
Chances are you’ve been able to wave goodbye to the commute, meaning more time to sleep in and get ready before work. No more skipping breakfast!
Not wasting time on the commute home also means more time with your loved ones who you live with – when you finish work, you simply close your laptop or shut down your computer and you’re ready to spend time with your loved ones straight away.
Last but not least, you can wear more comfortable clothes and have access to better food for better lunches.
Yet the switch to remote work hasn’t been easy for everyone. This is a whole new way of working and sometimes it can feel difficult to be productive and do the right thing when working from a non-professional environment.
If it looks like you’re going to continue working remotely for a while, here are a few suggestions that can help you to become the best remote worker you can be.
Create a Dedicated Working Space
The first step that you need to take to be a good remote worker is to create a dedicated workspace for yourself.
Now, in some households, this is simple. You may have a spare room that can be converted into a home office.
Here, you can shut the door and work undisturbed until your break times or the end of the working day.
But if you don’t have this space available to you, things might be a little more difficult. Start out by finding somewhere comfortable to sit. This could be your dining table or another space with support.
Where possible, avoid working from bed or the sofa.
Then, politely request that anyone you live with doesn’t disturb you while you’re in this space. Let them know that you need to work interrupted and can talk to them when you take your coffee breaks or lunch break instead.
Focus on Cyber Security
Chances are you don’t have to think all too much about cybersecurity when you work in the office. This is because your employer will have already taken care of everything, ensuring that your device is connected to a secure network and already has firewalls, spam filters and more in-play to reduce chances of a cyber attack.
But when you’re working from home, things can be a little different.
You’re more vulnerable to cyber-attack and cybercriminals are aware of this, meaning that more attack attempts are being made right now. But what can you do to prevent yourself falling victim to this?
Well, the first step is to follow the rules.
If your employer has provided you with a device to work from, only work from this device. If you are supposed to connect to a VPN, connect to the VPN. Secondly, you need to educate yourself and be hyperaware and vigilant.
Train yourself in what cyber attacks look like and what type of cyber attacks could be threatening you. Phishing is a key one to look out for.
If you want to go all out, you could even take a training course or a cyber security degree.
Come Up With a Schedule
It can become easy to procrastinate while working from home. This is why it’s extremely important that you come up with a schedule. A schedule will help you to lay out all of the tasks or projects that you need to get through and what you need to do to achieve this.
Having a schedule planned out will give you something to aim for and stick to. It can reduce procrastination and ensure that you don’t forget anything or miss anything out!
As you can see, it takes a fair amount of effort to be a good remote worker. But it’s essential that you show your employer that you are still completing the same amount of work and working to the same standard without supervision.
Hopefully, some of the above areas of focus will help you to achieve this.
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