Working from home - any tips or advice?
Discussion
^ Remember that you'll be heating and lighting your home more during the winter than when you commute. It does make a difference to your electricity/gas bill, so claim it back from HMRC.
If you don't need privacy for some of your work/you're not on the phone all the time, consider "third spacing" for some of it. What I mean is somewhere that isn't home and isn't work (hence "third space"). If I'm in a university library/quiet cafe then I'm not surrounded by home distractions. Some of my work is delicate or private, so I save those for the home or office.
If you don't need privacy for some of your work/you're not on the phone all the time, consider "third spacing" for some of it. What I mean is somewhere that isn't home and isn't work (hence "third space"). If I'm in a university library/quiet cafe then I'm not surrounded by home distractions. Some of my work is delicate or private, so I save those for the home or office.
blearyeyedboy said:
^ Remember that you'll be heating and lighting your home more during the winter than when you commute. It does make a difference to your electricity/gas bill, so claim it back from HMRC.
If you don't need privacy for some of your work/you're not on the phone all the time, consider "third spacing" for some of it. What I mean is somewhere that isn't home and isn't work (hence "third space"). If I'm in a university library/quiet cafe then I'm not surrounded by home distractions. Some of my work is delicate or private, so I save those for the home or office.
That's interesting. Could join a local sports club - my tennis club has a large bar, free wifi and heating. For just over £200 a year, I could loiter there. Free water. Might look a bit odd if I'm there every day, though. I just had a thought - if I decide to stop playing I could use their social membership which is about £30 a year.If you don't need privacy for some of your work/you're not on the phone all the time, consider "third spacing" for some of it. What I mean is somewhere that isn't home and isn't work (hence "third space"). If I'm in a university library/quiet cafe then I'm not surrounded by home distractions. Some of my work is delicate or private, so I save those for the home or office.
I suppose if you have gym membership, many gyms eg DLL have a café area where you could work, do a bit of gyming.
I also have B2B sales role that is based from home. I moved from West London to South Birmingham and was lucky enough to be able to negotiate my continued employment with employer on a WFH basis. It works very well for all concerned, company owner is very happy, my colleagues are very happy, customers have noticed no change and I am very happy.
I have a separate office on top floor of the house, which helps, a lot. I can shut the door and I am isolated from the noise and distractions from the rest of the house and visa versa.
Things I have found that helped me:
Ditching the ISP router and updating the home wifi to something more sturdy and enterprise grade i.e Ubiquiti
Running Ethernet cable to the office and installing an Ethernet switch (means my laptop, printer etc are hardwired, rather than wireless)
BT Cloudphone desk phone and mobile app running (if I am in the kitchen making a cup of tea I can answer my desk phone from my mobile)
Dry wipe board on the wall next to desk
The last thing I want is for my colleagues to think I am dossing at home, hence I have made efforts to be visibly online and can answer internal calls without background noise that wouldn't be expected from an office.
Bottom line is, if you are focused, working from home will not be a problem.
I have a separate office on top floor of the house, which helps, a lot. I can shut the door and I am isolated from the noise and distractions from the rest of the house and visa versa.
Things I have found that helped me:
Ditching the ISP router and updating the home wifi to something more sturdy and enterprise grade i.e Ubiquiti
Running Ethernet cable to the office and installing an Ethernet switch (means my laptop, printer etc are hardwired, rather than wireless)
BT Cloudphone desk phone and mobile app running (if I am in the kitchen making a cup of tea I can answer my desk phone from my mobile)
Dry wipe board on the wall next to desk
The last thing I want is for my colleagues to think I am dossing at home, hence I have made efforts to be visibly online and can answer internal calls without background noise that wouldn't be expected from an office.
Bottom line is, if you are focused, working from home will not be a problem.
I've been WFH many years. There's a lot of truth to this cartoon:
More here: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/working_home
Personally, if I could change my environment I'd put in a cabin office in the garden rather than working indoors. It works better, but the current house has a surplus of rooms and a shortage of garden space.
This one never gets tired:
More here: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/working_home
Personally, if I could change my environment I'd put in a cabin office in the garden rather than working indoors. It works better, but the current house has a surplus of rooms and a shortage of garden space.
This one never gets tired:
Edited by Chris Type R on Friday 28th July 12:18
Chris Type R said:
Eric Mc said:
MitchT said:
- Avoid distractions such as PHeads.
Hoofy said:
blearyeyedboy said:
^ Remember that you'll be heating and lighting your home more during the winter than when you commute. It does make a difference to your electricity/gas bill, so claim it back from HMRC.
If you don't need privacy for some of your work/you're not on the phone all the time, consider "third spacing" for some of it. What I mean is somewhere that isn't home and isn't work (hence "third space"). If I'm in a university library/quiet cafe then I'm not surrounded by home distractions. Some of my work is delicate or private, so I save those for the home or office.
That's interesting. Could join a local sports club - my tennis club has a large bar, free wifi and heating. For just over £200 a year, I could loiter there. Free water. Might look a bit odd if I'm there every day, though. I just had a thought - if I decide to stop playing I could use their social membership which is about £30 a year.If you don't need privacy for some of your work/you're not on the phone all the time, consider "third spacing" for some of it. What I mean is somewhere that isn't home and isn't work (hence "third space"). If I'm in a university library/quiet cafe then I'm not surrounded by home distractions. Some of my work is delicate or private, so I save those for the home or office.
I suppose if you have gym membership, many gyms eg DLL have a café area where you could work, do a bit of gyming.
The key is to ask permission, and don't take the piss.
Don't forget that your work laptop needs power, and hence somewhere to plug it in. Ask permission, or buy a power pack.
romeogolf said:
I'm far more productive at home than at work. I actually have fewer distractions - At work, I can surf the web the same as I could at home, go make a snack, all that - But I also have colleagues who chat a lot and it's too easy to just be "standing by the water cooler".
On days that I work from home I set myself a to-do list and just ensure it's done. If I've done it by midday? Great. Just leave emails open and phone nearby if something new comes in, but otherwise I semi switch-off. Of course some days there are other background things which can be worked on and then I'll just drop into those for a few hours.
Pretty much exactly what I do.On days that I work from home I set myself a to-do list and just ensure it's done. If I've done it by midday? Great. Just leave emails open and phone nearby if something new comes in, but otherwise I semi switch-off. Of course some days there are other background things which can be worked on and then I'll just drop into those for a few hours.
Some days I have been so lucky as to do no work, other days it's hectic and I start early and finish late.
Right now, I'm still in bed . I've already dealt with all the tasks assigned to me today. But keeping on my E-mails and phones for stuff that trickles in.
omniflow said:
Get a decent chair
There's a place online that sells re-furbished office chairs. They replace the seat and the backrest with brand new ones, so you're not sitting on someone elses dried sweat. A Herman Miller Aeron is £350 - definitely worth the money in my opinion.
Agreed, I bought a s/h one many years ago and it's still going strong. Much better than an Ikea/Office world chair. It may well be tax deductible as well.There's a place online that sells re-furbished office chairs. They replace the seat and the backrest with brand new ones, so you're not sitting on someone elses dried sweat. A Herman Miller Aeron is £350 - definitely worth the money in my opinion.
Most have already said all of this, but i'll mention my take (I'm permanently home based and only go into the office every 4-6months):
Get up at a decent time (06:45 me for a 08:30 start), even if my office is 8 steps from bedroom
Make an effort to get active, the lack of commute and lack of walking means you'll pile on the pounds if not
Get dressed to a decent standard, no PJ's etc., it really helps motivate
Whatever i save on fuel costs, i spend in the winter on Gas/Electric.
Remote call, Skype etc. as much as possible, the quality of calls helps over say, a phone call
Get a good ISP and broadband speed
Separate office and living space is a given
Don't fill the cupboards/fridge with junk food
Make sure your contract states full time homebased if you are, it means when you do go into the office, it can be expensed so doesn't hit you in the pocket
LEARN WHEN TO FINISH - if you wouldn't stay in the office 'til 22:00 then don't do the same at home, just because you don't have an hour commute
Don't become (like i have) a postal sorting office for your neighbours bloody parcels... (once they know you WFH, everything is delivered to you)
Get up at a decent time (06:45 me for a 08:30 start), even if my office is 8 steps from bedroom
Make an effort to get active, the lack of commute and lack of walking means you'll pile on the pounds if not
Get dressed to a decent standard, no PJ's etc., it really helps motivate
Whatever i save on fuel costs, i spend in the winter on Gas/Electric.
Remote call, Skype etc. as much as possible, the quality of calls helps over say, a phone call
Get a good ISP and broadband speed
Separate office and living space is a given
Don't fill the cupboards/fridge with junk food
Make sure your contract states full time homebased if you are, it means when you do go into the office, it can be expensed so doesn't hit you in the pocket
LEARN WHEN TO FINISH - if you wouldn't stay in the office 'til 22:00 then don't do the same at home, just because you don't have an hour commute
Don't become (like i have) a postal sorting office for your neighbours bloody parcels... (once they know you WFH, everything is delivered to you)
Invest in a decent wireless headset, if you don't already have one.
For landline and Bluetooth mobile I use a mains-powered Plantronics Savi 7 series (various models depending on type of headset) which has an amazing range, around 25m+, so I can wander around the garden while on a call.
For the laptop I use a USB-powered Sennheiser MB1, if working away from a mains socket.
A life-saver if you spend your life on hour-long con-calls (everyone needs the loo sometime, just remember to go on mute)
For landline and Bluetooth mobile I use a mains-powered Plantronics Savi 7 series (various models depending on type of headset) which has an amazing range, around 25m+, so I can wander around the garden while on a call.
For the laptop I use a USB-powered Sennheiser MB1, if working away from a mains socket.
A life-saver if you spend your life on hour-long con-calls (everyone needs the loo sometime, just remember to go on mute)
All very good points, thanks guys!
When I know the VOIP setup I'll pop back and ask for recommendations on wireless headsets as I think I will need one
Our broadband is fibre with 65 download speeds so should hopefully be fine, very lucky considering how remote we are!
And active/interaction wise, I've already signed up to the local rugby and boxing clubs so I'll be out and active every tues and thurs eve
When I know the VOIP setup I'll pop back and ask for recommendations on wireless headsets as I think I will need one
Our broadband is fibre with 65 download speeds so should hopefully be fine, very lucky considering how remote we are!
And active/interaction wise, I've already signed up to the local rugby and boxing clubs so I'll be out and active every tues and thurs eve
sidekickdmr said:
All very good points, thanks guys!
When I know the VOIP setup I'll pop back and ask for recommendations on wireless headsets as I think I will need one
Our broadband is fibre with 65 download speeds so should hopefully be fine, very lucky considering how remote we are!
And active/interaction wise, I've already signed up to the local rugby and boxing clubs so I'll be out and active every tues and thurs eve
Don't get the days confused or you might get kicked out.When I know the VOIP setup I'll pop back and ask for recommendations on wireless headsets as I think I will need one
Our broadband is fibre with 65 download speeds so should hopefully be fine, very lucky considering how remote we are!
And active/interaction wise, I've already signed up to the local rugby and boxing clubs so I'll be out and active every tues and thurs eve
sidekickdmr said:
Whilst there is always admin and emails to do, I guess I'm quite lucky that this is a B2B sales role, so as of 4.30/5pm there is no sales to be done and nobody to call.
Should make "shutting down" at the end of the day easier.
That's pretty lucky - my role involves dealing with US, mostly West Coast. So at 4.30-5PM it's just getting into full swing and I have to keep an eye on email until I go to bed in case anything needs a response otherwise I lose a day.Should make "shutting down" at the end of the day easier.
I've done it for many years without issue, but I've always had employers who were happy with give and take. My own kids were fine and knew to leave me alone if working. Have little grandkids now and they don't get it at all.
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