4 Tips to work from home with ease & efficiency

The global pandemic ushered new ways of working and living. Working from home has become the norm, yet there are those who plunged right into it, little realizing there are things worth investing in that can make remote working from home a whole lot smoother and easier. Here are work from home tips that can lead to most people snuggling comfortably into their home-based occupation or business:

1. Invest in the essentials. When considering to work from home, prepare to shell out some cash.
Some individuals might react, “Really, now.” The reality is, whether it comes to mind early on or in the later stage of one’s work-from-home experience, funds at hand can contribute to comfort and efficiency.  In the pandemic and post-pandemic era, part of prioritized “need” expenses is stocking up on basic paraphernalia or tools of the trade, and supplies.

For starters, it is advisable to be financially equipped for items like quality headphones with useful features, a stash of healthy snacks for those short breaks, good lighting, ventilation, a comfy chair, table and other basic furniture, to name some. Select a dedicated working home space, embrace tech tools and equip yourself with a huge dose of practicality.  A trusty laptop, a highly functional smartphone that can deliver good to excellent voice quality and keyboard input are part and parcel of wfh essentials. It is important to get nourishment. A not-too-healthy diet can impede productivity and dissipate energy. The choice of items like a chair is important, too, as it may contribute to either comfort or fatigue.

The more prepared you are physically, mentally and emotionally, and the more complete your work from home setup is, the greater the likelihood of a positive job outcome, so be ready to fund it. A reliable P2P funding platform like BlendPH can help facilitate that extra cash you need, especially if there is only minimal “work from home” financing from employers.

2. Retain presence of mind. Avoid distractions, like frequent social media checks and smartphone games. Lots of people may think working from home can be blissful. The bed, refrigerator, and recreational stuff are all nearby.  The home work setting is not without challenges, though.  Based on experiences shared by some home-based working professionals, there is the tendency to lose sight of one’s to-do items, priorities and deadlines. The trick is to solidify one’s `at home’ work schedule and practice tried-and-tested home working solutions. As one digital marketer working remotely tweeted, “Start your day with clear priorities.”

3. Compartmentalize. Mastering how to work from home, especially if it is a novel arrangement for you, may take months. Strive not to let work creep into your home life, and vice versa. What you may have envisioned as a greater work-life balance can turn into monumental exhaustion — if you let it. You can maintain (productive remote work) with planning. Do you tend to become too focused on tasks once you start working? Have a desktop planner or one you can attach to the wall to stay on track for calls, goals, and things that may be overlooked, like drinking water.

4. Bring in the add-ons. A ventilated laptop stand, a set of adjustable desk shelves for easy organization of home office knick-knacks can come real handy. Allot an amount for such miscellaneous stuff. Keep in mind that even while certain organizations have announced plans for a “return to office,” it may still take months or years to revive the old office-based culture, so it is best to have at hand the necessary home job tools and supplies. Time tracking apps will also be helpful. Check out the best app roundups online. A handful of them are incorporated in work from home productivity tips in numerous sites.

Flexible work from home jobs run the gamut from information technology (IT) to customer service work, sales projects, project management, healthcare, freelance writing, and more. With more employers offering remote work from home jobs, policies have been updated and some forms of monetary support provided. For a large number of companies and self-employed individuals, though, using personal funds to invest on things that can make the wfh experience easier and more effective can be well worth it.

To be financially ready for your work from home must-haves, get qualified for an online loan through the Philippines’ trusted peer-to-peer online funding platform BlendPH.