For some, this week is just like any other however for many others the concept of working from home is a new one. Due to the coronavirus outbreak, our entire office is now working safely from their own homes. This is business as (un)usual perhaps, but one thing is for sure – it hasn’t stopped the work flow.
Hopefully, many of you will be well and merely working remotely, so how do you stay efficient and keep spirits high when working from home? We asked our studio to share their tips on working from home.
“Embrace collaborative tools like Microsoft Teams and use video chat as often as you can so that you don’t miss your amazing colleagues too much. Pets on conference calls are a must. I’m really looking forward to meeting all the McCann Dublin cats & dogs. Move! We’d all be up and about in the office but at home it’s easy to stay in the same spot for ages. Get up and move. Make a cuppa, have a glass of water, stretch – anything.”
Jenny
“Good setup, good music, good coffee. Go for a walk around the block before work if the weather allows. Get up, get showered and get dressed. Drink water and eat.”
Paul
“Get up and start your day as normal. I like to do exercise, then shower and get dressed as if you’re going into work.”
Sarah
“Apparently when you work from home you need to “go” to work. As in leave your house, walk around the block (or go get a coffee) go back into the house and then start working.”
Eamonn
“Remember to take lunch and Skype so you can actually see each other.”
Aoife
“For advice, I’d say carry on as if you’re going to work e.g. get up and get dressed in what you’d wear normally. Helps keep the mental divide between work and home. And then exercise, we dug out some weights and stuff from the attic as the gyms are closed, good for general health and mental wellbeing.”
Ben
“Set up a proper desk space and go somewhere else in the house for lunch to break up the day. Also, if you have one, take advantage of having a home-office dog!”
Zoe
“Make sure your camera is off during calls. Or at least be aware that the camera IS on during calls!”
David
“Stick to your routine amongst the madness – structure is key.”
Olivia
“Stay active. Lots of teachers and trainers are sharing online yoga classes and home workouts which are helping to keep my mind quiet and my energy high. Or get out for a walk, before we need a better reason than “I just can’t look at a screen anymore.”
Amy
“It can be hard to concentrate in these fragile times, be kind to yourself and give yourself time to shut off from the news and headlines that can fill you with worry. Take tea breaks, eat lunch, go for a walk, breath and remember you are still capable. Take every challenge as it comes.”
Eimear
“A morning walk and evening run are keeping me sane. Failing that, talk to your plants or foster a DSPCA doggo (my friend has a greyhound for the next couple of months as they’re closed!)”
Emily
“Keeping a routine so I can ‘switch on’ for the day and then also ‘switch off’ like walking to and from work, even if it is just around the block. For those without spare rooms for work, I find physically changing the space works for me – move the table into one position for work and then move it into a different one for home – again just something simple that marks the working day and home day.”
Colette