How to work from home like a pro

In recent weeks, more sales and marketing professionals have been conducting their work from home. As COVID-19 spreads, the UK government has recommended that individuals limit social contact - including work spaces, restaurants, and pubs (bad news for St. Patrick’s Day revellers). 

With this in mind, the Axon Garside team have put together some top tips on how to work from home like a pro. If you’re concerned that you’ll sacrifice efficiency for safety, here are some ideas to keep you (and your team) focused! 

Stick to your routine 

Working from home is a change from the norm, and once your usual daily routine is thrown out of the window, it can be difficult to stay focused. Try sticking to your routine to get in the right mood for a day at work. Get up at the usual time, get dressed, and ready for work as you would on any normal day. 

Sticking to a routine ensures that you’re in the right headspace for the day ahead, and means that you are prepared to treat your day as if you were in the office. It’s an essential tip, and one that can seriously help improve productivity. 

Set up a workspace 

You might think that working from home is the dream - answering emails on the sofa! Video calls from the comfort of your bed! But you’ll quickly discover that this type of behaviour doesn’t get you in the ‘work mood’, and you’re likely to get to 5pm wondering where your day went. 

One way to combat this is to set up a workspace for yourself. If you’ve got a monitor, or keyboard and mouse, set these up on an actual table. Make sure that you have a coffee supply, and make sure that when you’ve finished work, you leave the workspace. Having a dedicated area not only makes you feel more productive, but also reduces distractions. 

Top Tip: if you’re jumping on video calls when at home, make sure you check what’s behind you. That poster of Dolly Parton will likely mean your teammates make fun of you forever. 

Enjoy the little things 

Working from home might be enforced by your company at the moment, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t have a little fun. When at home you can drink your own coffee, eat your own snacks, and put on your best concentration playlist. We might be in this situation for a few weeks, so make sure that you take the time to enjoy the little things! 

Make yourself a nice breakfast and put your comfy socks on. You may not necessarily want to be at home right now, but you’ll miss the small things when you’re back in the office! 

Use the right tools 

Unfortunately, working from home might highlight some issues with your current processes. If you’re using software that isn’t cloud-based, then you might be in a sticky situation if people can’t get into the office, or haven’t got work computers. Here at Axon Garside, we work with G Suite and HubSpot, which are both great options for remote working, but if you’re stuck with your current software, you might be in a jam. 

Think of it as an opportunity - if staff being out of the office raises issues with your current processes, it might be time to look at something new. Find new ways to work across multiple sites with ease, in a way that works for every member of staff. 

Stay in contact 

One of the fun parts of working in an office is the relationship you have with your coworkers. Whether it’s to discuss important clients, have internal meetings, or even just for a chat, you should make the effort to communicate, even when working from home. 

Remote working can be lonely, and if you’re stuck for weeks at a time, it’s essential to stay in touch. A great way to do this is to utilise tools like Slack, or Microsoft Teams, which enable you to set up workplace chats and send direct instant messages to colleagues. Your work will run much more smoothly, and you won’t feel as isolated - even if you are self-isolating! 

Remember your hours 

If you take work home with you, you’re likely to overwork yourself. Without the clear beginning and end of the working day, it’s easy to find yourself typing away at 9pm, and this approach isn’t helpful to you, your productivity, or your business. Remember we mentioned keeping to a routine? This applies to your working day, too. Sit down at your workspace at your usual time, and close the laptop when you would usually leave the office. It’s better for your wellbeing, and means that you focus for the appropriate amount of time. Leaving ‘work’ at the right time also boosts your productivity for the following day - you can get up bright and early to get started again! 

Hopefully these tips have given you the basis you need to start working from home like a pro. Remember to set up your workspace, keep your focus, and above all enjoy the little things! You may not want to be at home, but it’s important to make sure that you’re remaining efficient and up to date with your work, even if you aren’t in the office. 

Stuck on how to improve your leads, stay up to date with marketing and keep the business coming to you even when your staff are out of the office? Get in touch for a free consultation on what you can improve in your current marketing - it’s free, it’s tailored to your business, and we can do it over the phone.