In the best of times, there are all sorts of positive emotions associated with remotely working from home – autonomy, happiness, and freedom, to name a few. Thus, it is no surprise that work from home (WFH) is considered the ideal option out of all flexible work arrangements, featuring benefits that seem to outweigh all possible downsides.
But the reality is that working from home has proved challenging for some people, too. From juggling work and personal priorities to dealing with the issues common in the WFH model, employees are now more susceptible to the negativity that can influence their professional and private lives. To prevent that, here are several tips to mitigate negativity and remain positive while working remotely.
1. Practice gratitude
Research has proven that the quickest way to achieve a positive and happy outlook is by cultivating gratitude in one’s daily life. A study showed that participants who wrote a few sentences about things they were grateful for every week for 10 consecutive weeks felt better about their lives and significantly more optimistic than those who wrote about things that irritated them. Take the time to end each workday by listing down all that you are thankful for, no matter how small it may be. It may be a supportive boss or colleague, your flexible schedule, or something else that happened after work hours. No matter what it is, staying focused on what you are grateful for is guaranteed to have a positive impact.
2. Declutter your working space
A messy working space is certain to affect your work performance and mindset negatively. Being in a cluttered environment is bound to generate more stress and distract you during working hours, prompting you to shift your focus towards short bursts of cleaning that can eat away at your valuable time. Moreover, a lack of organisation in both your physical and digital working area more often than not means spending more time finding tools and documents you need to accomplish your tasks, further wasting time. All this influences our emotions, behaviour, cognition, and decision-making detrimentally.
Thus, allocate some free time and take the time to tidy up your home office or workplace and keep it clean by following the ‘no-clutter’ rule. This entails taking care to put everything back in its proper place, disposing of trash properly and promptly, and remaining organised so as to keep your working environment constantly spotless.
3. Establish a routine
As creatures of habit, humans do well when they stick to a routine. Given how working remotely often comes with a flexible schedule, it falls on you to create this semblance of routine yourself and take control over your work life. Following a routine will not only help you stay on track with your tasks and enhance your productivity, but it also helps communicate your availability to your boss and colleagues.
4. Set boundaries
When working at the same place you live, it can be easy to blur the lines between your work and personal life. Although the capacity to blend the two may be one of the top benefits of flexible work, it may all seem like a struggle when you neglect to set boundaries. Of course, there may be instances when you have to work longer than expected or your schedule is out of the ordinary. But it is essential to keep these few and far between and shut work off on most days. Keeping the two sides of your life separate mitigates the negativity of working from home and prevents burnout.
5. Make an effort to stay connected
Before, going to the office meant more than just doing work; it involved connecting with colleagues and forming meaningful relationships by bonding over things other than work. With virtually everyone now working from home, it has become more challenging to get that social interaction we need apart from the regular video conference meetings, which are just not the same as face-to-face conversations.
Therefore, it would be best to take the initiative and be proactive in reaching out to your other remote-working colleagues or close circle of friends by connecting with them outside of working hours, for instance. Retaining that sense of community by bonding with others is the key to staying upbeat, so do what you can to stay connected.
6. Consider switching environments
Working from home does not necessarily mean there is nowhere else you can complete your tasks except in your home office. Remember that WFH is essentially remote work, and remote work lets you accomplish your work in any remote location, not just in the comfort of home.
A place where you can switch things up is a coworking office space for rent. These modern working environments come fully furnished with all the office supplies and amenities you can expect as well as many other benefits exclusive to such spaces, like:
- Increased networking opportunities through spontaneous encounters or planned networking events
- A community of like-minded professionals that can add value to your work
- Strategically-designed green office environments that promote your physical and mental well-being
Besides these well-known advantages, moving into a coworking space also serves as an all-encompassing solution to most of the issues covered above. Since it is just like going back to the previous working arrangement you are familiar with, travelling a short distance to a nearby coworking space creates a constant routine wherein you get to work and socialise with other workers in a clean and tidy office-like environment that offers flexible seating options ideal for various kinds of workloads. Once the workday is done, the separation between the coworking space and your home serves as a quick and substantial way to set your boundaries and foster a sense of work-life balance.
Conclusion
While there are many benefits to working from home, negativity can slowly make its way into your mind, if not all too careful. Although it is perfectly normal, mitigating negativity with the above tips will definitely help you gain a fresh perspective and purpose in your career goals when working from home.
If you are interested in giving coworking spaces a shot, look no further than GreenHub Singapore, where we offer coworking office spaces for lease that includes everything mentioned above. Call us today at +65 6692 8000 to learn more.