I really didn’t have any issues with working at home except for wanting to stand up and not sit all day. I took care of that by purchasing a stand up desk so I could go from sitting to standing. Another small issue was all the plugs I needed and the extra USB ports I needed. Anger is a really good place to get things for that. Finally I needed a way to keep my drinks and snacks cold so I now have a mini fridge next to my desk. I can say that lighting is a huge issue as well so I invested in a desk light. I do walk outside for the mail just to get in a better mindset but I think my biggest issue was my dog loved that I was home and thought she could go in and out whenever she wanted ( every two minutes) besides yelling at her in between work I finally put my office next to a door so I could let her in and out at any time. This also made it great because ai could open the door and have the sun shine right in on me as I was working and I could feel the breeze. #AnkerWork
Win Big for Your Best Work From Home Hacks
The best work from home “hack” that I found kept me productive was still going to lunch with friends. Seems counterintuitive, but getting out of the house and talking with friends (mostly coworkers or people in my line of work) was really refreshing! I’d go out to lunch daily with my team at the office and stepping away from the computer works wonders. I get a chance to reset my mind, keep up with friends, then I come back to the computer fresh and ready to go!
I’ve been working from home for over 20 years. So my hacks evolved slowly, In parallel to the technology.
- get a good network. Initially I had 3 phone lines (voice, dial-up modem, fax) then cable internet. Initially pre-Wifi then wired to the modem, then Powerline and Ethernet then WiFi.
- don’t look down. I had a bad back once, so put the screen up to hear height so head never tilts down. A standing desk helps but you still need the screen at head height. A tilted head pinches nerves in the neck which then radiate pain further down.
- separate office place. The kids will learn that when you in a specific place then you’re working, don’t use a room for multiple purposes as the kids just waltz in noisy not knowing. If you’re concerned about the cost, the funding source is below.
- blur the work day and personal time through. Don’t do 9-5. So check email, then walk dog, have a meeting, pop to the supermarket between meetings, meetings you only need to listen to take while walking.
- during working hours, if not busy, pick someone you not spoken with for a while, ping them (IM, text) and if they not busy just phone them for a natter. This replaces the accident conversations you’d have in the break room or corridor.
- get mobile, move to cellular mobile everything, laptop etc., the reasons being obvious below.
- get virtual phone numbers, usually known as VOIP, e.g. USA Google Voice, UK Sipgate, etc. Direct it to a real phone number in country or use the app.
- holiday work. If you’re unbound from the office, why be home? Why not use a holiday day to travel and then work from somewhere else? I’d often fly through the night and work from a family member home. Lockdown permitted ;). The virtual phone number then means none know where you are. The world is your office.
- save money, do you really need a car? Or do you really need all the cars? Cant you agree a car share scheme “I’ll need a car next week”. Do a small foot/bike shopping trip more often between meetings to get out often and exercise. The money saved is usually significant as most cars are doing nothing most of the time so just plan ahead for the few times a year you need a car for a face to face meeting.
This might just be me but I think using paper and pen is better than using a tablet or laptop for taking notes
Use my Anker PowerPort & 6ft cable to connect my iPad to a LEVO G2 tablet stand. Saves strain on shoulders & arms by keeping your pad at proper height. Great for FaceTime, Zoom, etc.
Best thing to do while staying at home is prepare yourself healthier food options. Instead of going out and spending more money, gas, and continuing bad eating habits one can benefit from a healthier meal.
Hey maybe your just like me where my cooking isn’t as good as my moms, but it doesn’t stop me from watching different YouTube videos on repeat to help me.
Take advantage of your alone time.
My hack was found as a result of having to work with two computers while at home. Since my desk only had enough real estate on it for my personal computer, I set up the ironing board perpendicular to it and raised it until it was the same height as the desktop. Voila! A new wider expanse of desktop on which to place my office laptop! #AnkerWork
Best hack I can give is to not forget to shut the door to your home office! Had 2 cats get into a “screaming” match in the other room and everyone heard it on my zoom meeting.
For me, I really needed a dedicated work space that was quiet and private enough for Zoom calls all day long. Working from the dining room or kitchen, which was centrally located in the house, wasn’t good enough. We ended up moving everything out of my master bedroom closet and fitted it out as my new home office. Nice decorations, good lighting and a fan helps make it feel less claustrophobic. Nobody in my Zoom meetings know I’m in a closet!
I’ve got a couple work from home tips
1.) don’t be afraid to ask for help this is new for a bunch of people and I’ve seen plenty of people sit silently struggling instead of just speaking up out of fear or looking silly.
2.) there are zoom settings to make you join automatically muted so people won’t hear you when you first join saving you from those awkward moments before a meeting starts. Also I suggest joining meetings early to make sure everything is working. Also there are plenty of virtual backgrounds that can try to prevent people from seeing your actual house
3.) have a separate place to work and get dressed. Try to keep some type of routine to let yourself know you’re going to work. And then when you are done with work truly stop. Both are important for your mental health
4.) get a laptop stand or just stack books to raise your laptop and invest in a wireless keyboard and mouse (Anker makes both if you want) that way you can sit in a position that is better for you and prevent pain from being hunched over
5.) go for walks or even just sit outside for a little to get some sunshine and fresh air
6.) if your internet is struggling try using an Ethernet cable instead of WiFi and try turning off your camera if in a video call most people will understand if you can only join the call with audio
7.) have a sign or signal, my family will either leave a note outside of the room they are in or send a family wide text letting others know they are going into a big meeting or something that they need quiet and that people shouldn’t come in walking behind them. Your sign could be something huge or something small as long as it lets others know and helps things run smoothly
8.) if you know how to help someone help. I’ve been on zoom a lot lately taking control of peoples computers to show them how things are done and how to fix things for them. It’s a really useful tool and if you can help someone else it’s always a good thing
9.) keep chargers handy. Lots of people we working on laptops instead of desktops and seem to forget that there is a battery limit. Instead of sprinting when on the last 2% try to be mindful early and have the charger near by so you can quickly plug in when needed
10.) embrace it, we are all getting used to this so just embrace it sure it’s not always the best or most enjoyable but simply just try to stay optimistic, changing your mindset arrest change but the most beneficial.
Keep your schedule the same as it will help for you to stay on track and not become complacent with the comfort of being at home.
Find ways to stay active (i.e. walking around every 15 minutes or so).
Be sure to CALL IT QUITS when it is time.
Dual monitors are your friends!
Make sure that your background is as presentable as possible.
lastly - but most importantly - CHERISH THIS DOWNTIME AND TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF IT!!!
A lot of the time is currently spent in video calls. You constantly see others and yourself on the screen.
Many people wonder what they can do to improve their stream quality.
Personally, i would say buying a microphone and appropriate lighting should be the first thing to do. Most laptop cameras and even cheap 30$ cameras are fine enough for a medium quality stream (which gets compressed anyway, you don’t need 4K resolution). What you should rather get is a good microphone for a clear and crisp natural sound which is soooo much nicer to hear (also, it can minimize your background noises that can be really annoying to the others) and lighting, which is really cheap but can improve your camera image by so much.
Close your door to your office and the windows! (So many distractions)
Use an adjustable office light (I use a TaoTronics desk lamp and it’s been a life saver for eye fatigue!)
Virtual backgrounds of a nice office (so you never have to clean up THAT chair behind you)
Noise cancelling headphones wireless if you can (so the neighbor’s construction isn’t your background sound and you’re not tied to your laptop/PC)
Laptop + PC with Dual+ monitors. (So helpful to join a Zoom and share from that platform)
A wireless keyboard and mouse combo that has multi device input. (I use Logitech MX3 with a K380. Allows you to switch from Laptop to PC with one setup. This has been a game changer!!!)
Anker AC extension cords to make anywhere a home office! They have been invaluable from Powerstrip 2 to the cube all have made our lives so much easier. Especially since some of our plugs are behind huge heavy items!
2 monitors are better than 1. If you have a TV you can turn it into another monitor as long as it’s a smart TV. In windows 10 clicking on the chat message box looking thing in the corner you can click project and if you have your TV on and connected to wifi it can search for it and use it as another monitor. I used this on my laptop when my desktop wasn’t working.
A second screen set up as a vertical monitor. Reading PDFs and word docs will never be the same again!
Depends on the person.
Some people the act of writing causes the memory to be stronger, then the notes can be quite poor but they connect up the memories.
Some people can type better / faster than write.
For example I have a visual memory, if I hear it, I easily forget it (often immediately) but if I write / draw it then I remember it for a long time and don’t actually need to see what I wrote / drew.
These different people types annoy each other. The visual memory’s notes are awful and not useful to anyone else. The oral memory person get annoyed by having to repeat the obvious many times until the other person writes it down.
Mine is simple but impactful: set times to stand up from your desk, and stick to them. Includes lunch breaks (that email can wait - make sure you eat something healthy and make a cup of tea!), a walk to the kitchen for some water, and stretching/mindfulness.
It’s so, so, simple yet so important and the positive outcome it has on your productivity is massive.
Don’t insist on working in one location at home. I’ve found that moving between rooms during the workday really helps with overall comfort.
My hack is easy, SCHEDULE EVERYTHING DURING NAPTIMES. Failing that, pb&j heavy on the PB, is an invaluable asset when attempting a conference call
Keep your phone on a dock with your calendar so you can quickly reference it without dedicating a screen to your inbox/calendar.