With the rise of IT, social networks, and especially confinement, teleworking became a legitimately valid way to earn your salary.
With that being said, there are traps and risks associated with it. We are giving you some tips to stay productive, and in good conditions !

Teleworking is the act of working from home. In the last few years, this option became more and more tempting for enterprises and workers alike, or even outright necessary : COVID and the several confinement that came along with it had a profound impact on our life habits, and being forbidden to leave home forced the development of other methods to earn money.

We will be the first to admit that this solution is not for everyone. Some like it, others don’t. There are some great perks to teleworking : not having to deal with transportation and the time it takes is a perk, along with the tranquility it brings, and being able to work from the comfort of your own home is very seducing to some.

However, on the flipside, for other people teleworking does more harm than good. Troubles to stay focused, inadequate working space, children and family to deal with, lack of contacts with colleagues, and a lack of distinction between private and professional life can be deal-breakers.

As every change in environment, teleworking needs time for adaptation. We will give you some tips to organize yourself and keep your teleworking time efficient !

For a good telework time, treat it like office time

Like a lot of things in life, consistency is key here. When working on site, we have our schedules, transport time, preparation… All small things that allow us to keep a routine.

Establish or keep your little morning rituals for teleworking like you would to go to the office. Take the time to eat your breakfast, take a nice shower, and dress like you’re going to work.
Wake up and go to bed at the same timeframe. It is tempting to take the lack of travel time to get up later, but this is not a good idea. The risk of waking up stressed out and starting your day unprepared is very present, and will hamper your mood and productivity when starting your work.

In the same way, keep your regular “office” schedule. In addition to contributing to consistency, this will allow you to put yourself in the right state of mind to work. If you need help with finding methods to work, we have another article for this !

In the same way, once your working time is up, this will allow you to leave your “work mode” behind more easily. You don’t have to keep answering the phone or emails once you’re out of your working hours; keep this in mind to retransition to your private life.

If possible, prepare a working space for work, preferably separated from a place already use in your day-to-day life, like your room. The reason for this is psychological : Working in the room that you are normally used to sleeping makes it so your brain has difficulties separating the two activities, and doesn’t allow you to fully commit to one or the other (this risks affecting your quality of sleep).

Of course, this advice is not always applicable. Sometimes, you have to make-do with the realities of your house, and a lot are using their personal computer to work. My advice would be to find a ritual that allows you to switch your work space into a personal space, and vice-versa. Inserting a portable hard drive in your PC and removing it once over, taking a moment to walk outside before and after work…

All in all, “recreating” the (involuntary) ritual you have to go to work at the office, to mark a separation between work and personal life. 

About your relationships

Another point of major difference is about your relationships. At the office, you have your colleagues, your boss… At home, you could be alone or with your significant one, or children.

Talk with your close ones about your schedule and establish “work schedules” for everyone, so nobody is hindering each other. Use your breaks to talk with them.

Distance doesn’t forbid you to keep up exchanging with your colleagues. You probably have apps like WhatsApp, internal chats, or e-mails. Communicate with them and get some news to keep in touch outside the office.