Being forced suddenly to work from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic came as a surprise for many. Personally, even though the nature of my job has given me multiple opportunities to do so, I had to quickly adapt due to the fact that we are facing certain unprecedented circumstances.

The reality is that working from home is not as easy as we think it is. For the past few days, I've been swapping stories with other people about how we prepare ourselves day by day and how to make sure that we maintain a sense of stability amidst the circumstances.

Quickly develop a routine

One common misconception that a lot of people have is that working from home is just a matter of not getting up early in the morning and traveling to the office. Some even joke that this means you can just reach for your laptop and start working while still in bed. Unfortunately, at least for me, that's not really sustainable. I'll fall asleep immediately or spend the rest of the day feeling lethargic.

Developing a routine is the signal that our body receives that we are shifting from rest to work. In my case, what I do is to make sure that each working day, I follow the same schedule of eating breakfast, exercising, taking a shower, and starting work.

Set boundaries

A few days back, I came across an article saying that working from home doesn't mean you have to work all the time. This is something that I agree with and is an important aspect in setting boundaries. Personally, I set boundaries in the form of time and location. What does this mean?

Setting boundaries in terms of time means even though we're at home, we must only work at a set schedule. Although it may be the case that there are special circumstances where we have to work beyond that, that shouldn't be something we do all the time. This helps us in establishing a routine as well.

Boundaries in terms of location is simple. Don't work in bed. It might be tempting to do that especially when it's cold (thankfully that's not the case right now) but it's just not worth it. It will just make things difficult in the long run. Another important exercise is to designate just a specific area at home where you do your work. Ideally, this would be a desk where you have everything set up. Once again, this is also something that helps us establish a routine.

Take the opportunity to socialize

Whether we like it or not, human beings are social by nature. Although each one of us may have unique ways of expressing this, we all yearn for the opportunity to interact with human beings even for just a short time. Even for an introvert such as myself, I proved to myself over and over again that it's just not healthy without the social component.

Although tweaks might be needed, this is also the perfect opportunity to promote a sense of normalcy by continuing to do things such as taking breaks together with workmates. As an example, at least once a week, we schedule a videoconference where we drink coffee, share updates, and just catch up on non-work matters.

While working from home is something that provides value even outside the context of a pandemic, we need to work (what an irony) to make sure that we are able to reap the benefits. The key is establishing routine. While these tips have greatly benefited my work from home experience, I'm sure that there a lot more tips out there.

If you wish to share additional tips on how to be more effective while working from home, please feel free to write a comment below.