The virtual office is here to stay with many companies offering full or partially remote opportunities for their employees. Whether working from home is one’s choice or not, separating your job from your living space and life can prove challenging. Below are some helpful tips to stay on task and organized when working remotely.

Create a Dedicated Office Space:

This is perhaps the most crucial. What’s great about having a physical office space is it allows one to visually and mentally keep their work and home lives separate. The best option would be to turn a spare, empty, or underutilized room into a home office; however, this is not always available to all households. Other alternatives include creating an area, space, or corner in a place that is secluded or quiet. If common spaces such as living rooms are the only option, consider buying movable room dividers or folding screens to designate workspace during working hours. A combination of furniture such as the backs of couches or bookshelves may also be used to create natural dividers between the home office and other surrounding areas. Then, at the end of the work day, there can and should be a distinct difference between being in the “office” and the home. This is a physical transition as much as it is a mental transition.

Keep Everything You Need at Hand:

The desk clutter should be kept to a minimum. As Marie Condo says in a The/Thirty article, “If your home has unexpectedly become your office, identify the items that are crucial to getting your job done, and designate a clear spot for them - a box or portable carrier will do.” Keeping the desk with only the essentials like tablets, notebooks, writing utensils, phones, computers/laptops, etc. will help keep one on task for what their job requires while also reducing unnecessary clutter. 

Avoid Distractions and Handling Personal Tasks:

Doing a full load of laundry while waiting for that report might sound like a great idea, but actually it distracts and takes one out of the work environment. These types of tasks also eat up time that could be spent on the workday. Forbe’s recommends setting a work schedule with several breaks scattered throughout that could be used for home chores, a walk, or other nonwork related activity. They also provide other helpful tips like making sure family and friends know the work schedule to avoid disruptions and how to limit other distractions like the TV or refrigerator. 

Stay Connected with Co-Workers:

Keeping a working relationship with co-workers is important to maintaining a healthy work environment; however, this can prove challenging when being remote. Utilize video call platforms like Zoom, Skype, and Google Meets to keep each other connected. Generate collaboration sessions where everyone is working together for an hour or so with a call open in the background. This can encourage teaming up on projects, workplace banter, and help in ensuring everyone has some form of social interaction for the day. This can even extend into virtual events like happy hours. 

Perks: Work Life Balance

Working from home is not all bad news. As an article from Indeed mentions, home offices can save time and money on commuting and eating out as well as allow more time to be spent with family and friends. The latter can be especially useful for parents who now have more flexibility to design their schedules around the news of their family. 

No matter if work from home is permanent or temporary, there are ways we can structure our living spaces and lives to ensure we stay productive. For additional tips, below are resources to check out for ways to further improve remote working conditions. 

Additional Resources and Readings:

Business Insider’s Tech for Working from Home - Including Noise Canceling Headphones

Tips for Organizing Your Desk into a Home Office

Forbes Article on Optimizing The Future Workplace



- by Thomas Boyer, Associate at More Canvas Consulting