Whether you’re a freelancer accustomed to working remotely, or you’ve been forced to do so temporarily because of covid-19, working alone from home has become the daily routine for many. Having a dedicated work space is important for creating a routine and keeping temptations at bay. But to work efficiently, other factors come into play, and you’ll need to find a way of organizing your time and adapting it to your lifestyle.
The workspace
Coliving residences with workspace
Some large coliving residences include a coworking area. These spaces are specially designed to facilitate work and are arranged so that everyone can concentrate and not be disturbed by others, while facilitating meetings and mutual support. You can work on a large desk or in more intimate spaces, depending on your needs. The atmosphere is calm and studious. It’s the ideal location.
Residences without dedicated workspace
You have several options: to use the common room or to work in your own room. You’ll need to discuss the use of the living room during the day with your flatmates, as certain times can be reserved for work, which means peace and quiet from 9am to 6pm, for example. If this isn’t possible and you need peace and quiet, you can work from your own private space by setting up a desk. Don’t work from your bed, however tempting that may be. It’s important for you to have a space dedicated to work.
The rhythm
Whether you’re a dewy-eyed riser or a night owl, you’ll be able to adapt your working hours to suit the rhythm of your life. The important thing is to have a certain regularity and rigor in keeping to the schedules you’ve set for yourself. Create a routine for yourself. Eat at regular times. If you’re out of step with your roommates, make sure you respect their rhythm and sleep patterns.
Concentration
To stay focused, you need to keep all possible distractions at bay. Distraction number 1? Your cell phone! But it often happens that you need your smartphone for work. One solution is to have a work phone and a personal phone. Another is to delete all unnecessary notifications, or if temptation is too strong, to use applications that restrict certain functions or applications for a given time.
If you’re working in a noisy environment, use headphones or earplugs to isolate yourself.
It’s cocktail hour, the living room is buzzing with conversation and you’ve got a chore to finish? Go to your room and quietly finish what you’ve got to do. If you stay and say to yourself, “I’m participating while I’m working”, you’ll both botch the job and miss out on all the fun with your friends.
Motivation
Just because you stay at home doesn’t mean you have to let yourself go. Don’t stay in your pyjamas all day! Choose an outfit you like, relaxed, cocooning if you like, but get dressed in the morning.
Create a schedule with milestones to reach, each of which is rewarded with a small pleasure that you can then indulge in without feeling guilty: a coffee, a walk, 20 minutes of PS4…
Work in daylight as much as possible, open the windows and keep in touch with the time of day!
It’s by optimizing your working hours and being productive in the time slots you’ve set yourself that you’ll be able to kick back and enjoy your free time to the full.