Many tenants especially nowadays are working full-time or part-time from their home. Many tenants are wondering if this is acceptable per the terms of their lease and how to make working from home a bearable and functional part of their daily routine. You may be tempted to work longer or off hours from your home office rather than you would going into a physical office on a daily basis. However, we have suggestions if you are working from home of things that may make it easier for you, especially in these challenging times.
Create a Designated Work Area
It may be tempting to carry your laptop from room to room and work all over your apartment however, we suggest that you have a dedicated workspace area that you go to everyday. This will allow you to organize your apartment better and not have work materials all over the place. You can designate a desk a or table, organize files, and have internet accessibility and a hotspot in this specific designated area. Your workspace should be comfortable and investing in a good chair or desk will not only make you more functional but will provide ergonomic features for your health and wellbeing. If you have a roommate, the roommates should discuss a designated work area either for all of the roommates or for each person so that there is a designated space which creates privacy and separation for the designated work area.
Establish a Consistent Routine
In the event that you work from a different location everyday and have a different schedule this may make it difficult for you to adjust and stay focused. It is important to establish a daily routine at either certain hours or functions that you do on a daily basis. This will help you transition from being at home to being at work even if you are just moving from room to room. At the end of the day wind down in a similar way as you would in the event that you are working in an office. Suggestions would be to change your clothes, take your dog for a walk, prepare a meal, or take a shower.
Try to Focus and Limit Your Distractions
Working from home tends to have fewer distractions than being in the office. There is no distraction from co-workers stopping by your desk or being pulled into a meeting with other individuals or people gossiping or discussing their own issues. However, working from home creates its own set of complications with pets, children, other family members or neighbors. Noise from the outside world, the temptation to watch tv or listen to music are all distractions that can prevent you from accomplishing your daily goals and objectives. Try to make sure you put yourself in an environment where you are able to focus this will help you accomplish your work tasks so that you can have a productive day.
Take Breaks and Stay Connected
No different than in your normal workday at the office you should take regularly scheduled breaks to go for a walk or stretch to clear your mind so that you can re-focus when you go back to your work tasks. You can go out on your balcony, take a walk around the block, and even set a timer to make sure that you take breaks at specifically designated times.
Internet connectivity is key for working from home. Many tenants ensure that they have a mobile hotspot and higher bandwidth internet from their internet provider to ensure that they can perform their work tasks. There is nothing more difficult than being on a web call and having your picture disrupted or having your voice crackle and only hearing every other world. Additionally, getting cut off from the internet will certainly cause your work productivity to be compromised.
Working from home can be a great experience however, planning your day and organizing your apartment will help ensure that you stay focused and productive.