With COVID-19 spreading rapidly across the country, various companies are advising their employees to work from home, until the novel coronavirus gets a little under control.?
Whether you like it or dread it, work from home is the only logical solution right now, instead of infecting or getting infected at a workplace filled with hundreds or thousands of employees.?
But in case you¡¯ve never really worked from home, we¡¯ve got some cool ways that can help you ease this transition, and next thing you know, you¡¯ll only want to work from home.
It doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re on Windows or Mac, a physical mouse is loads better than a trackpad. You¡¯ll notice the considerable difference in speed as soon as you make the switch.?
A cheap yet functional wired mouse start at just Rs 250, however, if you¡¯re looking for something more ergonomic, a decent ergonomic mouse starts around Rs 1000, with additional buttons that can be assigned to either copy/paste or browse forward/backwards.
One of the biggest mistake many people working from home do is propping open their laptop on their lap and start responding to emails. While this might seem cool for the first few minutes, in some time this laptop will be off your lap, on to the bed, with you lying down, your arm supporting your head. Next thing you know, you¡¯re sleepy AF.
It is strongly recommended that you prop open your laptop on a desk or a table. Not only does it help you not fall asleep, but a good posture will help you feel comfortable and make you more productive.?
If you don¡¯t have a desk, invest in a small laptop table -- this won¡¯t replace the awesome feeling of being on the desk, but at least it¡¯ll help you to not lie down that easily.
If you¡¯re on a desk and working on your laptop, you could invest in a cool laptop riser that will prop the laptop¡¯s display slightly higher, making it ergonomically better for you.?
Additionally, you can switch to the highest setting and use a wireless keyboard and mouse to work to get the best results.
It doesn¡¯t matter if all you guys are already connected on WhatsApp groups. Do you know what else is on WhatsApp? Family groups, friends calling you to hang out, crazy forwards, and a 1000 more distractions.?
Switch to Slack or Microsoft Teams or Google Hangouts where not only you won¡¯t be distracted from people on WhatsApp, but tools on these apps will only enhance your productivity.
Since you cannot make it to places for meetings, your only solution is to conduct video conferencing sessions. While Skype is popularly used by people around the world, Zoom is another cool video conferencing app that offers clear audio/video along with the ability to record the conversations, so you can always go and look back on something you might have missed.?
Some people love going to work not just because of the work, but because of the awesome colleagues they work with that make the daily grind a lot more bearable. And if you miss your pals who sit right next to you, you can always video call them and keep on working as if you¡¯re at work, discussing work, gossiping, or sharing cute cat videos.
If you don¡¯t have a dedicated room to yourself, chances are you¡¯d be disturbed by loud TV noises, mom asking you to do chores, kids playing and creating a ruckus, among several other things. A pair of noise-cancelling headphones -- either passive or active, can really help you to cancel out the outside work, so you can focus on what lies in front of your screen.
However, here too make sure the audio you¡¯re listening to isn¡¯t impacting your concentration. Studies have shown that in case you¡¯re doing work that requires a lot of your attention -- like writing, crunching numbers etc, it¡¯s strongly advised to listen to smooth tracks with minimal lyrics. Classical music is the best for such situations, as it¡¯ll help strengthen your concentration levels.