You’ve been asked to work from home, or you’ve made that choice. Welcome to a new way of working!
Here are our top tips for remote working.
Hardware
You don’t need much.
- A laptop
- A second screen, if you’re used to this. I have a fab portable screen that I love.
- Wireless keyboard and mouse if you really need it. I’ve got a wireless mouse, but manage with the laptop keyboard.
- If you’re doing online meetings, do you need extra lighting and a microphone?
- Do you need a printer? Do you? We’ve found a great canon pixma printer deal at £30 plus VAT.
Your environment
You need to be comfortable, and able to focus. So what does that look like for you?
- I’m happy on the sofa or at the dining table.
- Ideally you’d have a separate room that you can shut the door on.
- I’ve got a foldaway desk that angles down, but equally happy at the dining table.
- If you’re working at home longer term, consider getting a laptop stand so that you are sitting in the right position.
- Watch your back! Make sure you’re sitting correctly and you’re protecting your back!
Your routine
Don’t expect that you’ll have the same routine as in the office!
- Make it work for you, it may take time
- But have a routine
- Have regular breaks
- Get some fresh air from time to time
- Set boundaries – just because you’re working at home, does this mean you’re still replying to emails, or taking calls at 8pm?
Software and remote solutions
We could go on and on here, but here are the essentials:
- G Suite I nearly missed this one off the list, we take it so much for granted. We would be lost without our Google apps, which enables remote work and collaboration, including Calendar, Cloud Storage, and GMail.
- Xero to manage your finances and cash anytime anywhere.
- Receipt Bank – you don’t want any paperwork lying around, so use this to snap your receipts, and forward emails
- Float App – keep an eye on your daily and monthly cashflow from your sofa!
- Slack – can’t do without for managing teams, and keeping in touch. We use this mainly for work and client stuff.
- Whatsapp – we use this for chit chat and sillyness!
- Loom for recording videos of you and/or your screen.
- Zoom for online meetings, either with the team or with clients and other contacts.
- VOIP calls – we get Redline Comms to organise all of our VOIP calls.
Well that should be enough to be getting on with!
If you need any more help to get set up online, do get in touch.
If you need any more guidance re #COVID19 check out our Stay Positive page.
Stay Positive. Stay Safe.
Sharon x
