Working from home in Ireland
Find out about working from home in Ireland, and what makes a good remote worker? Many people are trying to remote work for the first time. We’ve been doing it for years, so here are our top 7 tips for working from home in Ireland today.
These tips are what we’ve found useful. If you have found something useful for working from home that we haven’t listed let us know.
If your business is finding it difficult to make the transition to remote working, or if you’re struggling to manage in the current economic environment talk to us today.
We have over 40 years of experience in growing businesses through difficult economic situations. We help businesses of all sizes from 1 person sole traders to companies with 300 employees.
Our Top 7 Tips for working from home in Ireland.
- Get energised for work.
- Use new tools in a simple way.
- Get up early.
- Turn off the family and friends.
- Use your colleagues to set and keep your goals.
- Keep the craic going.
- Learn something new, that’s not on a computer screen.
1. Get energised for work.
Are you a self-starter? Or do you need the pressure of getting in trouble if you don’t turn up? Find the energy to work effectively while you’re working from home. Figure out what drives you, and then develop a foolproof way of sticking to it. We have a quick zoom call at 9:00 am every morning. We set the day’s agenda and tasks to make sure we’re all working together. Some people find it easier to focus on a task, instead of thinking about starting and stopping time. Once the morning meeting is finished, look at any calls you have to make. Then build a list of tasks and prioritise them to complete the day. If I end up working until 7 pm or 8 pm I’ll take a half-day tomorrow. Â2. Use new tools in a simple way. G Suite: We use G Suite for apps, email and online storage. It’s perfect for sharing documents or even working on the same document at the same time. Good broadband: Slow broadband when working at home is very frustrating. Especially if there are others at home using it. Check with your mobile phone provider to see if you can hotspot your phone. It’s not good as a solution for watching TV but it can be great to upload that particularly large file when your cabled broadband runs slow. Headphones: My husband and I work next to each other. Sometimes to focus on getting work done quickly we shut out the rest of the world with music & podcasts. Great for short bursts of activity. Slack: We use this for 2nd opinions on customer communications, images, daily/weekly task lists and calendar sharing. It’s great for keeping track of ideas and what needs to be done. Zoom: Everyone’s favourite new tool. Create a digital background so others don’t see that pile of coats hanging on the door. Or your stockpiled toilet roll. WhatsApp Group: We use this for emergency ASAP requests and out-of-hours requests.
3. Get up early
We’ve learned that by early afternoon you get more personal phone calls. There are more demands on your time and you can be generally tired. In the office, you can make yourself buckle down. At home, on the other hand, it can be easy to wander off. That afternoon cup of coffee can lead to an hour’s break.
If you can, get up an hour earlier than the rest of the house. This will give you some quiet time to get some work completed without any distractions.
If you’re a night owl, an hour’s catchup in the evening, or last thing before bed can do the same thing for you. It’s important not to let yourself burn out, though.
4. Turn off the family and friends.
Mute your family and friends on WhatsApp for 2-3 hours to allow you to focus. How much time are you spending each day responding to non-work related Whatsapp messages? It might be a relief if you’re getting tired of the same lock-down memes, anyway!
5. Use your colleagues to set and keep your goals.
With your work colleagues, plan your meetings for the week and stick to them. Also, allow a short 15-minute zoom meeting with your team so everyone knows what you and they are doing for the day. This helps keep yourself disciplined and accountable. While we’re all getting used to remote working, meeting lengths can get a bit excessive. Don’t let your pressing deadlines cause you to fall out with your team.
6. Keep the craic going. Use slack or your work IM to keep the social connection with teammates.
The hardest part of working at home can be the disconnection with other colleagues. Make an effort to share jokes and stories about your day in a new way.
7. Learn something new, that’s not on a computer screen.
Sometimes stopping work can be an issue when working from home. Try to structure mealtimes and stick to them. Don’t go back to your desk after dinner. You could also try starting a new hobby. Giving yourself an hour of hobby time before or after dinner helps break up your day from work and home. And if you find a new activity you love, fight for the time you need to practice it.
