Nearly two months into my new role working from home in project support, it is amazing how quickly the anxiety I felt in the weeks coming up to changing my role has diminished.
For years I had been a PA in various forms, be it in education, the NHS, and in social care. In some ways a security blanket, but in no way, a walk in the park.
Pushing myself was path of the course, I was always available and always with a queue of people at the door wanting a piece of me.
The workload grew, as did the need for more hours to cover the workload. Very happy times with worthwhile people for a noble cause, but honestly, a drain on the soul.
An opportunity came along at just the right time. I grasped it with both hands, gut and heart.
I now work from my home office, happily surrounded by the home I love and a puppy dog sat at my feet.
I am a newbie to homeworking. Some of you will have been forced to do this for for well over a year, and are now experts. I am doing it by choice, something rare in the field of care.
Working from home, comes with its own issues. The short commute is fantastic, but making sure that you have a separate and well laid out space in which to work is essential.
A good work ethic is also necessary, you may well procrastinate if left to your own devices.
Luckily, my work ethic has been instilled from years of being proactive and looking for solutions to make the workplace run more smoothly. With that in mind, I am always curiously looking to develop my brain and understand why I am doing the tasks I have been set. Anyone else would call it nosy!
I have learnt many things in my first few weeks of working at home and I hope to divulge them here.
Firstly, make sure that your workspace has everything that you need, including good lighting and the ability to open a window. Being a self-confessed stationeryaholic, I tend to have everything I need and my office was already good to go, it just needed a bit of tinkering. An A4 pad and several pens and post-its will be ideal. A good diary with page a day will assist too, notes are great in these and you can plan well ahead without relying on your screen calendar all of the time.
If you can, have two screens, enabling you to work faster and copy and paste from one screen to another is so much easier.
Music. The radio or your favourite tunes are great if you can concentrate with this on in the background. It gives the illusion that you are not alone, Plus, music is good for your mental health.
Get up and stretch regularly. A bit of self care doesn't go amiss, nor does a comfortable office chair. Invest in a set of headphones, so that if you need to you can stand and walk around during phone calls and don't forget to drink.
I am now in the habit of preparing really nice lunches to look forward to. The risk is, that you just graze through lunch and carry on working at your desk. Don't.
Change your location. A change of scenery works wonders, go outside into the garden, breathe some fresh air, take in the sounds of real life.
Working from home can be isolating. Make sure that you do go out, even after work, have a trot around the block or pop to the shops, you may actually see people! Who knew!
Remember, your lifestyle has now completely changed overnight. If you are not great with change, this can be extremely overwhelming. Don't let it get on top of you. Change can only be a good thing. Make sure, that you have a routine, get up at a regular time, you are used to doing this anyway, so no difference here. Make time to relax, probably not use to that right? Have a coffee.
Make sure that you dress for work. Seems obvious, but some homeworkers have been working in their pj's for the past six months, they got tired of being at home. Motivation is key. Slap some makeup on, do your hair. It's OK to dress up for yourself and gives your mind a boost, not least giving you pride in your appearance.
I had been working in a mask for well over a year up to this point, the fact that I have not been able to wear makeup, had make me feel stripped back and I had lost some of my identity, this was damaging to me. I was looking after other peoples relatives, seeing people die and never seeing my own family. Sounds crazy and perhaps unimportant to some, but it is a fact that the ritual of putting my face on in the morning was part of my own physical makeup.
How you feel about your appearance and your presentation to the world is paramount to your mental health and wellbeing.
That unexpected Teams call taken when dressed well, will give your boss the impression that you care about you job and your self esteem. Never mind the fact that you may be wearing leggings on your bottom half!
The progressive world of technology is expanding exponentially, so, rather than constantly emailing or Whatsapping, pick up the phone, do face time calls. Connect with people.
Do not lose the art of socialising, don't lose your identity, or your ability to communicate.
Your role may have changed, but your personality does not have to take a hit.
Arrange a social activity, meet your new team. Get involved with them and make new friends.
This is YOUR world of work now. Embrace it. Enjoy it. It'll change your life.
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