Companies, in the face of this global pandemic, have asked their employees to Work From Home. While these measures are aimed at staunching the spread of the coronavirus, the work does not stop. This, however, seems to be easier said than done. Chances are, if you’re not a freelancer or a WFH veteran, that you find the environment not conducive to work. It is important that you establish certain things in order to be more productive. And, even though we cannot go on living as if nothing’s wrong, we need to put out the work our employers expect from us. Here are a few tips on how to be a good employee and not lose your work ethic while working from home.

And so the call for time management has echoed like a battle cry across the world. With organisations lobbying for better or reduced work hours, better working conditions, more efficient tools to work with, it seems like time management is the only viable solution to getting things done. And though there is no dearth of strategies to manage your time, we have shortlisted four of the best ways to manage time.

As at the office, it is important to create an environment that does not provide easy distractions. So, get away from it all. Try to do away with all the noise of the household as daily life unravels around you as you try to work. Remember: noise is sound that comes at irregular intervals and disturbs us. But if your one of those people who need at least some sort of noise, try to have a dull sound playing in the background. White noise, research has suggested, is conducive to a work environment. It is also important that you establish ground rules with your family or people that you live with. Try to have them treat the situation as if you are really working at the office. Do not get pulled into family drama, or household chores. Dedicate the time to your work. Similarly, try to finish your tasks by the deadline. It is not fair either to you, or your loved ones, that you take your work to the dinner table, which would mean that you have neither proper family time, nor proper work time. a clear distinction of the two will let you have the best of both worlds.

It would do you a lot of good to make a list of all the things that you would need while working from home and keeping them within easy reach. Try to think of all the things that are on your desk at your office, and bring all of them together at your home office.

When working from home it is crucial to keep in mind that you won’t have your colleagues around to ask them about things all the time. In this respect, it would do a lot of good to first establish what work needs to get done by the end of the day. a call with your employer or your project partner will help you to outline the tasks that need to be dealt with by the end of the day.

Research has suggested that when one works in breaks of 25-30 minutes, and then take a break for 5 minutes, work flow becomes smoother, and the employee-more productive. It is not good for the body to remain, neck-bent over a screen and chained to desk without relief. Once in a while, it is important to get up from your desk and take a walk, use the restroom, and listen to something more soothing than your work.

During these times, it is very easy to shrug-off work. Since there is no authority that is constantly overlooking the work you’re doing, it is infinitely easier to say that you’ll do it later. Since you’re essentially in charge of yourself, it is imperative that you take responsibility and do the desired work. Home environments do not easily lend itself to work, and these are but a few things that one could do to work easily from home.