7 Step Guide on How to Communicate With Family Members That You Are Busy When Working From Home
Remote work. While it has been around for a while now, not everyone has had a chance to find out what it entails.
With the recent turn of events and most of the world switching to remote working to assist social distancing amid the COVID-19 virus, it has become clear that most people were not prepared for this and might be confused about how to get things done from home.
But worry not, as we have compiled a 7-step guide on how to work from home undisturbed and still enjoy the perks of being around your loved ones.
1. Work during your usual working hours
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You might be tempted to wake up later than usual just because you don’t have to commute, but it would do you more harm than good. Your body is used to the routine you had before and will naturally be inclined to be productive when you usually are.
Your family members are also most likely to respect you being busy if you are unavailable to them during the same time of the day that you usually are when you’re physically in the office.
Here are some tips to help you achieve this:
- Wake up as early as you usually would.
- Create a group chat with your colleagues.
Greet each other in the morning via your favorite team messaging chat as you would in the office. This helps you all feel less distant and in touch with the usual routine in the office.
- Set up reminders for bedtime.
2. Wear real clothes
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Yeah, we know. While this seems like an obvious one, many people think working from home in their PJs is the way to go. But the truth is, wearing anything BUT PJs works both in your and your family’s favor.
You see, if you wake up and work in your PJs, your family will instinctively feel that you’re as approachable as usual when it’s lounge time.
Here are some tips to help you achieve this:
- Prepare the outfit the night before, and place it in plain sight.
- Wear comfortable footwear.
- Don’t wear sweatpants
Now go put on some pants and keep reading on!
3. Use a do not disturb sign
As anyone who’s had just one day of working-from-home experience with anyone else in the house will tell you – interruptions from others can be even more annoying at home than in the office.
So it would be wise to use some kind of way to show them you’re busy. Of course, you could print out a clever do-not-disturb sign, but you’d risk having it on your door all day long and leaving no time for them to actually interact with you (which loses the whole point of having a sign anyway).
This way your family can still enjoy time together without interrupting you in the middle of a conference call.
Here are some tips to help you achieve this:
- Put it somewhere visible.
- Let everyone know the meaning of colors.
- Make sure to change the colors.
And look, some have even found out that it works better with kids than it did with their coworkers.
4. Set up a dedicated workspace
Same as you have a desk in your office, you must prepare a dedicated workspace at home. Ideally, it would be an entirely separate room from anyone else, but we know that’s not always possible.
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So here are some ideas on re-purposing what you already have:
- Use your most comfortable chair.
- Create a standing desk.
- Ensure ergonomic layout.
- Have some oxygen.
Wherever you choose to work, it is important you don’t work anywhere else, so it sets boundaries for your family of where you can be approached and where not. So, if you decide that the kitchen counter is the best possible place to work, work ONLY from there. Meaning, don’t start carrying your laptop around the house and working from anywhere.
You can check out some top tricks on how to make the most out of your home office here.
5. Choose the best place for video calls
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This tip definitely is an extension of having a dedicated workspace.
Each job is specific, and if yours entails talking to anyone on a video call, you might want to find the best backdrop in your house prior to choosing the final workspace to settle in for this time.
Here are some tips to help you achieve this:
- Choose function over beauty.
- Don't sit in front of or near doors.
- Create a backdrop.
6. Tell your neighbors (SMARTLY!)
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This is a great rule if you live in a shared house or a flat. And neighbors in this sense mean the ones you share your living space with, too. To help you assist with the most crucial times of the day, tell your neighbors and loved ones about your plans beforehand.
For example, tell them about the 30-minute conference call you’re gonna have at 4 pm the next day. This is simply to ensure no unexpected noises come from them when all you need is peace and quiet for that important Zoom sales pitch.
Here are some tips to help you achieve this:
- Make sure you follow physical distancing recommendations.
- Ask them if there are times they’d expect silence from you.
- Don’t ask for more than 2 hours of quiet time.
7. Use headphones
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If all else fails, use headphones. A staple in offices worldwide and a great tool for canceling noise from others, it really shouldn’t be used to cancel out people.
This should be your last resort when it comes to showcasing your availability to your family.
Here are some suggestions:
- Use Active Noise Cancellation.
- Use wireless headphones.
- Don’t forget to take the headphones off.
Some final words
If there’s one and only one takeaway from this guide we’d like you to have, it’s that you must be as serious about working and setting up boundaries at home as you usually would while being in the office.
Just trust me, because as I’m writing this, my Luxafor Flag is red and about to go purple, so I could have some tea time with the kids just before the scheduled Zoom call that my neighbors are aware of.
