While many of you have experience with working from home, I want to share some tips based on my 12 years of home-office work:
– Avoid fatigue and burnout from excessive information consumption. Although it is not yet recognized by medical science, there is a condition known as Information Fatigue Syndrome (Dying for information?, Psych. David Lewis, 1996). It is difficult to recover from mental exhaustion or burnout, which is not always linked to the work environment. Information excess can affect our mood.
– Maintain an orderly routine. Respect working hours, mealtimes and breaks. The disorder of schedules makes us lose efficiency.
– Take care of your posture. Take breaks to exercise and stretch.
– Eat well. Do not simplify meals while staying connected to your computers.
– Take care of your eyesight. During breaks, look out a window and focus on a distant object. The eyes also have muscles that need to be exercised.
– Dress as if you were going to work. Casual attire is fine, but don’t spend all day in your pajamas.
– Change your environment. If it is possible, use a different environment than your bedroom to work.
– Talk on the phone (not WhatsApp messages or SMS) with colleagues and family members. Share feelings, fears and anxieties. Open your heart with your loved ones. Don’t lose social contact.
There are many more tips that apply to this work methodology. If you want to share them, they will be more than welcome.
And finally, if necessary, schedule your day considering these tips. As we have heard more than once, the urgent comes before the important.