When you’ve been used to the office life for a few years or even decades, then making the switch to working from home is harder than it seems. While it may be a dream for many office dwellers at first, they quickly realize it’s more challenging to be productive at home.

Also, the lack of in-person communication with colleagues is something that’s often missed.

Here are five strategies that may help make the transition to remote working a little easier.

Keep Fixed Working Hours

While the fixed working hours at the office may have grated and your employer may be offering a flexi-time arrangement now, that doesn’t mean you should take advantage of it.

When you have set working hours, it provides a ready structure for your day. This matches what you’ve been accustomed to already. Also, it makes the transition feel a little more like a normal workday than it would otherwise.

Trust us, trying to get work done in the late afternoon or the evening is no picnic!

Let People Know When You’re Working

If you live with other people or have a partner who is also at home some of the time, it’s advisable to let them know when you’ll be working.

When your work times keep bouncing around, they’ll struggle to keep up with the changes. Send them a WhatsApp message at the start of the week confirming your work times. It lets them know when to avoid disturbing you unless it’s really important. They can also schedule important activities or ones that need your participation around other times too.

Get the Right Amount of Sleep

When you’re having trouble sleeping, it plays havoc with your energy levels and how much sleep you get. Feeling not in the mood to work comes from the lethargy that’s causally linked to poor sleep habits and should be addressed if this affecting you.

Sleeping well depends on if you’re sleeping alone or as a couple in the same bed. It depends on your sleeping needs, but you may benefit from a large bed or one that is known as a “split king.”

The split king is two mattresses placed side-by-side. They can be set at different height levels through their adjustable bases, which act independently of each other. It offers motion isolation too, so if your partner’s tossing and turning tends to keep you up at night, this will stop that.

Keep in Regular Contact with Colleagues

Keeping in contact with work colleagues via Skype, Zoom, or Microsoft Teams maintains a visual connection even when not working in an office any longer.

Not only do we all need some degree of “people contact” to be happy but it’s also beneficial to iron out any issues that get confusing over email.

Also, you’ll be relying on your friends more too for the same reason. While we may not always love the office environment, the interaction is sorely missed when it’s no longer there. So, if you’re a more social person, look for other ways to be more interactive.

Stay Better Organized

A lack of organization is the bane of people who work from home. When they aren’t organized from the get-go, they suffer later when not being able to lay their hands on an important document.

The need for good organizational practices is required for physical papers and digital filing too. Co-workers will have little patience for remote workers who aren’t ordered or don’t use systems that support their work.

Working from home is harder than it looks. It requires some adjustments to the ways of working to get the most out of it. But once these changes are made, usually people never look back.