Quite astutely, in the mid 2010s, the girls from Fifth Harmony said that we could work from home.
Although they were not referring to office work, I think these girls were on to something... Then came a lethal oriental virus that wiped out tons of people, and I guess we all had to work from home. No double entendre intended, as is in the lyrical content of "Work From Home" from the aforementioned defunct girl group.
I personally was not a fan of pandemic schooling, it was very lackluster. I yearned for the classroom, I so longed to greet my friends with a giant hug and a kiss on the cheek (my hetero boy friends as well, you know I am very affectionate. I have a crush on most of them, tbh). But most of all, I yearned for my old life back. We were all so accustomed to compartmentalizing our lives: we studied at school, we worked at the office, we blew off steam at home and we partied in the club. Suddenly, we were all forced to do all of that at home, at a distance from others.
Yes. If you are wondering, I actually do greet all of my close hetero boy friends (I had to leave a space in between because I don't want all of my gentlemen callers to run off because they think I'm taken) with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. But I only do that with the cute ones tho.
Following the return to reality, I felt quite a struggle to go back to my old ways. School was easy, but work was the hard part. Prior to 2020, I really looked forward to working in an office, getting all dressed up in a suit and tie, grabbing my briefcase and going to work in a fancy office in the financial or business district of the city. I wanted to be Carrie Bradshaw in the Sex and the City intro. However, after the pandemic, all of that kind of died out. I wanted all of the perks of being an Accountant, but without the pomp: leaving home, getting properly dressed and commuting. The post-pandemic Princess of Wales was not a fan.
Accountant Barbie's alter ego is The Princess of Wales, full of grace and charm, destined for the throne.
Since then, I have become a self-proclaimed work from home guru, as both Accountant jobs I have held since the end of the pandemic have been either full-on work from home or in a hybrid scheme. Because of my status as a self-proclaimed guru, I feel the need to pass on the wisdom I have acquired throughout the years. Without further ado, here are my secrets to a successful home office life.
1. Have a designated work space
Again, compartmentalize. Don't mix your work space with your leisure space. That is, don't work sprawled on the bed, or laying on the couch, or at the dining room table. These spaces are for leisure activities, eating, relaxing, watching TV, and eating. Don't tarnish them with the association of being chained to those spaces while you work.
The best thing you can do, for your own mental health, is to set up a desk and ergonomic chair in a designated space where you won't be distracted by other things. If you are able to, set aside a room in your house for this. If you don't have any room available, or live with your parents (of which I am guilty), set up your office in a corner of your bedroom, as far from your bed as possible.
If you do work sprawled on the bed, laying on the couch or sitting at the dining room table, trust me, you won't be able to enjoy your meals, you won't be able to rest properly, or unwind.
2. If you live with other people, let them know your schedule
Mummy is quite the person to barge into my room while I am working. Better off, she's great at stealing my socks in the middle of a Teams meeting. I cannot stand it.
Barging into my room unannounced aside, she also asks me to do chores or help her out with her stuff during my work hours. I might be home all day, but I'm not available. This is why it is important that if you don't live alone, you let the people that cohabit your house what's your schedule, so that they may plan ahead their activities at home as well.
Mummy, if you're reading this. Please stop stealing my socks in the middle of my meetings. I'm not buying her socks, so if any of you guys want to donate some socks for my mum, she wears a size 8 shoe.
3. Take breaks in between tasks
Use the 1:10 rule. For every hour worked, take a 10 minute break. This will help your eyes rest a bit from being on the computer focusing your sight on the screen. Serve yourself another cup of coffee or tea (I recommend Fortnum & Mason's Earl Grey or Twinings of London's English Breakfast), grab a granola bar, some yogurt or whatever floats your boat.
Walk around the house, water your plants, use the restroom, drink some water or whatever, but get your ass up from that ergonomic chair and regroup. This will help you focus more on the tasks at hand and, as I said previously, rest your eyes for a few minutes.
4. Log off at your designated time, when possible
Depending on your line of work, you might have seasonal peaks in which you may have to work overtime (tax season is a good example). But, whenever your work allows you to log off at your designated clock-out time, please do so. You are much more than a company's employee. You are a person with hobbies and other responsibilities on your plate. You are only theirs so long as you are on the clock.
This doesn't mean you shouldn't pitch in during seasonal peaks. But, do take into account during these peaks that time is of the essence, and the majority of the time, it's not lack of planning that leads you to work overtime, it's lack of cooperating from others that makes your work day longer. I'm looking at those clients that don't send their information on time and expect their returns to be done that same day.
5. Don't install work apps on your phone
While you're at it, don't give out your personal number to clients, unless you work for yourself.
During my 8 hour work day, I have access to my laptop, on which I am able to open my company email and communicate with clients and fellow coworkers. The last thing I want to do is my phone to ring every time I get a work email after my office hours.
I keep my work sh*t separate from my personal sh*t. I am only on one work WhatsApp group chat with my coworkers, and that's all I'm having. I don't answer the chain, I just read the tea. I only answer when prompted to do so. I ignore that chat after 6:00 pm and before 8:00 am every weekday. On weekends, I don't even bother reading. Why should I burden MY personal time with work sh*t?
To be honest, if it were up to me, I wouldn't even be in the work group chat. I'd probably have one with the girls to gossip, but not for shop talk.
This can be harder when you work for yourself, when you are your own boss. If you're in business on your own, you set your schedule, and you may not have resources to split phones (having a work phone and a personal one) or computers for that matter. But do set your boundaries, so that work you and off-duty you can have a balanced existence.
6. Have a back up plan in case of emergencies
What if there's a power outage? Your knee-deep in work and you need to get sh*t done.
Jennifer Coolidge once said that she loves the gays, that we get sh*t done no matter what. We're survivors.
My back up plan in case of power or internet outages is to go to my cousin's house, she lets me use her electricity and WiFi for free, and I get a nice free meal out of it! However, if she's not home, I tend to go to a coffee shop and I continue being a powerhouse there. Starbucks is a favourite, because it's low key designed for remote office work. I also go to my best friend David's workplace, a very aesthetic coffee shop. He makes the best coffee-based drinks, honest to God.
And so, there you have it. My tips for a successful home office life. I have learned a lot from my experience working from home. It is not always plain sailing, but it is a nice perk to have.
Do you have any more tips for people working from home? Let me know in the comments!
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