Home Offices and Home Working – combined tips from some of my clients
Home office advice – look no further! It goes without saying that, globally, more and more people are having to adapt to working from home and are trying to set up the perfect home office to do so, sometimes in not so perfect circumstances.
To help you, I’ve worked with some of my amazing clients to draw on their experience and wisdom and bring you three brilliant blogs that will set you on the right track in no time. In these three blogs you’ll find detailed home office advice on creating an efficient space, getting your tech right and how to look after yourself both mentally and physically.
Thank you so much to Space Planning UK, OffOn Support and On The Spot for your support in this project.
Here’s the highlights, plus links to each of the full blogs.
Space / Environment (full blog here);
Written by Jon Hall – the founder of Space Planning UK, a business that has been helping offices become more efficient and ergonomic for over 20 years.
- Try to find a space without distractions
- Test Wi-Fi & phone signal first
- Get a decent desk and chair, and consider a sit/stand desk to avoid back problems
- Create an environment conducive to work
- Make your workspace something you can put away, or shut yourself away from
Video Calling & Wi-Fi extending (video calling blog / Wi-Fi extending blog);
Written by Gavin Koch – the founder of OffOn Support who provide support for any home or business IT issues and installations.
- Four best video calling options;
- Zoom (free for calls up to 45mins)
- Microsoft Teams (great for integration with Office 365)
- Google Duo (new from Google, positive feedback so far)
- WhatsApp (perfect for mobile phone meetings)
- Your Wi-Fi should have at least 20mbps download speed & 5mbps upload speed to avoid disrupting the call
- If the Wi-Fi doesn’t reach your desired home office space, first, consider relocating your router to a more central location. If this doesn’t work, or is not an option then consider a Wi-Fi Extender;
- they come in two formats; desktop (looks like a mini router) and plug-in (plugs straight into a normal electrical wall socket). Plug-in are more affordable, but desktop can give you USB and LAN ports for plugging directly into devices.
- Check that your extender has the same specs as your router (IE if router is dual-band AC1900 then your extender should be the same or better)
- If you want a more permanent solution, or want to clear up lots of Wi-Fi deadspots around the house, consider a mesh-based Wi-Fi system that spreads your main Wi-Fi throughout the house with a single password (where extenders effectively set up a new network with a new password)
Self-care Whilst At Home (read the full 50 tips here)
Sally Morris – founder of On The Spot (therapies, coaching, training) has written 50 fantastic tips for looking after yourself while working from home. Here’s my favourites;
- Do at least one thing you truly enjoy every day
- Avoid too much sugar
- Keep in mind your long-term goals or vision for what you want in your life
- Schedule a realistic day and don’t try to do more than you’re capable of
- Learn to say “No thank you” to activities that you don’t have time or energy for
- Stroke a furry animal if you can. Or simply enjoy noticing how different fabrics and surfaces feel. Touch can be a great way to ground yourself
- Consider how you can help and serve others
- Take up juggling, it’s a great way to stop your mind wandering into worry (I took up learning to handstand after reading this advice!)
- Have a goal each day that you can achieve
- Do everything more slowly
I hope you found this useful – if you’d like any more information then please reach out directly to any of these excellent businesses, and make sure to say hi from Marketing 101!
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Thanks,
Alex, Marketing 101