The Dazychain team give their working from home tips and tricks
Now that so many of us are working from home, I thought it would be a good idea to pull together a list of tips for making the most of it – as suggested by our team. I’m Nick, the Marketing Coordinator for Yarris and I know first-hand how working from home can be a big transition for those of us who hadn’t really done it before. Here at Dazychain, the team have worked on and off from home since Yarris was founded, twenty-five years ago. Many of the team have refined (or interesting!) techniques for getting the most out of those precious hours. Earlier this week, I jumped onto Slack and worked with everyone to compile a list. Enjoy!
Nick – Marketing Coordinator
- Going for a walk before or during my day is a way I like to clear between my ears. I’m lucky enough to have a needy dog who makes strange, desperate noises when I haven’t walked her yet, which is always a good motivator to get me out the door and grab some vitamin D. Even something as simple as doing some push-ups when I’m thinking something over can help my mind move in a different direction.
- Since my office is east-facing I get the morning light, but the afternoon is lacking a little. My way around this is keeping an eye on when the room is even close to feeling gloomy and lighting a candle and/or turning a lamp on.
- I leave the room I work in for at least an hour once the day is finished. A more subconscious one I’ve been trying recently is wearing socks and (clean) shoes while I’m working. As though I had been coming home from the city after a long day, I get the satisfaction of taking my socks and shoes off at the end of the day.
- I don’t have anything distracting on my desk (besides snacks). If I’m doing anything involving reading or writing, then no podcast, audiobook or anything that needs attention.
Edwina – Account Manager
- I LOVE a to-do list! I have a planner on my desk and the first thing I do in the morning when I start work is to write out my meetings and my tasks that I need to get done. I kind of dabbled in bullet journal techniques for a while, but it wasn’t 100% my style. It seriously only takes 3 minutes but makes me so much more focused.
- The 90/20 rule: 90 minutes of really focused time, then a 20 min break (this may be as simple as moving onto a less “brain draining” task).
- Clear start and end times to your workday. I think it is super important to have really firm boundaries around the different segments in your life. Be super productive 8.30-4.30 and then be super present in the other areas of your life. Much more refreshed and switched on for each element of your life.
- Dumbbells next to the desk so you can do some bicep curls or something during long meetings when you don’t have to talk much.
- Remember to just Slack a work friend to talk about something un-work related purely to keep in touch and chat.
- Pack away work things at the end of each day, or at least tidy up so it is a clear sign you have finished, and it isn’t messy and there in your face.
- I’m loving cooking roasts during this winter and am loving being home to turn the oven on to heat up for the final hour of work – we eat dinner at 5:30pm so it’s a real luxury having a hot roast mid-week.
- I am really enjoying walking up to do the day care pick up as it is a good chance to get outside and decompress with a dose of fresh air before picking up the kids. I’ve found I go slightly mental if I don’t have a clear break between finishing work and switching into mum mode, I feel frazzled and not nice.
- And finally – my husband has a zoom call with his work mates every day at 4pm. They have it in their calendars and chat for like 20 mins and it seems to do them a world of good. They used to work out together every lunch time so this way they can still chat and socialise.
Natalie – Operations Manager
- I’ve set up my dog’s bed right next to my desk for company.
- I have a dedicated space that I shut the door of on Friday and don’t open again until Monday (Except to vacuum).
Heidi – Head of Marketing
- I schedule a walk to get away from the desk and refresh during the day.
- My wife is on the telephone regularly as part of her role, noise cancelling headphones are great at blocking it out and getting me back into the focus-zone.
- I bought a fold-out table so that I can work from different areas of the house, or even on the deck if it’s nice out – it’s been great!
Katherine – COO
- I go to the furthest room in the house so I can avoid all distractions – and the temptations in the fridge!
Ian – CEO
- I take a break every hour or so and do some push-ups and lunges.
