Hurricane Sandy is on her way and has already led to school and business closings, and is likely to lead to power outages across the area. Baltimore is no stranger to extreme weather. When your office is closed or you can’t make it out of the house, there are a number of ways you can be just as productive at home as you are in the office. Below are some useful tips on how to work effectively from home. We’ve also included some helpful tips on how to keep your cell phone running as long as possible during a power outage.
Tips for working from home effectively:
Tip #1: Have a dedicated space to work
- Find a space that isn’t your sofa or the dining room table. Find a space away from distractions.
Tip #2: Define what you will accomplish
- Write down or think through what you intend to accomplish at home ahead of time. The list could be different each time you work from home, or it might be the same. Whatever the task, make sure you’re clear about what it is before you get to work so that you can be diligent about doing it.
Tip #3: Dress up
- Sometimes you may feel sloppy being in your ‘house clothes’ or in the pajamas day in and out, try to wear a trendy and smart outfit and get to work.
Tip #4: Communicate your work hours to your colleagues and boss
- Effective and regular communication is the key. Be upfront on what hours you keep when working from home. Tell your colleagues when you’ll be home as well as whether and how they should get in touch with you.
Tip #5: Treat your lunch hour as you would when at work
- Avoid grocery shopping or running errands during this time, because one distraction leads to another.
How to keep your cell phone running as long as possible during a power outage:
- Download apps in advance you might need to watch local news or weather channel via the Internet. Larger apps frequently require Wi-Fi for download.
- Leave devices plugged in to surge protected power supply until you lose power.
- You can charge your devices in the car with a car charger.
- You can charge your device from a laptop using the USB cable.
- No games or graphic intensive apps.
- End all running applications.
Here is an article that we’ve found very helpful:
7 Rules you must Follow when Working from Home (Careerbright.com)
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