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Discover what Virtual Work is all about and the fundamentals of working from home.

The Coronavirus Covid-19 has made us all get excited about virtual work. While it is true that the vast majority of us have ever worked loose from home one day, the truth is that few times we have had to do it continuously. For this, we have prepared a guide with tips and recommendations so that you can get used to this reality as soon as possible that we are having to live and, why not, enjoy and see the most positive part of virtual work, which of course, there is also it.

Always get up at the same time

It is important to have a routine that helps us focus and organize the day. Although these days by saving ourselves the trip to go to work we may be able to set the alarm a little later, we must try to get up each day at the same time to begin to establish this routine. Mattress Inquirer conducted a survey of more than 1,000 people that revealed that those who are more rigorous about waking up experience greater personal, professional, and financial satisfaction.

Dress like you go to the office

There are several reasons why we must maintain the habit of dressing in the morning as we would to work in person. Although the dress is more casual than the one we would wear to the office, the fact of taking off our outfit to walk around the house helps us to change the chip and concentrate more easily at work. And no, it is not worth it that we only wear work clothes on top with the excuse that the webcam only shows the torso. As an anecdote, I once interviewed a candidate on Skype who was wearing a very elegant shirt and jacket, but the mirror behind revealed that he was pairing them with Power Rangers pajama bottoms.

Create a pleasant workspace

To summarize it in three key point:

1. Be orderly, do not accumulate papers and post-its and you can easily find what you are looking for.
2. Illuminate your space if possible with natural light. As far as possible, if we work with a screen, the light should not affect it directly.
3. Get ready. We have to foresee the material that we will need and have it at hand, to avoid having to get up to look for it every time we need it.

Review your backlog of tasks and prioritize

When we work virtually, keeping a list of all the tasks to be carried out ( backlog) and knowing how to prioritize them becomes a key point to maintain our productivity, since not being in the usual work environment we tend to lose focus. As a list of tasks we can use digital tools such as Tasks if we are Google users or To-Do if we prefer Microsoft. And if we want to go a step further, we can use boards to better monitor the status of these tasks with tools such as Trello or Planner.

Check online tools and programs

Normally we know in advance what we are going to use during our day: what platforms we will use to hold meetings, where are the documents in which we work with more people, etc. It is important that we periodically check that everything works correctly, that we have access and necessary permissions or that the camera and microphone work.

Take short breaks

Maintaining the same level of concentration for 8 hours in a row has been proven to be unfeasible and that the best way to keep our productivity high is by taking periodic breaks that help us briefly disconnect to resume work.
To do this (if we have already paid attention to point 4 of this post about planning tasks and prioritizing) we can use the Pomodoro Technique , which helps us divide and manage our work and disconnection times.

Follow the usual business hours

It is useless to be connected 24 hours, since we will only get worn out and lower our performance. We must establish the times in which we will be working and available, in order to make the most of those hours.
Following the usual business hours will allow us to be connected at the same time as the rest of our colleagues, making team communication much more agile and improving the efficiency of the organization.

Focus on avoiding distractions

Easy to say, right? If it may already be difficult for us to stay focused , surely having the kids at home, a neighbor who comes out to the terrace to show us what a good DJ he is and that the neighborhood organize a game to “I see I see from the confinement It sure doesn’t help when it comes to virtual working.
During the article we have already discussed some tips to promote concentration: keep our workspace tidy or manage our work and rest times. We must also silence or disconnect the personal mobile and close computer applications that can distract us. And if there is a lot of noise at home, try playing White Sound or similar (you can find playlists by searching for “ white noise”,” Binaural beats “or” zen music for work “).

Be a responsible person

For whatever reason, virtual work implies that the organization trusts the worker and this trust must be responded to responsibly.
It is inevitable that these days of confinement will have an impact for all companies. But it is our responsibility to make the most of that impact and we will achieve it with effort, talent and union. It is time to have clear common objectives and work for them, to collaborate and help us, to know how to adapt. As the saying goes: “what does not kill us, it makes us stronger ”.