6 Tips to Prepare for a Day of Homeworking

Sam Goldney of Sensée explains the steps she takes when getting ready for work.

My Journey to Work

After ten years of working from home I’d like to think I’ve got my morning journey to work routine finely honed. I see the children off to school on the school bus and then go for a good yomp through the fields with the dogs before grabbing a coffee and heading upstairs. My computer’s already turned on, so I load my systems and am ready for the day in a great frame of mind after a healthy dose of family and fresh air.

But it hasn’t always been as easy as walking the dogs and negotiating my two young children to get dressed and eat breakfast. I spent years sitting on the motorway on my commute from leafy North Warwickshire to central Birmingham and then driving frantically round the car park looking for a parking spot… before running into the office to ensure I arrived before my learners.

It took the life-changing event of losing my best friend to cancer to make me realise that there was more to life than this. Leaving my amazing job was a brave step but one of the best I ever made.

Starting my workday in a happy, healthy frame of mind ensures that both my employer and my family get the very best out of me.  Here are my six tips for getting ready to work:

1. Get showered and dressed: The act of getting dressed psychologically switches your work mindset on
2. Don’t get distracted by home tasks when you should be working: You’ll only feel guilty, unlike the washing-up which won’t mind waiting until your lunch break for you
3. Have a dedicated workspace: Walking up the stairs to the office is my daily commute and I switch from my role as Mum and Wife to Training Manager as I close the office door
4. Get your PC switched on early: Avoid sitting at your PC watching the spinning circle of Windows updates being installed through clenched teeth
5. Make sure you have what you need for the day: Have a glass of water to hand or an extra coffee in a thermos flask
6. Have a clear working space: If necessary, clear everything to the other end of the dining table (if that is what you are working from these days)
   • Write yourself a list of what you want to achieve, then break it down…. must complete, need to complete, useful to complete, bonus task
   • Look at your diary for the day and plan time for a break. You are far more productive if you step away and return with a fresh perspective on a problem
   • Say good morning to your team. Check in on them and their loved ones and use your webcam to see what people are saying as well as listening to them