The way we work has drastically changed.
Chances are, you’ve just received news that you’ll be working from home due to the coronavirus.
But in order to work from home, you’ll need a remote office.
In this article, we’re going to show you how to set up your remote office. From gear, to tools and tips, we’ll help you make the transition a lot smoother.
Let’s take a look!
Step 1. What Do You Need in Your Home Office?
Before you start shopping for fancy gear, you should identify the things you’ll need when working from home.
This depends on your profession.
For example, an architect will need ample drawing space, while a teacher might need filing cabinets. Other professionals might just need a laptop and a table lamp.
First, make a list.
What do you have in your regular office that you use daily, in addition to your computer?
Then, choose a dedicated home office space.
If you don’t have a separate room, then choose a section of the quietest room in your home. For example, you could set up a small desk in the corner of your living room or kitchen.
Finally, keep psychological constraints in mind.
Anja Jamrozik, a cognitive scientist, says you should be mindful of the following 5 factors when working from home:
- Does your home office space have natural light?
- Is the temperature comfortable?
- Is the air quality satisfactory?
- Is your furniture comfortable?
- Do you have a strategy for minimizing distractions?
And speaking of distractions…
Step 2. Create a Strategy for Working from Home
Distractions are the #1 productivity killers when working from home.
Think about it: You’re sitting in your living room. Your family is milling around. Suddenly, you spot a pile of laundry. Attention? Gone with the wind.
If you want to minimize distractions when working from home, establish a routine.
Stick to your regular work schedule, even if you’re communicating with your team asynchronously (i.e. not in real time).
For example, with a coordination tool like heycollab, you can:
- Communicate with your team members
- Manage tasks and projects
- Share files
- Provide feedback
You don’t even have to be online at the same time to do it!
If you’ve worked from 8am to 4pm, keep working during that time, even if you don’t have to. This will make it easier to maintain your work-life balance.
And speaking of life, set boundaries.
Make sure your family members know when you’re working, and when you’re available.
Conversely, if you’re alone and you’ve gotten used to the office chatter, turn on the radio or play relaxing music.
Step 3. Home Office Gear
Before you start setting up your home office, make sure you understand the company’s requirements for working from home.
If you’ll be videoconferencing, you’ll need:
- A webcam
- A neutral background
Avoid displaying piles of clothing in the background for your whole office to see. Instead, keep your background clean with minimal distractions.
Other gear that’s becoming a staple in remote offices includes:
- Standing desks
- Adjustable laptop stands
- Ergonomic footrests
- Additional screens
If you need to keep physical copies of documents, get a printer and a filing cabinet, as well. Keep work-related files separate from your personal documents.
Finally, make sure your home office space motivates you.
You keep pictures of your family and plants in your office, as well. Why not apply that to your home office?
Step 4. Tools You Need to Work from Home
Finally, coordination tools are essential for a smooth remote work experience.
When everyone’s working from home, it’s impossible to stroll down the hallway and ask Joe if he’s finished his part of the work.
How heycollab Helps Teams Work Remotely
heycollab is the best remote office tool. It will help you:
- Stay in touch with your colleagues
- Share files and feedback
- Organize and complete tasks
Team Chat
When you’re working from home, it’s important to stay in touch with your colleagues.
With heycollab, you can chat with your coworkers, coordinate work across departments, share files, give visual feedback, and much, much more.
Every team gets a dedicated virtual workspace.
It’s a central hub for all of your work-related activities.
Normally, teams use Slack to chat. But Slack doesn’t offer anything else.
If you want to use other tools, you’ll have to pay for them separately.
heycollab, on the other hand, offers team messaging, task management, and team collaboration features all for the price of one, and with no per-user fees.
Project and Task Management
You and your team can cut back on time spent in meetings by planning your projects and organizing your tasks in heycollab:
- Create columns
- Add tasks, sub-tasks, details, priorities, responsibilities, and more
- Attach files to tasks and leave feedback
- Control your progress
heycollab task boards increase visibility.
There’ll be no confusion, even though you’re all working from home.
You and your team members will know exactly what needs to be done.
Forget about steep learning curves! heycollab is easy to use.
All you need to do is drag task cards from one column to another, complete the tasks, and celebrate your success!
Seamless Collaboration
Finally, you don’t have to be in the office to keep everyone on the same page.
heycollab helps you seamlessly collaborate with your entire team:
- Store your files in the Media Hub
- Provide visual feedback
- Share files in the team chat, add them to task details, or leave your notes in the documents
And even if you don’t have a laptop on hand, you’ll be able to work with your team. heycollab offers mobile apps for iOS and Android so you can stay in sync no matter where you are.
Ready to Set Up Your Remote Office?
The times are strange, but you can adapt.
Stay productive even when you’re not in the office, and make sure you and your team successfully complete all your tasks.
heycollab is here to help. And with no per-user fees, it’s the perfect tool to take your remote work productivity to the next level.