Make it work: Home office tips for maximum productivity during the COVID-19 pandemic

During the last weeks, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases has risen all over the world, so many companies and schools have begun to close their doors and ask people to stay home .

In Mexico, the Public Education Ministry said that basic public education schools will remain closed until April 20 and different companies have sent their employees to work from home.

As one of the measures to prevent COVID-19 , remote working is an option many companies are giving their employees. If this is your case, it is time for you to get your home ready to maintain your productivity without having to go out. GetNninjas, the largest app for hiring trades and services in Latin America, shares the following tips to make the most out of your home office .

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Adapt a special room to work

There are two main roads to follow to work from home: Temporarily adapt a room to work from there or modify it permanently to turn it into a personal studio to keep using it in the future. The first option is cheaper in terms of costs, for you can adapt even the smallest space with a desk , but the second gives you the advantage of being ready in the future with the ideal working space .

Some adaptations for your studio include lighting , noise canceling , temperature , and even adding some plants for they will add some life to your space. Always choose a room with good natural lighting so that your vision is not affected, and use a comfortable chair so that you can keep working for hours; although working in a sofa or lying in your bed sounds fun, it is actually quite uncomfortable and bad for your back and productivity.

Good ventilation

In addition to helping you have fresh air to keep focused, constant ventilation will help you prevent contaminated air in your space. Health institutions say that it is harder to catch COVID-19 if there is good ventilation in a closed space, so keep your windows open during your workday.

Follow a schedule

Define your work schedule and stick to it. If you are set to begin your workday by 8:00, make your breakfast and be sure to have everything ready to be available by 8:00, and if your checkout is at 17:00, work hard on your tasks so that you can turn off your computer at that time without having any pending work.

Likewise, make a to-do list with the activities you have to do during the day. Prioritize them and focus on getting them done during your working hours. Avoid beginning or ending after your established hours since it can become a bad habit and make you lose focus from your goals and objectives.

In addition, IBM shared some suggestions to use the internet safely from home now that many people will be working remotely.

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Safe WiFi

For cybercriminals , it is easy to gather information used in public WiFi networks such as the ones used in cafés and restaurants.

Even legit networks used in trusted establishments can be vulnerable to digital espionage .

If you are going to send an important document or do banking operations , avoid using public WiFi networks and, if you do not need to be connected, turn off the WiFi, Bluetooth, and the automatic connection to networks in your devices.

Shared documents and printing networks

Some parts of documents or e-mails can seem useless or harmless, but experienced criminals can gather a lot of information about users.

It is suggested to keep all your printed documents until you can destroy them properly and, in the case of digital documents, use the tools approved by your company.

Avoid using public or shared printers to print confidential documents.

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Digital documents

Update

the operating system of your computer to have the latest security updates.

Make security copies of your documents with regularity so that your information is safe in case of an error, loss, or cyberattack.

Passwords to protect devices and documents

Add passwords to all your devices including smartphones , tablets , and laptops .

In case of sharing confidential information , it is possible to add passwords to documents.

Beware of downloads

Phishing

is a fraudulent attempt to obtain confidential information by pretending to be another entity or person.

According to the IBM X-Force Intelligence Index 2020 report, phishing was the initial infection strategy in a third of last year's incidents.

Before downloading attached documents or opening links , make sure they are safe by contacting the person or company that sent it.

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Separate work from home.

Make sure people at home understand you are working and that you are not available to take care of domestic chores . And vice versa: Do not focus 24/7 on answering e-mails from your boss, colleagues, or clients since before and after your working hours you will focus on your family and home . You should address this with the corresponding people since the very beginning to be clear on limits and avoid misunderstandings .

If you have children , you know they will not go to school for a month, so it is worth it to do some adaptations at home for them to be busy and entertained .

Get their room ready

In addition to cleaning their space very well, adapt a space in their room to do activities together . Whether they are reading , puzzles , board games , or another kind of entertainment, be sure they are always done in their room, both to create a habit in them and so that they are in charge of organizing and cleaning.

Pay special attention to common areas

Since you will be at home most of the time, it will be necessary to clean frequently every day, for it is known that kids always create a bit of mess when playing. In addition, if they spend time playing outside in the patio, they can introduce bacterias into the house that can become a source of infection . Most cleaning products can disinfect your house, so make sure to clean properly.

Make healthy snacks and food

Since your children will be at home all day, it is a good idea to keep snacks available to maintain their eating schedule as if they were still at school. Avoid junk food , candies , and high-calories food, and opt for dry fruits, fresh fruit, yogurt, and homemade oatmeal cookies, for instance.

Remember that the objective of these measures is to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and reduce the risk of catching other seasonal diseases . By following the previous recommendations, you will be able to work from home without neglecting your children and protecting the health of your whole family.

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