15 Common Work From Home Mistakes To Avoid for The New Normal

So, you’re transitioning to remote hybrid work. You’ve spent a week working from your uber comfortable bed but can’t seem to keep your productivity up. Maybe you find yourself with more aches and pains than you’d thought you could have. We’re here to tell you that it is extremely normal to make a work from home mistake when you’re new to it.

Here are a few common work from home mistakes you need to avoid!

1. Home Office Prep

The biggest difference you’ll feel is the lack of a workspace. You’re probably working in your bed, at your kitchen table, on your couch, and you’re feeling great. However, after a couple of days, you’re going to notice the discomfort and lack of productivity.

A home office isn’t going to spring up for you; you’re going to have to go set it up. The process of setting up your workspace can be very satisfying, but you’ll need to pick the right furniture for your new space like a smart office desk.

Pick up a wooden desk to work from, but if you have space, get an office desk. An office chair is an absolute must. If you’re looking for a remote work mistake to avoid, avoid getting yourself chairs that aren’t ergonomic.

Apart from the basics, you can get yourself a laptop stand, external keyboard, an ergonomic mouse, and many more. A quick work from home ergonomic hack is to get yourself a mini desk riser if you can’t get a standing desk.

2. Distractions

When working from home, it is hard to separate work time and home time. It is easy to get carried away doing chores and thinking you’re productive. If you’re doing laundry instead of that report you needed to submit yesterday, then you’re making a common remote work mistake.

Limit your distractions in every way possible. Don’t face your home where you might see a dish that needs to be cleaned or a TV that needs to be wiped. Get yourself some noise-canceling headphones. Keep everything you’ll need ‘while you’re at work’ nearby.

3. Limitations

It has never been easier to get caught at work. You might think that you’ll never be the sort to work late into the night, that you’ll put your work away as soon as you need to, but you’ll soon find yourself slipping into bad habits.

Make sure to set hard limits for when you work. Leave work alone after a certain time of the day. Pretend like you’re still working at an office, and you’ll see a marked difference in your productivity.

4. Communication

If you live with other people, then the chances of mishaps happening are extremely high. Maybe someone walked into your extremely important virtual meeting or started yelling in the background. It can be incredibly embarrassing, but there’s a quick fix. Avoid work from home mistakes like not communicating with the others in your house.

If you have a meeting that requires some quiet, inform your housemates of the same. This way, you’ll severely limit the number of accidents on zoom.

5. Routines

The worst habit to cultivate in a work from home situation is not cultivating a routine for yourself. Without a routine, you’re probably oversleeping, overeating, and not exercising at all. Many think that having a schedule and routine when working from home is impossible; that’s completely false.

Make sure you’re not oversleeping. Use your mornings before work to do something productive. Stick to a timely meal routine, and avoid procrastinating exercise.

6. Isolation

If you’re alone at home and working from home, you’re bound to start feeling isolated. Try your hardest to network from home. Maybe it’s an online event or a chance to do some remote group work, say yes to everything. Participate in online communities and use office dinners as a way to get some socializing done.

7. Abuse of Policy

If you have a work from home policy, then make sure you read through the whole thing and make it a right work from home full guide for you to follow. Don’t abuse the policy that has provided you with so many benefits. Maybe it’s working less than you say you do or stealing company data, stick to the rules, and don’t flout the policy.

8. Not Being Lazy

It’s very easy to get distracted, lazy, and unmotivated when you’re at home. You don’t want to be the lazy employee who’s doing nothing with their days. Even if you’re miles away from your boss, your work reflects your level of commitment.

If you find yourself slipping in terms of productivity, then try and understand what’s going wrong and fix the issue. Prioritize your work, your goals, and your dreams.

9. Available

Communication isn’t an option when remote working. A work from home mistake to avoid is not communicating enough with your coworkers. Don’t be that person who doesn’t show themselves in meetings, never participates in discussions, and is about as active as a ghost. Communicating even when you’re working from home is a skill you need to develop. Using some communication essentials to help you to keep in touch with your team. It will turn into one of your most useful assets.

10. Unavailable

While you’re communicative and available to all your coworkers, don’t forget to have a backbone. Avoid work from home mistake of becoming a doormat. Keep your workload normal and your boundaries in place. Just because you’re at home doesn’t mean that you can take on every project there is.

11. Etiquette

There are certain rules you need to follow during Zoom or Teams meetings. Keep yourself muted when you’re not talking to avoid background noise from interrupting your meeting. Be sure to show your face when required, and double-check your setting before you leave the room.

12. Work-Life Balance

A work-life balance is integral to a healthy lifestyle. Avoid taking on excessive workloads that will have you working through the weekend as well. You’ve put in the hours; the weekend is the time for you to relax and recharge. 

13. Separate Lives

Avoid spending your leisure time in your designated working space. It’ll help you distinguish between work and leisure clearer and allow you to truly break away from work.

14. Resources

There are tons of online resources for those that are working from home. Maybe it is online groups you could join or productivity tips. Use every resource available, no matter how silly it may seem.

15. Benefits

You’re going to experience some off days. Working from home can cause burnout, similar to what you might experience at an office. Learn how to avoid burnout to improve your productivity. On those days, you need to remind yourself of all the good, stick to your routines, and maybe take it easy for a few days. Don’t ignore the bad days or sink too far into them.

Endnotes

A work from home mistake that can destroy you is not amending the mistakes you’re already making. Make sure to keep track of your health and mental well-being while working from home. Apart from that, happy working!