When Covid19 hit the Philippines, most companies were advised to let their employees work from home, private or government-owned.

Some of us think of it as a blessing, something that we wished to happen even before the pandemic. Most Filipinos love the idea of working from home because this can help them avoid traffic, which means they have more time to spend with their family. But of course, if there are pros, there are the cons, too. We realized that working in the same space you live in is not that easy; it may impact your productivity and efficiency, especially if you have kids and extended family at home.

This is why it is advisable to have a designated workspace. It will not only help you focus on your tasks; it can also help you avoid background noise if your job involves speaking with your clients or customers, and this will result in you being more productive.

Want to know how to start your own home office? We gathered some tips, advice, and reminders that you should consider when choosing your work area.

• Temperature – It is always better to choose a room or a place where you can feel comfortable working. Based on various research, working within the ideal office temperature can increase workers’ productivity. 

• Background Noise – Choose a location with less background noise. This is one of the main problems of people who work from home, especially if their job involves talking to someone. Chickens, dogs, family, or sometimes your neighbors can be heard in the background. Please don’t take this lightly, because this might cost you your job. Remember that employees represent the company, and you need to sound professional.

If background noise can still be an issue, there are plenty of solutions available on the internet. If you can’t afford acoustic foams, you can collect egg trays. Yes, egg trays! This is proven and tested. Some people use egg trays as a soundproofing tool. There are video tutorials on how to install this in your work area, and it can be a big help. There are also applications available to download on the internet that can help you minimize your background noise. One good example is Krisp. You might want to check it out.

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  Photo source: Stephen Philips on Unsplash.com

  Internet Connection – Before setting up your workstation, make sure to test your internet connection in that area. That space may have less background noise with good lighting and ventilation, but you need to consider your internet connectivity on that spot. You might want to check if your cables have enough length to be connected to your laptop or computer or if it is the right spot for you to connect to your Wifi network. Always remember, working from home means relying on your internet connectivity.

• Bedroom – If you’re going to place your workstation in your bedroom, choose a corner where you will not be distracted. A simple desk and table might be a good start; however, the idea of the comfort of your bed and the softness of your pillows will hypnotize you to go to sleep. Note, tidy up your bed so you will not be tempted, primarily if you work at night, which is the case for most of us.

You don’t need to spend a lot of money on setting up your home office. You can use your alternative space or the furniture that you currently have in the meantime. There are social media posts from people who successfully set-up their home office. You can have them as your inspiration for you to start setting up your own. 

For some companies here in the Philippines, this work from home set-up is just temporary. We’re all praying for this pandemic to be over, and when that time comes, we will be going back to how we used to do our jobs. We will go back to our daily routine, waking up early, traveling to and from work, lining up on stations to get transportation, and so on. The main question is, do you still want to go back to the busy streets?

Do you know that you can have permanent work from home job with the help of The VA Hub? The VA Hub’s goal is to give Filipinos the perfect work-life balance that all of us are dreaming of. Become a virtual assistant today and earn up to $770 a month!

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Contributor: Marie Beth San Jose