We all work from home at Pocket-lint. While the idea of it is idyllic for many, the reality is that it can bring to light some issues in terms of productivity, concentration, lack of the right equipment and too-frequent trips to the kitchen.

With more and more of us being asked to work from home, we thought it was high time to share our tips for working remotely.

Do you have somewhere to use as an office?

The best approach is to have somewhere separated from your living room and bedroom that you’re able to use as an office. If you’ve got a study or spare room then super – you’re there. Shut the door when you’re working to separate yourself. If the only option is to make a space in the shed for the summer, do it.

If you have to work in the living room, bedroom or kitchen, work at a table.

The gear you need

If you’re going to be working at home permanently, you need to get yourself a desk, a proper work chair,a keyboardand mouseanda monitor.

Hopefully, your employer will provide at least a screen and keyboard/mouse if you need to work from home on a semi-permanent or permanent basis. Typing on a laptop is OK for a day, but it’s a no-no if you’re working away from an office for weeks on end. You really do need to bear ergonomics in mind, otherwise, you’ll end up causing yourself health issues.

You could also get a laptop stand to raise it up and use alongside a keyboard and mouse.

If you will have regular deliveries for work, get yourself aconnected doorbell, otherwise, you’ll be waiting in all the time.

Partners and housemates

Other people who live with you need to get the message that you are not in “home mode” when you’re working at home – you can not do the washing up or put the laundry on the line unless it’s lunchtime. The “closed door” we mentioned above helps here – when the door is closed they shouldn’t interrupt you.

If you have kids…

Work somewhere where you won’t be interrupted by them. Or, at the least, ensure you can block out the noise. Headphones can be very useful here, but so can earplugs if you can’t work with music.

Obviously, school holidays can be challenging and that’s when you need to schedule some work time elsewhere. And after 3pm can be an issue when they come home. There are some sensible things you may do to reduce any issues here, like not scheduling conference calls late in the day.

Get dressed

Yes, really. While working in your pyjamas sounds great, it’s hard to feel in the work zone.

Avoid the bed and the sofa

Related to the above point, you need to be at work during your working hours. Preparation is key to that, and it’s really not great to be sat on the sofa however wonderful it may seem at first. And sleepiness does not help productivity.

Chat and calling apps

Collaboration apps likeMicrosoft TeamsandSlackare a distraction for some but a tool for many.

Crucially they are handy for employees because they help businesses get away from the notion that being in the office means you are at work, being out of the office means you aren’t.

If your employer doesn’t use anything like this, point out that it might be a good idea if you are starting to all work from home as a team. Although some employees are prone to chatting about non-work-related topics, the benefit is that it cuts down on email.

For video conferencing, if your employer usesGoogle Workspacethen Google Hangouts generally work well for video calling as they integrate with Google Calendar. If you’re an Office 365 organisation then Skype integrates well with that and Microsoft Teams. Of course, many employers use their own bespoke or off-the-shelf solutions here.

Keep the room light and airy

In winter it’s crucial to keep the room light and in summer you need to verify it’s nice and airy, too. If it’s natural light then so much the better.

Keep away from the kitchen

The kitchen is the worst thing about working from home. Seriously. Permanent access to food you already own can be troublesome and you don’t want working from home to mean you just eat all the time. We’ll leave it there.

Listen to music or the radio

Working from home can be a lonely business and the main thing we miss about working from home is the interaction with people. The radio is great for this as you can enjoy the show and hear voices as you work. However, we know this doesn’t work for everybody.