Stylight has been working completely remote for two weeks now due to current corona virus restrictions in Germany. Last week we shared our first 10 tips about working from home with you, and with this article, we’re completing our 20 tips on how you get the most out of it. Let’s dive right into it!
Stylight home office tip #11:
Be more detailed than usual in daily standups 🗒️
What André Malo, our Head of Technical Infrastructure, has to say: “Cut down slack channels. Put everything out of your sight, which is not needed, so you can focus on the important communication. I changed settings to remove read channels and conversations automatically from the list, except a few starred ones. Check E-Mails once per hour at max. and make it clear when you’re not reachable. Try to channel your tools. For instance, I’ve connected my google calendar with slack. One tool less which makes me change windows.
Make sure that people have clear channels where they send support requests (avoid random slack or email conversations with support topics). It’s related to home office, because it’s the equivalent of people simply walking by. They should also be aware of the importance of proper screens and keyboards at their home office.
Schedule meetings more than usual. Be prepared to share your screen or window. You can’t just walk over to the next whiteboard. Be more detailed than usual in the daily stand-ups about what you’ve achieved and what blocked you. Maybe reserve some time in the evening to take notes. If you share your home office with somebody else, schedule your meetings even more. You might clash otherwise.
If you have a kid at home, reserve some time for talking, helping and just relaxing. Also use headphones, especially if the kid is trying to get schoolwork done. Reserve some time for physical workout. The usual ways to and from and within the office do more for you than you think.
Stylight home office tip #12:
Make yourself a daily to-do list ✍️
A tip from Emma Spadolini, Brand & Content Manager: “Make yourself a daily to-do list to make sure you are effective and are moving forward with your tasks!”
Stylight home office tip #13:
Keep everybody up-to-date about ongoing projects ✔️
“Try to keep everybody up-to-date about ongoing projects with project management tools such as Trello. You can add colleagues who are involved in projects and set deadlines and checklists. You can even include a link to a working sheet or folder, so everybody has all the information needed.”, says our Brand & Content Manager Jana Koch.
Stylight home office tip #14:
Don’t lose touch, you’re still a team 👯♀️
Eva Kölln, our QA specialist’s tip for working from home is: “Stick to a very clear routine, even more than in the office. Start work, have breaks, finish work at the same time everyday (if possible). Dress, style and be prepared at anytime to take a video call. Align with your team members even more as you can’t just have a chat – but do have a chat if you need to. Overall: Just don’t lose touch, you are still a team.”
Stylight home office tip #15:
Learn from what is good with your workspace 🍎
“Working from home you no longer have the luxury of a designate work place where your employers have thought of everything in order to give you the best working environment. Now you have to be the facilitator of your best possible WFH-process. Do what makes your work the best it can be. Learn from what is good with your workplace and bring those routines with you home, in addition to creating new once where you see opportunities.” is Johanna Hersted‘s tip for you. She’s one of our Business Development Managers.
Stylight home office tip #16:
Don’t eat during working hours &
take active breaks to come up with new ideas 🤸
Karin Brenner, our Lead Advertising Manager, says: “3 easy tips for a productive Home Office day? 1. Find a morning routine to start your day in a nice way (Little stretch, good coffee, delicious breakfast) 2. Get out of your pyjamas in order to get into the working mood 3. Don’t eat during working time. Take active breaks to come up with new ideas”
Stylight home office tip #17:
Exchange your plan for the day with your spouse to share your space accordingly 🛋️
“Home office at the moment also means having to share your space with your partner and/or family members. I like to start the day exchanging my plan for the day with my spouse to manage expectations and share spaces accordingly. One might need quiet time in the living room for a sales report while the other takes calls in the bedroom or in the garden. This helps me reducing stress and feeling more in control.” – Pauline Reuter, Business Development Manager at Stylight.
Stylight home office tip #18:
Research proves: Vitamin D regulates our mood. So get as much sun as possible! 🌞
Laura Grassl, our People & Organization manager, advises: “Try to get as much sun as possible (go out for a walk during lunch break, work from time to time next to an open window/balcony etc.) Our body is producing the “sunshine vitamin” – Vitamin D in response to sunlight. And the more vitamin D we produce, the better – because research has repeatedly proven that vitamin D plays an important role in regulating our mood and sustainably strengthens our immune system. But don´t forget to put on sunscreen ;)”
Stylight home office tip #19:
Keep your creative side alive 💡
“Make sure you keep your creative side alive. After work hours go analog, go back to the roots of experimentation, get your hands dirty. Good ideas come from the most unexpected times. Do the things you never have time for.” is the tip from Margarida Silva, our Jr. Visual Designer.
Stylight home office tip #20:
Wake up one hour before starting to work ⏰
Our last tip is from Marta Monescillo, our Online Marketing Intern: “For those who are used to work from the office, these days can be a bit difficult to maintain the efficiency. The best way that I find to keep it, is to wake up at least one hour before start working and create a good environment that allows me to focus just on my work, without any distraction like the windows, TV, telephone… Creating every morning a To-do list or a timetable for each day can be really useful to ensure that by the end of the day, all your tasks are done.”
… and that’s it!
Don’t forget to check out our first 10 tips of this series, of course. We also recently published an article about 6 little things we’re currently doing at Stylight that help us keep our team spirits and motivation high!
And our last, additional 21st tip is from our CTO Gerald Madlmayr: “On day one I planted flowers and as I’m home every day, I can see the progress in very little steps and each day I’m happy to see my flowers grow. This is a kind of motivation to stay in home office. To give more purpose as well as some distraction in case I need a break.”
