“Don’t be that guy.” Four simple words, infinite situations, but you always know exactly who “That Guy” is while working from home.
With the advent of working from home, there are some new things you avoid doing as it will dub you as “that guy. Today, we’re highlighting some of the biggest workings from home mistakes we’ve seen this year—and how you can avoid being the guy who makes them.
1: Working From Home: The Guy Who Works From Bed
Once you’re working from home, it seems natural to take it one step further and work from bed.
After all, it’s comfortable, it’s cozy, and you have all the legroom you need. You’re still in your pajama pants anyway.
We’ve all tried it at some point until we realized that working from bed is too good to be true.
Whether you’re getting a little too comfortable and napping on the clock or leaping out of bed to make yourself presentable on video—and failing—you’re not going to work well from under the covers.
A Tip Before Actually Working From Home
Take a few moments in the AM to gather yourself. Whether you can give yourself 30 minutes to meditate and journal or just 10 minutes of pure shower time to breathe, just find time for you. You will not be productive in bed.
2: The No-Zoom-Room Guy
These days, every expert guest you see calling from home into cable news stations seems to be sitting in front of a well-stocked bookcase. Even if they haven’t read all the books they have on display for you, we can’t deny that it looks professional and impressive.
You may not have a library of modern classics yourself, but you can still show off a more sophisticated milieu than a messy bedroom, a dank basement, or your garage.
Give yourself intelligent surroundings, and you’ll work intelligently even when the webcam light is off. But if you can’t find a bookcase for those ever-important calls, it’s better to use a simulated backdrop in a pinch.
How to Stage Your Own Work From Home Backdrop
This does not need to be a huge ordeal. Keep things simple.
First, start by cleaning or by hiring a house cleaner to make things tidy. Then, find a place that has plenty of light in front of you and looks clean behind you.
3: The Can’t-Find-a-Tie Guy
Work from home, but dress for the office.
Dressing well at home isn’t just for your co-workers on video calls—it gives you a psychological boost and keeps you in that office mindset, even in your man cave or next to your bed.
But don’t be that guy who wears the same plain oxford day after day. Keep your look fresh with a variety of essential neckties ranging from no-nonsense to, well, as much nonsense as your office allows.
How to Stay Stylish While Working From Home
When it comes to maintaining your overall look, there’s a one really important aspect to consider. That would be your skin. As more and more of us look into the camera lens in order to conduct business, what better way to boost your self-confidence than by taking care of your skin.
Check out our article that lay’s the basics of how to build a solid men’s skincare regime.
4: The No-Work-Life-Balance Guy
Perhaps one of the biggest work-from-home mistakes you can make is feeling like you’re always on the clock.
After all, your office is in your home, so how could you not feel that way? But if you’re always a little in the workplace state of mind, you’re never fully there, either.
Avoid the temptation to chip away at your to-do list in the evening so that you’ll have less to do in the morning—you won’t do your best work after dinner, and your midday idleness might raise a few questions from management.
Draw the line between work and personal time, and be the best Guy of all: the Successfully-Working-From-Home Guy.
How to Maintain a Solid Work-Life Balance?
First, you need to be sure to keep your mental status in check. You’re not always going to be able to work. The biggest tip we have is to separate work from personal life. Create separate tasks lists. Stick t0 keeping each category separate. Not only this but be sure to try to designate a specific area to work at during the day, so that you do not get interrupted with personal life chores or tasks.