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Forum Discussion
Amy
Community Manager
4 years agoCommunity ManagerWorking remotely: finding the right set up and the right settings
Last year, a lot of people moved from their office desk to some kind of home office situation - but that wasn’t the only moving people did. In fact, a Pew Research Study found that 22% of Americans changed residence or knew someone who changed residence due to the pandemic. A huge part of those numbers is the fact that seven in 10 employees now had options for working remotely all or most of the time.
Working from home tips for productivity
So, whether you moved to working from home, or you’ve moved home as well, here are some tips for working from home effectively, to make sure your set up and your settings are working well for you.
Your home office setting:
If, like me, you’ve moved home in the last year, you probably packed down you work desk, carefully packing your laptop, screens, cables and accessories. Maybe you even had to disassemble your desk, knowing well that you’d be putting it back together again in a few days on the other side. All of that is a little tedious, but for me, setting it all back up was as exciting as a fresh notebook and new stationary set on the first day of school. Here are some things I considered, having worked from home for a while already.
Lighting:
We’re all painfully aware that bad lighting on Zoom can add years - so making sure you have sufficient light, whether natural or artificial is important before you get attached to your desk set up.
Ergonomics:
Office planners spend a lot of time and money making sure we sit correctly, we walk around, and we’re not hunched over. When we’re home alone it’s easy to end up hovering over your keyboard, or sitting like an angry teenager. Try to set up your desk so that your screens are at eye level, to avoid craning your neck downwards all day and getting tech neck. A good chair is super important too, your spine will thank you for doing some research on how to set up your desk.
Design and decoration:
We’re all pros with Zoom backgrounds by now, but that can sometimes hide some plain white walls if you’ve just moved. Our brains need stimulation so change your scenery a little every now and then. Rotate your houseplants around so you have a different one on your desk every so often. Swap out any frames near your desk, treat yourself to a new desk organizer or mug and you’re back to that new notebook feeling.
Make your settings work for you:
While we’re making the work day more efficient, let’s bring that same energy into your online behavior. Cut down your online commute, conserve your clicks and keep your energy for the right tasks. Here are some time saving tips that mean you can get your work done quicker and get back to enjoying your time at home.
Passwords:
Working from home can be great but it can mean that if you forget a password, you’re in trouble. There’s no one who can pop over to your desk and fix it for you, and you can’t view anything on someone else’s screen for just a sec. So, don’t manage your passwords in your head. Make the most of Dropbox Passwords and save your details so you can log in with no problem.
Starred files and Paper tips:
Make sure your most used Paper docs are easily accessible. You can star files and folders for easy access whether you’re on Desktop or mobile. When you star a file or folder, it’s starred only for you. It’s not starred for anyone else who shares the file or folder so you can have the exact files you need ready in your Starred section.
Paper docs are pretty accessible, and can be linked in docs really neatly too, so check out how to share those docs here, and learn about even more handy Paper tips right here, whether it’s to-dos to keep you on track, meeting planning, and templates for your needs.
Let the integrations do the work:
There are lots of integrations that make Dropbox even better, and chances are you’re already using some of these tools. If not, here are some more tips to help you make the most of your time. If you use Adobe, check out some tips right here. If you want a quick way to save time here is some more info on how to integrate Slack, email, Zoom and more. If you are an educator, here are some integrations to help you get back to teaching, rather than spending ages organizing your files.
How do you organize your day while working from home? Tell us in the comments below
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