Working from home is the ‘new normal’ and with this trend set to continue, it is more important than ever before to stay productive and maintain balance. 

To help you achieve an efficient work from home lifestyle, we’ve prepared 5 tips to ensure you are excelling at work – and are changing certain habits and routines to make working from home as efficient as possible. 

1.  Maintain Regular Hours

Set yourself a schedule for the day and stick to it… most of the time. This allows you to have clear guidelines for when to work as well as when to call it a day which can help many remote workers maintain work-life balance. 

It helps maintain workload, complete tasks on schedule as well as recognise when you have the capacity to take on more responsibilities.

As well as allowing you to maintain a schedule, working from home comes with certain perks such as flexibility. Be honest and open with your schedule, and if you need to extend your day or start early in order to accommodate other commitments, you are able to do this. 

2. Create Healthy Boundaries

Set ground rules with the other people in your household who may share your space when you are working.

This could be children, partners, or housemates who may need rules for what they can and cannot be doing whilst you are working. If you share a space with another employee, you may have to negotiate certain quiet times or meeting times in order to both be as productive and respectful as possible. 

Set these rules through a conversation held in advance. If it isn’t possible on occasions to follow your usual routine, modify your working hours and responsibilities so that all accommodations are met. Make sure that any modifications are discussed with your line managers and are communicated with your colleagues when necessary. 

3. Allow yourself breaks

Breaks are a critical element of any working day such as refreshment breaks, conversations with colleagues or in-person meetings. Work from home employees also need these breaks in order to be productive and feel energised. 

These breaks may vary in length however it is important to have these breaks away from your desks and return with a fresh perspective. On the breaks, make a healthy lunch, have a cup of tea, have a catch up with a friend as long as the break is spent in a different location to separate the relaxation from the work mindset.

Physical activity such as walking, running, weight training or stretching can have a large impact on your mental health as well as your physical. Try and enjoy 30 minutes of exercise per day. 

One 2011 study found that workers who took two short breaks whilst completing a task stayed consistently productive, but when it came to the group completing the same tasks however with no breaks, performance declined significantly. 

4. Get the resources you need

Request the equipment you need as soon as you start working from home, or within a few days of realising you need something new. It is extremely important that you are comfortable and have all the resources you need to be as productive in your work as possible. These items may include a laptop, a monitor, keyboard, mouse, desk chair, desk, printer, software etc.  

Don’t be afraid to ask for these resources, especially if your organisation is accustomed to remote working as often there are budgets set aside for home office equipment.

For employees who spend several hours each day at their desks, having a comfortable setup is essential. Making small enhancements to your workspace can have a massive impact on your physical and mental wellbeing, increasing energy levels and boosting confidence. One small enhancement may be sourcing faster, more reliable internet connections. 

5.  End Your Day With a Routine

One main struggle of working from home is shutting down your laptop and ending the working day. 

By limiting the amount of rest you may have, you limit your productivity and can cause harm to your own wellbeing. To avoid this, create a habit or short routine that signals the close of the workday to replace the usual journey home. This may be a notification on your calendar, an end of day review or a regular 5pm dog walk.

 Something as simple as closing down your laptop and tuning into your favourite 5pm tv show to try and finish on a positive note. Whatever you choose to do, do this consistently to mark the end of your working hours.

Before switching off, say goodbye to your colleagues so that they know you are leaving and tidy your workspace, ready for the next day. 

1. Modern & Fit-for-purpose

As a partner you will have access to our extensive market research and knowledge base in which we have built a suite of tools that foster innovation. 

Our trusted team strives for digital transformation through our modern network infrastructure and commercial flexibility not only beneficial to consumers but to help you to achieve greater market share and profit. 

We constantly invest in our systems and people to provide stress-free business; our team believes in collaboration and as partners we can provide modern enhanced networks transforming the midlands into smart towns and cities. 

2. Innovative products 

Gigabit has been voted the best ISP in the Midlands within the Internet and telecom providers. 

Our range of 1Gbps capable active products can be used to help your clients unlock huge benefits that will improve their efficiency, productivity and competitiveness. 

We are an independent team sharing the purefibre difference, therefore there is ‘no-one pulling our strings’. Our brand is all about building innovative fibre networks and giving our partners the freedom to use every last inch of them.

3. Service and network performance 

We offer benchmarked SLAs and have a proven record of quality network delivery and reliability. 

Our partners work with us because we deliver exceptional network performance and support locally while understanding their customer’s requirements just like they do. 

Gigabit Networks is a UK company with a policy of customers for life, we offer advanced telecom services at commercially attractive prices with the guarantee of reliability, speed and quality. 

As partners we can assist in business growth by delivering high quality services and customer support with expert UK based technical support. Finally Our PureFibre network (CityFibre’s UK network) is a brand new, state-of-art fibre network – designed with the utmost resilience and reliability support.

To register your interest in joining as a partner, click here.

Ten countries have now made FTTP broadband available to at least 95% of their homes. The United Kingdom is trailing behind, but the rapid construction of digital infrastructure – and more affordable, flexible packages – is making gigabit internet a reality for many here.

The UK has gone from 1% coverage in 2012 to nearly 15% midway through 2020. Key pure fibre deployment has been ramping up significantly the past few years, with much of the construction coming from alternative providers like CityFibre.

As a CityFibre City Champion for Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, Cambridge, Coventry and Peterborough, Gigabit Networks are part of this race to keep the Midlands – and the UK – on the heels of these leading countries.

For businesses with international competition, the idea of foreign competitors operating at gigabit speeds on a more reliable internet connection may be worrying. The international economic impact of a UK running on ultrafast broadband is impossible to calculate but shouldn’t be understated.

The appeal of pure-fibre gigabit internet can often be made relative to downloading a film, for example. Countries like Singapore see productivity potential, however. Singapore is now the first FTTP-only fixed broadband market in the world. This has and will continue to create infrastructure-related jobs, improve commercial productivity and makes remote working easier than ever.

The UK’s objective of nationwide gigabit broadband by 2025 may have softened, but the speed of this government push is more vital than ever, with economic recession and a changing work culture clearly shaping the near future.

Right now, companies able to access gigabit speeds will understand the impact pure fibre broadband can bring but are likely unable to pay the prices for gigabit plans at the top of the UK’s capabilities.

The stopgap between now and 2025 is Gigabit Networks’ Ethernet Flex package.

At only £249.99 a month, the plan is shaped around affordability and flexibility. Ethernet Flex provides speeds of 200mbps, with the ability to upgrade in bursts to 1gbps speeds.

Your premises and workforce will improve their productivity at 200mbps and when times of upturn increase demand for upload and download speeds, the option is there.

The deal also boasts 36 months SLA with 24/7 support and up to £2,500 installation costs. Gigabit Networks understands the need for ultrafast, reliable internet in UK businesses and is here to push you forward into the next generation of internet connectivity.

So, as the UK works tooth and nail to close the gap between them and much of the developed world, make sure your business isn’t left behind.

Check your business’ gigabit availability, and contact Gigabit Networks to discuss the package that is right for you.

Gigabit Networks was keen to partner with CityFibre as a City Champion because of our shared vision for pure fibre as a major driving force for unlocking the digital potential of businesses across The Midlands.

Being at the forefront of this digital revolution alongside CityFibre is a tremendous opportunity for us as more businesses adopt pure-fibre services to future proof themselves in a gigabit age.

One of the major advantages of working with CityFibre as a City Champion is the dedicated account management we’ve received, if we need any information or assistance, we know help is at hand.

We also really value the proactive support to help us drive strong pure fibre business, whether that is through supplying network information or through marketing support to help us identify, nurture and win new business opportunities.