Useful tips for the Home Office

1. Useful tips for the Home Office

Useful tips for the Home Office

Since TU Dresden is operating in an emergency mode due to the coronavirus, most of our university's staff in teaching, research and administration have been keeping operations running from their Home Offices. This abrupt change is not easy to manage, states Dr. Denise Dörfel, Research Associate at the Chair of Work and Organisational Psychology. She focuses on seven areas that can be actively shaped for a healthy way of working at home:

Set up your workplace

Create an area that you enter and leave consciously. This works best with a study, but room dividers will do, too. Try to organise a regular place where you really only come to work.

Make sure you have fresh air and daylight.

If you have set up your workplace in the bedroom, try to place your desk so that you do not look at your bed.

Follow the (ergonomic) rules for your workplace that apply to office work in general. These include:

Place your computer in a way that it does not reflect any windows or light sources and so that you are not disturbed by backlight. Daylight is best from the side.
The distance to the screen should be 50-70 cm.
When working on a notebook, use a separate keyboard, mouse and if available a separate screen.
It is best if you look down at the screen from above in a relaxed manner, as if you were reading a book. This ensures that your head is slightly bent down when looking at the monitor, preventing muscular tension.

Use the full seat of your chair. Keep changing your seating position (‘fidgeting’) to prevent tensions in your back. Sitting at your desk: Relax your shoulders. The upper arms remain relaxed and form a right angle with the forearms, as do the upper and lower legs. Place your forearms on the desk in a horizontal position, with your feet completely on the floor, use a footrest if necessary.

Reduce distractions: Radio and television should be switched off. Listening to music depends on the type of person you are. Act as you would in the office. However, if you need to reduce distractions caused by external noise (children screaming, neighbours using the time to renovate), then headphones and concentration music may help (music streaming services often offer suitable playlists).

Keep your day structured

Start your day as if you were going to the office. Get up as usual, put on your usual office clothes, have breakfast and then leave the house to take a few steps outside. As if you were going to the office.

Leave your workplace at the usual time and walk around the house or around the block again. Deliberately change into your leisure wear. This will help you to switch off psychologically after work. You should not get back to your desk after that. You will even have integrated two walks outside into your day.

It might be equally beneficial to greet your boss in the morning - in whatever digital form - and to say goodbye in the evening.

Perform the same activities all in a row. Do not jump between activities or goals (see also Setting goals).

At the same time, adapt the structure of your day to the current situation. Especially staff members with children at home should plan more time for lunch. You might also need a longer coffee break.

Be stringent in planning working and family hours, and adhere to them.

Schedule breaks

It is recommended to take a 10-minute break approx. every 2 hours (so-called short breaks). Research shows that short breaks increase work efficiency, even when the effective working time is reduced. Set an alarm clock, if you need to.

Use the breaks for coffee or tea, but also for exercise. There are indications that breaks in which employees take a look at nature recharge their resources to a greater extent. Maybe you can make a virtual appointment with colleagues for a coffee break (see also Social support).

Exercise breaks should include some stretching. You may also include other physical exercises. You will find numerous suggestions on the usual video portals. At present, the University Sports Centre is offering many online courses that you can do at home.

DO NOT use the breaks to clean your house. Breaks should be used for rest or exercise. However, if gardening relaxes you, there is certainly nothing wrong with it.

Set yourself goals

Set concrete, realistic goals for each day. Such as: 1) Create a seminar plan for seminar XY. 2) Create an OPAL course for the seminar. 3) Invite students to the OPAL course (instead of: Prepare seminar XY).

Pursue only one target at a time. At the end of the working day, check what you have achieved and what might not have worked out. If you have set your goals too high (which is likely), plan less in the future. To do lists and task planners can be helpful - but so can be 'done' lists that highlight what you have already accomplished.

Keep in mind that for tasks that you are familiar with, but which you need to complete with new tools, you should plan more time (see Workload). You might also want to seek help from colleagues or other sources (see Social contacts).

Maintain social contacts

Regularly exchange ideas with your colleagues - even beyond the usual team meeting. You could make an appointment for a virtual coffee break, e.g. via video or telephone conference or even in a group chat. Talk about what you would otherwise talk about in the tea kitchen.

Ask for help if you get stuck with a task. The new situation gives rise to many new tasks and requires finding alternative solutions, which is a lot easier if done in a team.

In your private life too, think about the various possibilities of digital communication. If a long-planned visit to the cinema or an upcoming birthday party is about to be cancelled, be creative. Schedule a movie night on your sofas at home and then talk it through over the phone, or start a digital sports challenge with some friends. Think of the analogous possibilities available, such as sending greetings by regular mail or leaving flowers at the door of a loved one.

Schedule a reasonable workload

Too much work is a reliable source of stress.

Accept that you will probably not be able to complete the same amount of tasks as usual. For most people, the unfamiliar situation leads to increased tension, affecting the ability to concentrate. Be generous with yourself as well as with your colleagues.
People tend to work overtime in the Home Office. Make sure that you keep to your own working hours.

Actively regulate stress

The current situation may cause tension, stress, anxiety, anger or guilt. These feelings are absolutely normal and understandable. In order to handle these feelings well, the following six suggestions will be helpful:

Develop a loving approach to yourself

Give room to your feelings, allow these feelings to happen and accept that it is normal to feel this way. Talk about your feelings with other people you know and trust.
If you do not always manage to keep to the daily structure and achieve your daily goals, this is quite normal and understandable. Don't be too hard on yourself. Be tolerant with yourself.
Ask your colleagues and you will see that most of them experience a similar situation.

Find positive thoughts

A proven strategy to reduce negative feelings is the so-called mental reassessment.
Reflect on how you might think to reduce stress, e.g.: ‘This situation is an absolute exception. It is completely natural that I cannot complete my tasks as usual’. Or, to reduce feelings of guilt: ‘Nobody expects me to deliver my online course in the same quality as during attendance times’ (see also Understanding with yourself).
Additionally, thoughts highlighting the positive side of a situation can be helpful, such as: 'I always wanted to learn more about e-learning.' 'I like the broader freedom of action that I have now.' 'The fact that I'm not always available to everyone relieves me.’
Humour can also be very helpful in reducing tension. Humorous thoughts make you laugh, and laughter reduces physical tension. ‘Finally I can have a look into my boss's living room.’ ‘For once the high rent I'm paying for my apartment is really paying off.’ You can also find humorous rules for a team meeting, e.g. with all of you putting on particularly funny glasses during the video conference and choosing a winner at the end.

Try breathing exercises

An effective breathing exercise to reduce tension is the so-called box breathing, e.g. here: http://www.burnoutvermeiden.at/die-quadrat-atmung-eine-entspannungsuebung-fuer-zwischendurch/:

Take a comfortable position, preferably in an undisturbed place. If you wish, close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Now, count to 3 when inhaling, and then hold your breath for 3 seconds without any effort. Count to 3 again when exhaling, then stop again briefly and start again. Mentally, you follow the outer sides of a box - hence the name. It is important that you inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth.

Use media in a responsible way

The media release new numbers on the coronavirus nearly every hour. It is important to take the situation serious and act accordingly. However, excessive reading of sometimes alarming headlines may contribute to frightened thoughts. You may easily get caught up in it, even panic, and lose sight of your current tasks.

Inform yourself about the current developments around the coronavirus, but no more than once or twice a day and by means of reputable sources. Keep a positive, forward-looking mindset.

Refrain from brooding

In stressful situations we might start intense brooding. However, brooding too much is often counterproductive, as it causes additional stress.

Think about what you could do as an alternative next time you start brooding. Try to do something that is good for you and that you enjoy, such as reading, baking or pursuing a hobby.
Approach existing problems actively with a first small step and take the reins instead of passively brooding over them.
For some people it may be helpful to postpone brooding to later and limit it to a certain amount of time, e.g. 10 to 20 minutes. You might tell yourself: I'll think about that later (or tomorrow) in my ‘brooding time’ - but not now. Important: In order to have a good night's sleep, the brooding time should not be put on the evening or night.

Give yourself a treat

The most important thing at the end: Reward yourself. Did you manage your daily goals well? Blow your own trumpet. However, choose a reward that is really good for you, and do not turn to alcohol or cigarettes. Post the success in your team chat or give yourself an extra break. Treat yourself to something a little different, such as a special dinner, a long walk, or some extra time for your favourite TV series.

Individual Questions

If you have any individual questions on this topic or if you feel severely stressed, please contact gesundheitsdienst@tu-dresden.de or psychologische.beratung@mailbox.tu-dresden.de.

You will find these and other tips under the following links:

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Useful tips for the Home Office

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