If you’re like many people in Nova Scotia, you might have been told to work from home to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
As someone who has made his home his office for the last 36 years, Bridgeville resident John Ashton has some tips to help make the transition smoother for the duration of this current crisis.
Ashton has been running a graphic design business successfully in Pictou County from a time that predates high speed internet and modern connectivity. He continues to do so with the added ease that the modern era has brought.
Discipline
Discipline is key if you’re going to make working at home productive. Routines are important. “You have to establish those right away,” Ashton says. “If not, you’re going to have trouble.”
He advises people working from home to set a schedule to get up, get dressed and have designated hours.
He also recommends wearing something similar to what you’d wear if you were going to an office environment because it helps get you mentally in the mood to work.
While it’s tempting to fit your home life into work life, Ashton has found that it’s better to take a more rigid approach by shutting out the many distractions. He said you can’t allow yourself to be sidetracked by the project you wish you had completed over the weekend or the dirty dishes in the sink or the TV show you want to watch.
One advantage to working from home is the flexibility it can offer for personal appointments or commitments. But Ashton says you need to have the discipline to go back to work mode when you return.
“If there’s work to be done, do it,” he said.
Set up a workspace
“You have to have your own space,” says Ashton.
Whether it’s a dedicated office or the corner of room, he said it’s important to have a defined space where you can mentally get in a work mindset.
He personally has a studio set up now on his property in Bridgeville, but he said for those trying to make do, a workspace doesn’t have to be elaborate – even something as simple as a card table. It just needs to be a place where they can go when they want to focus on their job.
Boundaries
For anyone working from home, but especially for those with children, Ashton said it’s important to have boundaries in places. When he first started working from home, he had three young children in the house. While he admits it was challenging at times, he found that his kids soon learned to separate family life from work life just like he did. He taught his children, for instance to not barge into his studio, but to knock first and ask if he was able to talk if they needed something.
“It takes a lot of discipline and effort from everyone to work from home.”
Find an outlet
As important as it is to have dedicated work time, Ashton says it’s also important to have an outlet to break up the work process now and then.
When his kids were home he’d take some time to play ball hockey or soccer with them to break up his day. Now he enjoys regular walks. He found personally you come back invigorated from this kind of activity.
“You can concentrate better when you get back.”
Think about the possibilities
With technology and global connectivity at an all-time high, Ashton believes working from home is something that is a more achievable goal than ever before. While competition is strong, he said, he personally has clients in various parts of Canada including Quebec and Toronto. Geography is no longer a barrier.
“You can locate anywhere in rural Nova Scotia and run a business,” he said.
He’s living proof of it.
