Fran Whiting: Why you cannot work from home in your PJs

Trying to work from home? Here are Fran Whiting’s tips on the rules you have to follow - and that means no PJs and no eating at your desk.

Hello from my home office! I actually always write this column from my home office, but now many of you have joined me in this lifestyle.

Now I’m not sure, to be honest, what the situation will be in Australia with the coronavirus by the time you read this, or how serious this current state of affairs will become, so I’d first like to flag that in these trying times, I see part of my contribution is to continue doing what I was told to do almost 25 years ago when I was given this column; make people smile on a Sunday.

If my husband can find time to have an affair, good on him

What you observe about life when you go for a walk

I want to flag that by doing so, I’m not trivialising what’s going on at all - I am, however, trying to provide a little bit of light in the shade.

So, with that in mind, I would like to share with you my tips on working from home, gleaned from years of experience with this column.

Columnist Frances Whiting at home.

Right, here we go, my top tips for the home office worker, and some of its advantages.

GET DRESSED

That’s right, you do have to actually get dressed when working from home, even if no one is going to see you. I know, I know, it’s tempting to just stay bung on a pair of tracky pants and an old T shirt, but this, however comfortable, is a bad idea. You must dress as if you were going into a place of work, so as to trick your mind into believing that you are doing just that. This way, you will remain productive and professional. I myself am currently wearing a lovely, crisp white linen blouse with the collar turned up, a pair of navy trousers, high heels, full make-up and my hair in a fetching chignon at the back. Don’t believe me? Well, you’ll never know will you, and that, my friends, is just one of the benefits of working from home.

CREATE AN ATTRACTIVE WORKING ENVIRONMENT

Again, very important. When you walk into your home office, it should feel like an office, even if it is just a tiny, spare room. That’s what I am currently writing in - our spare room - and let me tell you, it is as neat as a pin, with some lovely flowers, peonies to be exact, in a vase beside me, a Jo Malone scented candle on the bookshelf, and portraits of my family in silver frames dotted about my desk. This may not be entirely true, but I have taken the clothes off the floor.

DO STOP FOR LUNCH

Now this is vital for your mental well-being. You cannot wolf down a sandwich at our desk and call it lunch. No, no, no, you must at least move into another room, perhaps with a different view, or even go outside into your garden and take your 15-minute break. What? You thought it would be more like an hour for lunch? What’s wrong with you? This isn’t the eighties.

Columnist Frances Whiting at home.

DO REACH OUT TO A FRIEND/WORK COLLEAGUE

You cannot talk to yourself all day long; this is also not good for your mental health. Instead, pick up the phone and call someone just to say hello and check how they are going. Do not send a text or email. It’s vital to hear an actual, human voice. I know this sounds terrifying, particularly if you are a younger person, but the fact is this may be good practice. Who knows? We might all be talking to each other on cans with bits of string attached to them soon.

DO TURN OFF YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA/SEARCH ENGINE APPLICATIONS.

Again, I know this sounds terrifying, but if you really are at home to work, then you must install one of those apps that limits the times you are able to access the internet, even if it is just for an hour, so you can get your work done. If you don’t you will find yourself thinking: “I just need to look up that market report ” one minute, and find you have bought the entire winter catalogue from ASOS the next.

MOVE

You must stand up and stretch every half an hour, or go for a brisk walk, or up and down the stairs in your home, or anything that requires getting off your chair. I have nothing amusing to say about this, just that it’s vital for your mental and physical health.

Right, I think that’s about it for this week, and sending each and every one of you my very good wishes from my own home office. I’m not sure how long we’ll all be doing this, but I am sure, that like all things, this too, shall pass.

And lastly readers - there’s another infection on the rise in our country, and all around the world. It’s the “We, not me” virus, and it is catching - from streets in neighbourhoods forming What’s App groups to see if anyone needs any help, to small grocery stores offering free home delivery to the elderly and isolated, there’s plenty of good news to be had. Share your stories with me at [e-mail]