5 Work from home tips to boost productivity!
With the pandemic looming over our daily life, more and more jobs are becoming home-based. While it may seem great to work from home, it has its own challenges. Learning how to work from home is important if you want to be efficient and effective at your job, so we’ll start you off with some great work from home tips.
At home there are many distractions, less accountability, a tendency to be more laid back, and less communication than when you’re working in the office. However, that doesn’t mean your productivity needs to take a hit. There are lots of ways to keep yourself working productively from any location.
1. Set Regular Work Hours and stick to them!
When you are working from home, one of the most important things to do is to create a regular day schedule for yourself. Setting yourself regular hours keeps you accountable to yourself and to your boss. It makes you more likely to get all your work done, and it makes it easier for your colleagues to get in touch with you.
Sometimes personal errands or chores can unexpectedly come up and they can be unavoidable. In such a case, communication is the key. Inform your co-workers who depend on you about the said chore or errand and finish it up quickly. Just like you, your colleagues may also have their schedule and by communicating your situation, you help them stay in or adjust their schedule.
Having a regular schedule doesn’t mean that you need to work 9-5 every day. You should work when you’re most productive. However, it’s a good idea to find out when your boss or colleagues really need you to be available to work so that you can fit that conference call or task in your day. Don’t allow roomies.
2. Do not mix Work Time and Personal Time!
One of the most important working from home tips is to keep your work life and personal life separate as it will help you stay productive while you’re at work.
Let’s say that in the evening after a certain time, you like to spend time with family. Make sure you communicate that you won’t be checking emails or taking calls after a certain time. And then hold yourself to that commitment!
For this reason, plan your day and work ahead in time. If you log out of work at 6pm to spend time with your family, make sure not to postpone anything which eats into your family time. By doing this, you ensure you don’t end up procrastinating and thus, are much more productive.
3. Take well-deserved breaks in between!
Amidst all the working, don’t forget to take breaks for yourself throughout the day. Make sure you get up from your desk during those breaks—get some fresh air, grab a snack, talk with a family member, or call up a friend. All of these activities will help you reset, get your blood flowing, help destress you, and make sure you’re ready to tackle the next set of tasks.
Taking a few short breaks helps you stay consistently productive while not taking breaks can affect the performance over the course of the day. If you have trouble sticking to a time limit for your breaks, set an alarm or reminder to remind you to get back to work.
4. Create an At-Home Office!
When you work from home, it might be tempting to work from your sofa or from your bed, but this could take a toll on your productivity. Try to always work from a consistent room, desk, or chair to tell your brain that it’s time for work, not relaxation. Your desk and chair need to be comfortable enough for you to work for several hours continuously but not too comfortable either.
You are likely to feel more alert, more confident, and more organized if you work from a home office. Set yourself up with a comfy, supportive chair, a spacious desk, good Wi-Fi, and consistent workplace tools. Have a look at some of our home office furniture that you can get for working at home. Make sure to personalize your space. After all, you will be spending a lot of time there!
5. Get organized to avoid distractions!
This tip goes hand in hand with the first one. Since you are working from home, it’s up to you to keep your home office room organized and clean. Keeping your home office clean helps you stay focused, get organized with your work, and be productive. You wouldn’t want to end up looking for that report or printed document at the last minute in full-on panic mode just minutes before an important meeting, would you?!
However, this goes beyond just keeping your home office clean. Having a messy home could inspire you to procrastinate on work tasks in favor of cleaning, which is bad news for your productivity.
Setting yourself a morning routine of cleaning just before you sit down to work can help you keep on top of cleaning your home, so you won’t have to clean during work hours.
In conclusion…
Working from home can be quite an experience as we may have already experienced earlier. This time when you prepare to work from home again, you’ll find yourself to be much more productive and efficient. Find what works for you and your family by trying out some of the work from home tips above.
