10 Ways To Remain Productive While Working From Home
10 Ways To Remain Productive While Working From Home. During these trying times a lot of organizations have sent their employees home. But in some cases, it’s business as usual as employees are expected to work from home.
That can pose a challenge, more so since kids will also be home. There are a lot of distractions and it takes a lot of discipline for one to be productive while working from home. Find out how you can manage from the tips below;
1. Get Started Early
When working in an office, your morning commute can help you wake up and feel ready to work by the time you get to your desk. At home, however, the transition from your pillow to your computer can be a challenge. One way to work from home productively is to dive into your to-do list as soon as you wake up.
2. Prepare Your Meals The Night Before
When you’re in your own home, it can be tempting to spend time preparing a really nice meals for yourself. Don’t use precious minutes making your food the day of work, rather cook it the night before. Hence you can use your meal times to eat, and that you aren’t performing non-work tasks that spend energy better used at your desk.
3. Declutter
Whether you work in a home office, kitchen or living room, if there’s anything around that reminds you of your household chores, your eyes will go there and you’ll get distracted. Whenever you work from home, claim a clutter-free zone. This will help you stay focused on your workload and remain more aligned with an in-office experience.
4. Prepare For The Day
Working from home doesn’t mean sitting around in pajamas with the television on in the background. Just like in an office setting, you have to set yourself up for success when working from home. Get ready as you would if you were going into the office. Set a morning ritual of getting dressed, making your morning cup of coffee and doing whatever else you need to get in the right mindset.
5. Turn On The Lights
Natural light through the windows can be lovely, but it can also cause glare on your computer screen. If windows work to your benefit and the view isn’t distracting, great. If not, pull the blinds and flip on the light switch. Table lamps and floor lamps provide targeted task light if your space has insufficient overhead lighting.
6. Create a Home Office Ambiance
One of the perks of working from home is being able to create a personalized work area in a way you may not be able to at the office. It’s all about creating a cozy yet productive space that is perfectly suited to your individual working style. Add elements that promote a calming or inspiring environment, such as fresh flowers, houseplants, task lighting, candles or beautiful crystals.
7. Set Your Schedule
No matter if you work from home sporadically, a few days a week or all the time, you’ll need to plan out your daily schedule. Establish your start time, midday break periods and what time you’ll clock out for the day. This will keep you on track with your workload. It also sends the message to your co-workers that you have a relatively set schedule—just like you would in the office.
8. Take Breaks
While working from your sofa can be great most of the time, sometimes you need to break up the day. Take a 10-minute walk around the block to freshen up and to encourage the flow of new ideas. Looking for a change of scenery? Head over to your local coffee shop or library to work there for a few hours as it fits into your schedule.
Stay Connected With Colleagues
Working from home might help you focus on your work in the short term, but it can also make you feel cut off the larger operation happening in the office. Instant messaging and videoconferencing tools can make it easy to check in with coworkers and remind you how your work is contributing to the big picture.
10. Log Off Social Media!
One of the most important aspects of a healthy work-from-home routine is creating boundaries. Social media is designed to make it easy for you to open and browse quickly. To counteract your social networks’ ease of use during work hours, remove them from your browser shortcuts.
