Working from Home Tips to increase productivity
Working from home can be challenging: you might find yourself distracted by household tasks that need your attention, by your family or roommates, and you might even find you are working extra hours because you can’t focus during working hours.
If that sounds like you, it’s important that you find ways to stay productive and create a work-life balance that will positively affect your overall health. Read our tips on how to be productive when working at home:
1. Develop a schedule that works with your productivity levels
Developing a working schedule that is unique to you will help you maintain that work-life balance that you always wanted. The key here is to work on a schedule that suits you and the way you work.
A lot of the time we see tips such as work as if you are in the office, however, we don’t agree with that. We all know things have changed, so working remotely should give employees the flexibility to work when they feel productive. Pay attention to the times you feel the most productive and develop a modern-day working schedule that will set guidelines for when to work and when to call it a day.
For example, you might have a Zoom meeting with someone overseas and your schedule might need to be adjusted. When that happens, be sure to wrap up earlier than usual or sleep in a bit the next morning to make up for it.
If you are not able to have that flexibility in your line of work, then try to create a schedule based on your working hours. Set clear objectives and add tasks to your schedule depending on your productivity levels. Again, the mission here is to notice how your brain likes to work.
For instance, if you have a 9 am Zoom call every morning, don’t set a hard task right after the call. Instead, add the small task of taking down notes based on the call you just had, and slowly that will get you in the zone. Notice how you feel every day and based on your energy levels, create a schedule for the day that is doable.
Pro tip: Share or talk about your schedule with your family. That way you set boundaries in your home and can make it clear that during the hours you are working, you are not to be disturbed.
2. As soon as work is finished, step away
One of the hardest issues to get over when working from home is inactivity. Working remotely involves a lot of sitting in front of your computer for hours and hours on end until tasks are done.
If you make sure you have something else to do after work, then that will give you a source of motivation to finish up and get going. A lot of people working from home have become used to work always being there, so making sure you have a reason to step away every evening is important.
We are suggesting making some kind of plans right after work to give you that initial push. So, once you get used to this routine, then you can make sure that as soon as work is finished you get up and step away from any screens.
Go take a shower, start cooking, go for a walk, or go outside in nature and enjoy the fresh air and the sounds of birds to help lower your stress levels and relax.
3. Have a realistic to-do list while working from home
Take a few minutes every day before you start work to write down a to-do list with tasks that you can accomplish that day. Start small and use these daily points to slowly build up to a larger goal.
When creating to-do lists, a lot of us simply write down a list of final goals, for example, Schedule this week’s Email campaigns. But what steps would you need to take to schedule the email campaigns? You would need to write the email copy, create graphics, check the audience, check analytics, and check the best times to schedule the email. These are the tasks you should be adding to your to-do list.
Pro tip: Enabling yourself to achieve small goals each day could help you complete your work tasks without even realising. The sense of completing these achievable tasks in your list will also keep you motivated.
4. Track your time
If you struggle with time management, tracking your time can be a great technique to get you to focus on one task at a time. It can be easy to lose track of time when working remotely – you might get up to make a cup of tea and lose half an hour, just like that.
So, get your cup of tea, water, and snacks ready and set a timer for yourself. For example, set a timer for one or two hours to complete a task and then also set time to take a 20-minute break.
Pro tip: If you feel like you need that extra push and feel of urgency, set a timer on a clock that is visible in your peripheral. We know this sounds like a stressful way to go about it but trust us, working under self-inflicted pressure and seeing the time pass so quickly will only motivate you and help you achieve your goals in no time.
5. Avoid all digital interruptions!
If you work from home and especially work from your computer and mobile, limiting digital distraction might seem nearly impossible. FocusMe was created by Jon, a master procrastinator who wanted to take matters into his own hands. He created an app that would not only help him focus while working remotely but also block or limit digital distractions.
Our website blocker is fully customisable to block, limit or ration the use of distracting websites and apps. That way you can continue working on your computer without getting notifications from other platforms or being distracted by incoming personal emails.
With just a push of a button, what seemed impossible can now be easily controlled. Reclaim your focus by downloading your free trial today.
6. Try a fake commute
Before the pandemic, most of us used to wake up way earlier to commute to work and although we might have now gained some extra sleep and time to make breakfast in the morning, that sleepy commute was a great way to slowly get the brain gears working.
So, fake it till you make it! Fake a commute to your home office and give your brain that much-needed time in the morning to wake up and start thinking of what you want to achieve in the day.
Get up, get dressed and go for a walk. Whether it’s a short stroll or a long walk to grab some coffee, a jaunt to the nearest bakery or a run in the rain, it will help you clear your head and get ready for the day.
Read how FocusMe has helped our customers who work from home.
