5 Ways to be More Productive at Home
The future of the workplace is fast headed towards remote work. As one study reports, most professionals believe remote work is set to be a standard work setting.
However, the thing about working from home is that it’s the complete opposite of the office setting, and that comes with lots of challenges.
Unfortunately, the most challenging thing about working from home is maintaining productivity. Basically, things like direct supervision, group morale, and organization are not there anymore.
Remember, if you’re finding it difficult to stay productive at home, you’re not alone. It’s happening to many people like yourself, but there are strategies that can help.
These five ways will help you remain productive at home:
1. Develop a Game Plan
When you’re at home, multiple things demand your attention. It’s easy to say you’ll ignore these things, but your home is nothing like the office where you can forget about the world around you.
Having a good strategy gives you the tools you need to overcome your new environment and focus on what’s important.
The first thing is, to be honest with yourself when it comes to your environment.
Are you sure you can handle house chores alongside office work?
Do you need help around the house?
How do you plan to manage your hours?
It would help if you asked yourself the above questions as you draft a plan that works for you.
2. Create a Routine
Now that you have a plan of action, you need a routine that’ll bolster things into place.
You can’t afford to engage in different activities each day as this may harm the balance you’re trying to create.
Keep in mind that your work-from-home strategy will suffer without an effective routine. You may end up doing less work than is expected, throwing you off the mark.
Develop a sustainable and straightforward routine that keeps you in check and allows you to attend to other matters without sabotaging yourself.
3. Prioritize Urgent Work
As we mentioned, the home environment is more prone to distractions than the office. You’re unlikely to text back and forth with a friend at work. But that same act can completely sidetrack you at home.
Try to recognize that things can come up, and some you won’t be able to ignore. Work on the most important tasks first or those with stricter deadlines.
If something happens that puts your work on pause, you won’t have to worry about missed deadlines.
If you have tasks that vary in urgency, split them into different categories according to their urgency.
4. Create a Work Environment
Your environment is vital to productivity. While it’s nice to work in bed, it’s a lot less efficient because the bed is not traditionally a work environment.
Our bodies are used to certain settings and what these spaces represent. An office automatically gets you into work mode. Your bedroom triggers feelings of rest and sleep.
Create a workspace that isn’t very different from your workplace. Your workspace doesn’t have to be complicated. A simple workstation should do, but you want to make it as comfortable as possible. Bring in a few things you’d normally use in the office to get that vibe going.
The best place to install your workspace is an out-of-the-way section of the house that feels comfortable while screening you from distractions. You don’t want to install your workspace in the living room because it’s just as counterproductive as the bedroom.
5. Get an Energy Boost
It’s harder to stay motivated at home than at the office, making it common for remote workers to feel less energetic or motivated to perform well. The solution to that feeling is to occasionally boost your energy and morale.
Lunch dates, short walks, yoga, and tons of coffee are some of the methods people use to mentally reset and boost motivation.
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Conclusion
Working from home comes with many perks, the best of which is the freedom to self-supervise.
But that freedom comes with a serious challenge.
Are you able to discipline yourself?
Can you maintain productivity by yourself outside a group setting?
These are some of the questions you need to answer as you look into working from home.