More than a third of the global population is currently under some type of lockdown or stay-at-home order. As a result, a lot of companies require their employees to work remotely. If you’re used to the office environment, it might be hard for you to adjust to working from home. There won’t be any colleagues near you and you’ll have far more distractions than usual. Here are some of the steps you should be taking to ensure you don’t lose your productivity while working from your home office.
- Boost Your Energy Levels
It is recommended that you leave your house only for essential purposes, like going to the supermarket or pharmacy. However, sitting at home most of the day can negatively impact your energy levels. How you spend your free time has a tremendous effect on your productivity while working. There are quite a few different ways to boost your energy, like taking a power nap, exercising at home, eating less sugar, and staying hydrated.
- Stay in Contact with Your Colleagues
It can get quite lonely when you’re working remotely and can’t engage in any water cooler conversations with your co-workers. However, just because you’re stuck at home doesn’t mean you can’t stay in touch with your colleagues. Call them up during the day and let them know they can reach you whenever they need advice or want to chat for a few minutes.
- Take Regular Breaks
When people start working from home for the first time, they usually forget to take regular breaks. Although you shouldn’t turn on the TV in the middle of your shift, it’s okay to take a walk around the house or grab a bite to eat. It’s a good idea to take a 5-minute break every hour to clear your mind and maintain your focus.
- Create a Dedicated Work Station
You shouldn’t feel like you’re at home when you’re on the job. If you simply decide to sit on the couch and place a laptop beside you, you won’t be productive. There will be too many things distracting you from your work. First of all, you’ll feel too comfortable sitting on the couch. On top of that, a television set will most likely be in front of you, which can easily distract you. Consider turning a room or a certain area into a home office. All that you need to create a dedicated work station is a good chair, a desk, a computer, and your phone.
- Create a To-Do List
Each night before you go to sleep you should create a to-do list of tasks you want to accomplish tomorrow. When you finish each assignment, cross it off your list. This is a great way to visualize your progress and determine exactly how much time you have to finish everything you wanted.
- Choose Your Outfit Carefully
Some people will be more productive if they’re wearing comfortable clothes. The great thing about working remotely is that you can even wear pyjamas all day. However, certain people are more productive when they dress as if they’re going to the office. Clothes can have a powerful effect on your mindset and productivity, which is why you should be careful when choosing what to wear. Although you have the freedom to wear what you want while working from home, you should avoid wearing pyjamas if you have a video meeting that day.
- Discourage Personal Intrusions
Talk to your family members or roommates and let them know that they shouldn’t disturb you when you’re working. Make sure they’re familiar with your work hours to avoid any misunderstandings. Let them know how much privacy has an impact on your ability to focus. You should also notify your friends about your work hours and discourage them from calling you during this time unless it’s something important.
- Know When to Log Off
When you’re working at the office and your shift ends you usually just pack your things and head home unless you have an extremely urgent task you need to finish. You should take the same approach when working remotely. As soon as your shift ends, log off and leave whatever you haven’t accomplished for tomorrow. Thinking about work all day long might be effective for a few days, but it will prove to be extremely counterproductive in the long run. It can be hard to resist the temptation of sending just one more email or completing a minor task when your laptop is right in front of you, but what you can do is write it down on a piece of paper and get to it tomorrow morning.
- Commute to Your Home Office
You commuted to work every time you went to the office, so why break the habit now? A creative way to start your day is to “commute” to your home office. In other words, you should take a 15-minute walk around your block before sitting down at the desk and turning on your computer. Doing this will help clear your mind and boost your focus.
- Avoid Doing House Chores
You should do house chores only after you log off from work. Although that pile of dishes in the sink might be bothering you, washing them in the middle of the day would harm your productivity. House chores typically take up a lot of time and aren’t worth doing during office hours.
Bottom Line
Working from home can be quite challenging, especially if you’ve never done it before. You’re bound to experience some obstacles while going through that transition, including a lack of focus and decreased productivity. Thankfully, there are some simple steps you can take to stay productive while working remotely.
Author Bio: Leon Collier is an avid reader and blogger from the UK with a PhD with interests in marketing, self-development, finance, education, and history. In his free time, he loves contributing to writing services and helping postgraduate students through various Write My Dissertation programs. If you like his writing, follow Leon on Twitter @LeonCollier12
