Home has always been where the heart is but, for more Americans than ever before, it’s now where work is, too.
At the height of the pandemic, over 71% of workers across the nation said their jobs could be completed remotely. Even as we exit the pandemic, the trend toward remote work has stuck around. 59% of U.S. workers say they can work from home all or most of the time, and 61% of remote workers say they prefer to work from home.
But, if you’ve spent a few workdays at home, you probably know that working remotely can be a challenge. It’s all too easy to take an extra-long lunch break when you’re eating at your own dining room table, and it takes some serious willpower to avoid turning the TV on when you should be working.
Maintaining your productivity while working remotely is hard. But taking advantage of a simple few hacks can help you stay on track while you work from home.
Establish a Routine
Benjamin Franklin has served as a productivity icon for over 200 years. The inventor and polymath attributed much of his success to his strict daily schedule and famously declared that “wisdom is in measured routine”. Now, you don’t have to wake up before 5 am to “contrive the day’s business” or “prosecute the present study”, but you should have a routine that works for you.
Start by picking out times when you’ll complete the day’s most challenging tasks. If you work in a creative field, you probably want to start working in the morning when your brain feels fresh and ideas come to you easily. If your work is more analytical, you might want to schedule difficult activities in the evening when you feel most awake and alert.
It’s also worth noting that a routine is about more than scheduling your work. You should plan for things like cooking your lunch or dinner and should take care to prioritize breaks as these will help you stay on task and maintain a positive mental outlook during demanding workdays.
Take Breaks
Working from home is a blessing and a curse. WFH saves time and money on commuting costs and gives you greater freedom over the structure of your day. However, as a remote worker, you’re more likely to become sedentary and isolated than office workers. This means that you must prioritize breaks that move your body and give you a chance to socialize.
The best breaks are planned in advance and involve an activity of some kind. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with taking a mental break on the couch, but you’ll develop a much healthier remote working routine if you use your breaks to exercise or socialize. For example, you might organize a midday run with a friend who also works from home or even take a longer lunch break to hit the gym with a family member.
Even if you can’t find a running partner or gym buddy, you can still get a social buzz from your break by visiting a local coffee shop or going for a stroll in the park. The key is to see a few new faces and make your breaks an enjoyable part of your day.
Perfect Your Environment
Organizing a workspace in your own home doesn’t sound all that difficult — after all, you just need a desk and some room to work, right? Well, what happens when you need to print something? Where do you plan on keeping your office supplies? You certainly can’t keep your workstation set up permanently on your dining room table, and your family won’t thank you for occupying the kitchen worktops from 9-5.
Instead, you need to actively create a WFH environment that suits both you and the people you live with. Even if you’re not willing to splash out on big upgrades, you can still create a great home office on a budget by setting up your desk near a window for natural lighting and investing in simple ergonomic items that improve your productivity and save you money on doctors bills in the future.
Go Sustainable
Working from home is intrinsically more sustainable than working in an office. Cutting out the commute reduces your carbon footprint and WFH eases the burden placed on social infrastructures like waste disposal and road maintenance. However, in the winter, remote workers use up to 80% more electricity than their office-bound counterparts.
If you’re a climate-conscious individual, this news should come as something of a shock. Fortunately, as a WFH employee, you are the king or queen of your own domain, and can easily make the switch to utilize more solar energy, or even buy carbon offsets in the winter months when you need to use electricity to heat your home.
Taking a proactive approach to sustainability is sure to ease your conscience and will make it that much easier to stay on task when you are working remotely.
Conclusion
Working from home can boost your productivity and help you reclaim control over your life. However, if you’re struggling to stay on task, it’s probably because you aren’t taking an intentional approach to WFH. So, before your next workday begins, try to create a daily routine that prioritizes breaks and suits you and your family.
