5 Tips To Be More Productive Working From Home
With an increasing number of us working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a growing need to be more productive while working from home. Let’s face it: home, for most of us, is normally a place to escape from work. But with shelter-in-place orders all over the world, being productive at home is now a necessity.
Our team typically works from home, even without a pandemic, so we’ve pulled together a list of 5 tips for being more productive while working from home.
Define Your Work Space
Setting up a desk space or folding table in the guest room or corner of the living room can make a huge difference in staying productive while working from home. Saying, “I’m at work when I’m here,” will help you stay more productive since the chores and recreational distractions of your house won’t be directly in front of you. If you try to work from your couch you may be tempted to turn on Netflix and watch Tiger King. But if you’re in the guest room and only have your laptop handy, you are more likely to be productive and feel like you are “at work.”
For those of you with other family members at home, you might also consider how to block out the sights and sounds of other people. The living room might not work for you if you really need to be able to close a door for quiet during Zoom meetings.
Working from home isn’t a new concept, though, and there has been advice out for several years on how to define your workspace at home. Check out this Forbes article from 2014 that gives 6 Tips For Defining Your Work Space From Home.
Set A Timer
It is often said that starting a project is the hardest part. Setting a timer is a great way to motivate yourself. If you say you're going to work on this task for 15 minutes, that is way less overwhelming than saying you need to finish the whole thing right now. And, more often than not, you will find yourself working past the 15 minute mark. Using a timer while working from home is also beneficial because it can be an indicator to other people stuck at home with you that you are working, and will be busy for “this long.” Establishing boundaries is very important to being productive at home, especially with your new “coworkers,” who may not know what your usual work routine looks like. Time Management Ninja has some more information on how setting a time can be beneficial for your productivity.
Take Breaks
When you’re at work you have your regular break schedule. Whether it’s going to grab coffee with coworkers, watching a YouTube video, or catching up on Tiger King (we know, it is very addictive), you have your regular breaks. This should be the same at home. If you’re trying to work without breaks and really FOCUS on work and fight getting distracted you will get burnt out. Give yourself the opportunity to relax and think about something besides work for a little bit. It is healthy and recommended by doctors to take a break. Go for a walk, play with your kids, make something fancy for lunch - do whatever helps you go back to your work feeling refreshed! This Psychology Today article talks about 5 Ways Breaks Help Your Brain. If you’re worried your breaks are getting the best of you and they are just turning into procrastination, you may be on to something. It might be time to evaluate your situation, and this article by Tim Urban explores Why Procrastinators Procrastinate and also what procrastination looks like. Don’t worry! This is thoroughly entertaining and it includes Monkeys, Dark Playgrounds, and Panic Monsters.
Separate Your Task Lists
Dirty dishes, unfolded laundry, and finishing Tiger King are all important things to take care of, but your boss doesn’t care if they get done before five. So, they should not live on your work task list. Nor should expense reports, zoom meetings, or sales calls live on your home task list. Keeping these lists separate will make a huge difference in mentally separating the work stuff from the home stuff, and allowing you to be more productive while working from home.
Exercise
This last one is not as conventional as the others, but exercise is something that can be easily overlooked while working from home, especially with adhering to social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. YouTube has tons of free yoga flows, you can download the free 7 Minute workout app from the App Store for quick HIIT routines, or you can go outside for a walk. Exercising is good for your mental health and that is good for your productivity. Even if exercise in the conventional sense isn’t part of your daily routine, you are normally getting out of your house and moving more than you are right now stuck inside your house. Something as simple as a short walk in the morning can have huge benefits for your mental health and productivity. Burke Britton Financial Partners wrote an interesting article on How Exercise Improves Your Productivity and Brain Function.
We hope you are staying healthy and safe during these unprecedented times, and we hope this article helps you to be more productive while you are transitioning to working from home.
Silas
