Yes, I get it.
With the recent announcements, it seems like working from home could be a thing of the past.
As for when it’ll come, however, no one knows.
So if you’re scrambling to keep your job and frustrated at the lack of progress over the past months, I’ve got some great tips for you.
Ten of them in fact.
Here are 10 ways to improve productivity while working from home so you won’t be the first to be laid off because you’re inefficient.
If you prefer to watch a video about this topic instead, here’s one we’ve done:
1. Maintain a Schedule
There’s a reason why you’re more efficient at work than at home; it’s because, in the office, you have a goal (or a deadline), which is 6pm, compared to the 11.59pm at home.
So, how do you solve that? By having a similar deadline at home.
One simple but effective trick is to establish your working hours at home. If your normal hours are 9am to 6pm in the office, make sure that you stick to these hours when you’re working from home.
You can start off by setting an alarm on your phone an hour prior to starting work and setting an alarm for when you end work.
The hour before work gives you some time to freshen up, have some breakfast, and get into the headspace of starting work. Once 9am rolls around, start doing your work with your fullest concentration.
The moment your alarm rings again at 5pm, shut down your computer and call it a day.
2. Have a Dedicated Work Space
Yes, not everyone has the luxury of having a huge home, but no matter whether you’re living in a 5-room mansionette, or a two-room flexi flat, you can always carve out a small table space for yourself.
If possible, set it up near the window so you have access to natural lighting (which is proven to be good for productivity) and make sure it’s not cluttered up.
Just take note that your couch or bed makes for very bad work spaces.
3. Plan Your Day With A To-Do List
If you’re a fervent believer in to-do lists, you can skip this point.
But if you’re not, read on.
Ten minutes before you end work for the day, plan for the next day with the help of the Eisenhower matrix.
This matrix helps you prioritise your tasks based on their urgency and importance.
Planning ahead also lets you see all of your tasks at a glance, motivating you to complete them as fast as possible.
Just, no planning of watching funny cat videos, yeah?
4. Set Ground Rules For Your Family
Just as you would (hopefully) request for Do Not Disturb moments at work, you should do the same for your family.
After all, when you’re working from home, they might think that it means you’re working without a strict routine, which, as mentioned above, is wrong.
Sit them down and let them know that you have work to complete.
5. Eating Right
After you’ve started working from home, your savings isn’t the only thing in your life that’s increasing; your weight is keeping up admirably as well.
Answer this question: Do you feel yourself snacking more often now that you’re working from home?
News flash: You’re not alone. It’s such a bigly thing that even CNA is reporting on it.
Unfortunately, this isn’t good for your health. If you really need to snack, it might be good to switch to fruits and nuts.
Eat a well-balanced lunch (up to 80% fullness) so food coma won’t be an issue, especially with your bed just nearby.
Don’t forget to drink plenty of water as well.
6. Sleep Right
Yes, now that you don’t have to travel to the office that often, you’re left with loads of free time on hand.
But that doesn’t mean you should start watching Netflix dramas.
While it may seem like a good idea to unwind after a long day of work by putting on a show to watch, not many of us know when to stop.
And before we know it, it’s 3am and we’re struggling to turn everything off so that we can prepare to sleep. This often leads to us not getting at least 6 hours of sleep, which is the recommended amount if you want to function properly without being too tired.
Instead of doing this, leave the binge-watching to the weekend and trying to get yourself to sleep and wake up at the same time daily.
7. Take Dedicated Breaks
You may be tempted to power through your work because the lesser breaks you take, the earlier you end work.
However, breaks, ironically, helps you become more productive.
A short two-to-three minute break refreshes your mind, giving you more energy to tackle tasks and complete them faster.
Take breaks in their entirety too, especially your one-hour lunch break, so you’ll relieve some stress and recover from your morning exertions.
8. Take Sick Leave If Needed
Sometimes, you wake up with a pounding headache and you tell yourself, “It’s okay, I’m going to be home anyway.”
And you go right back to work.
Stop.
When you experience symptoms like that, it means your body needs a break.
If you can apply for sick leave, just do it because your productivity is definitely going to suffer a lot.
Wouldn’t it be much better if you get some much-needed rest and go back to work when you’re in optimal condition?
And remember, it’s not your fault that you got sick, no matter how you imagine your colleagues’ reactions to be like.
After all, it’s something normal, especially after you’ve worked hard.
9. Dress Up For Work
Yes, you don’t exactly have work attire regulations to adhere to when you’re working from home, but it’s a good idea to dress up for work anyway.
It signals to your brain that you’re going to be working, and not lazing around all day.
Plus, there may be times where you’ll have to be involved in impromptu zoom calls with your boss.
You wouldn’t want to go to that meeting in your pajamas, do you?
10. Have a Morning and Evening Routine
One big reason why many couldn’t perform their best during WFH is because of the break in routines.
Previously, they have to wake up on time, catch the bus, get breakfast and walk to the office. During this time, their brains have the time to wake up and get into working mode.
Now, however, you can wake up, brush your teeth (or not) and walk into the next room to switch on the computer. Then, while you’re seating in front of the computer, your brain is still booting up.
To start the day off right, have a morning routine that you stick to daily. This could mean a morning shower, yoga, meditation or even going for a jog.
It doesn’t hurt that all these have been proven to help reduce stress levels, strengthen your focus and improve self-awareness.
In the evening, when both your mind and body are tired, meditate for five to ten minutes after planning the next day.
It’ll relax you and let you proceed with after-work activities in a better mood.
Doing this every day will let your mind switch from work mode to rest mode easily.
So there you go, ten tips to improve productivity when you’re working from home. How many are you currently employing so far?
Feature Image: Dragon Images / Shutterstock.com