Tips to be productive while working from home
In order to stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), many companies have mandated their employees to work from home. It is already hectic scenario while everyone is under stress.
Unfortunately, coronavirus outbreak is not showing any symptom of slowing down. Also, working from home proves out to be difficult some times. You can be distracted even after every 10 minutes either by the members of the family or by housemates. Your household chores may also call your name. However, working from home has some advantages too like you do not have to get ready daily to move to your workplace. You can be more focused and efficient towards your work.
Tips for Working from Home Effectively
• Do not work in bed
When it comes to productivity, working in bed is not an ideal option. To be very honest, I always do not follow this rule. In the morning after having a cup of tea, I immediately start working. However, if you begin working in bed, it is likely that you will feel sleepy. Until and unless your bedroom is the perfect space of privacy, avoid the wish to work there.
If you still have no other option and you have to work in bed, you can create the sense of “going to work” to help with this. Like washing your face or getting coffee with which you will feel awake, is going to help you out.
It is also a better idea to handle your bedroom as a sacred space where you can relax. You can also try to set up the place of work somewhere else like in the dining table or in the kitchen.
• Avoid working at the place where you’ll be distracted
To work from home successfully, one of the key is to pretend as if you are in office. If you would be at the work, you won’t be doing laundry, watching Movies nor doing dishes at the office hours. Therefore, do not work at the place where you could be distracted or tempted. If dishes or laundry calls you, just avoid that.
• Maintain some distance from other people at home
It will definitely be a challenging task to work from home with friends, family or roommates. From my experience, I can say that if somebody comes to your room and see that you are working on your computer, they may not notice that you are working. They may think that you can do whatever you want while working on computer, this situation is true because it is possible that the person have not done the work from home before.
That is why it is crucial to set the limitations with people who are around you in work from home settings. Ask everybody at home not to disturb you during specific working hours. In case there is any emergency at home, only then they can ask you. You may also put a sign at the door as “Do not disturb”. You can stay productive by avoiding interruptions.
• Have a break
Although you are working from home, you must also not forget to take one long break or two to three short breaks. You must bear in mind that scrolling through FaceBook does not count as break. You can take short breaks after every 80 to 90 minutes for about 10-15 minutes or you can take only a lunch break for about 30-45 minutes. Preferably, your break must be avoiding usage of any screens at all. In the break you should get some fresh air or you can have a conversation with your family members. You will find yourself more productive and your efficiency in the work will get increased.
• Do Exercise
Due to coronavirus pandemic it is not easy to move outside. You can do some indoor exercises to stay fit in your breaks or any other time before or after your work. You must do exercise because it is also crucial to maintain good health while working. This way you will be able to concentrate more towards your work, and can produce more fruitful results. To exemplify, you can do jump rope, dancing and stair stepping etc. You can also take help of YouTube videos for the indoor exercises to do exercise more effectively.
• Stick to your Routine
By not changing your routine, you can gain the sense of normalcy. Do not try to alter your routine just because you are working from home. By not following the daily schedule could lead to chaos in decision making and you can lose your determination towards work also. So, getting up, eating and doing exercise all must be done at the same time.
• Plan things in advance
After the completion of a specific task, you will be glancing at to what to do next. Also, there will be temptation to alter the plan, if you have planned your tasks recently. You must keep your plans flexible. It is very crucial to dedicate yourself towards strong plan in order to get the things on time and efficiently. For this you must solidify your schedule before one day.
• Decide a Finishing time daily
You could be thinking that working from home will come up with work-life balance; however, this is not true all the times. As in the office, your colleagues packing up and leaving remind you to do the same. On the other hand, you may completely lose the track of time while working from home. The solution to this is that you must set an alarm as an indication to the end of your working time. It cannot be said that at that exact time you should complete your task, but you should try to finish around that fixed time daily.
Other Measure Tips for Working from Home Effectively
- Sit in a good posture while working
- Keep a pencil and notepad nearby
- Drink water at regular intervals
- Be careful about selection of music that you listen while working
- Track your time
- Have a good diet
- Keep your work area tidy
To be more productive at your work, you must pay close attention to these work from home tips. As you continue to work from home, try to be more faithful towards your employer. In the scenario of pandemic you must work efficiently so that the company where you are working do not face any downturn in the business.
