Practical Tips on Staying Productive While Working from Home

Recent changes and market turns have made working from home more common than ever. Despite being a huge trend among startups and SMEs, working remotely – and working from home specifically – was always viewed as a negative thing by employers. These past few weeks, however, businesses are appreciating how employees can remain productive while working from home.

There is a good reason for that boost in productivity: working from home minimises the distractions commonly found in work environments. Having to attend meetings (and prepare for one) or bumping into a coworker while on your way to a client are distractions that aren’t always easy to deal with. Of course, there are distractions to deal with when you work from home too.

Fortunately, distractions found at home are equally manageable. You can remain productive – or be even more productive than before – when working from home with the simple tips and tricks we are about to discuss in this article.

1. Start a Routine

One of the first things you want to do when transitioning to remote working is establishing a routine; a habit that tells your mind and your body that you are starting a work session. This can be a cup of coffee in the morning, a walk followed by breakfast before opening your laptop, or a quick read of the news before you open the first spreadsheet.

Make sure to stick to a consistent routine for as long as you are working from home. As mentioned before, the purpose is to tell the mind and the body that you are entering your work state. The mind will then respond with heightened focus and readiness to tackle the challenges ahead. This makes starting a lot easier.

You can develop a routine to transition out of your working state too. If you are having difficulties relaxing after working from home all day, establishing a routine that acts as a barrier is a good idea. Your mind will know that you are finished for the day and will switch back to your normal, more relaxed state as a result.

2. Set Schedules

Working from home doesn’t mean working all the time or without structure. In fact, it shouldn’t. Many professionals struggle to separate personal and professional life as soon as they start working from home. They spend so much time working that they don’t have time for everything else. This is a bad habit to get into and one that can be prevented with a simple measure: a work schedule.

Set the time for working and stick to the schedule no matter what. You can maintain your usual work hours – including your lunch break – and not have to worry about working late or spending too much time on assignments. Discipline is required here, but you have the support of your family members to keep you honest.

Since you have a pre-allocated time to work with, your next task is making sure that those hours are used effectively for working. Don’t give in to distractions or postpone tasks unnecessarily. Pretend that you are working in the office and you have to complete the tasks in hand before you go home at the end of the day.

3. Set Up Your Work Environment

A permanent or semi-permanent workspace is highly recommended, and setting one up is not a bad investment to make right now. When you have a dedicated space for working, you immediately gain a few advantages that you couldn’t gain otherwise. For starters, working from home is a lot more comfortable with a dedicated home office.

You can also apply the previous tip of allocating time for working easily when there is a dedicated space to work in. Get the support of everyone in the family, make sure you are not disturbed when you are in the workspace, and you are all set. You will have no trouble at all maintaining focus and remaining productive throughout the day.

A dedicated work environment is also good for your professional life. Accepting conference or video calls is easy. You don’t have to prepare for live presentations and other work activities. You can even host team meetings or stay online with colleagues the entire day to support each other during this crisis while remaining productive together.

4. The Right Tools for the Job

While setting up a suitable work environment, consider investing in the right tools for the job. Getting a capable laptop, improving the home internet connection, and switching to wired or Wi-Fi Mesh networking for better reliability are among the things you can do to make your work environment even more functional.

Tools matter. When you have a good webcam for conferencing, you don’t have to worry about looking bad in front of clients or colleagues. When your laptop is capable of multitasking, you can be more productive while working on multiple assignments. An extra screen on your desk can be used to display more information that you need.

The right tools also make working from home a seamless and enjoyable experience. You can stop spending time trying to troubleshoot tech-related issues and instead allocate more time to get things done. Good tech doesn’t just boost comfort; it also makes working from home easier and more efficient in general.

5. Make a To-Do List

Start every day by making a to-do list; this can be the routine that separates the personal portion of your time from the professional one. Create a detailed to-do list and work your way towards completing every task. Repeat this at the start of every day so that you are always on the right course. This is a simple tip that gets neglected quite often.

Many professionals actually stop making to-do lists when they work from home; it’s counterproductive. With a clear set of tasks in hand, you can allocate your time throughout the day better. You also have the ability to avoid work creeping into the personal portion of your day by setting a firm cut-off time.

Don’t worry if you don’t always complete all of the tasks at hand. Update the to-do list the next morning and try again. It will not be long before you start working efficiently enough to complete every task and still have enough time for other things. That actually brings us to another great tip.

6. integrate Other Productive Activities

Working throughout the day is not a good idea. You will start losing focus after just a few hours, and your overall productivity will be much lower. This is actually an issue faced at the office, but you subconsciously do other things (i.e. talking to colleagues, attend meetings, etc.) and can remain productive.

When working from home, your options are limitless. You can even pursue a higher qualification, with a view to turbo-charging your career. Aston University has a detailed article on the lucrative positions you can fill upon completing a master’s degree in business and management. You are investing in the future of your career. Besides, taking the master’s degree program means allocating one or two hours a day to studying, which will be a welcome change in your daily routine.

Reading books, taking short walks, and making adjustments to your work habits are also recommended. However, avoid anything leisure-related such as watching a TV series or playing games. Once you get out of your work mindset, it is difficult to regain focus and return to your productive state.

7. Live a Healthy Life

Is this one of your New Year’s resolutions? There are no more excuses. Working from home means you can now integrate a better diet and regular exercise into your daily routine, and you should. Eating healthily and getting enough exercise in the morning help you focus and remain sharp when working from home.

You don’t have to make living a healthy life complicated. If you don’t want to go through rigorous exercise regimes, simply take a 30-minute walk around the neighborhood to start the day. If you don’t like grains and wheat, increase your intake of fruits and vegetables to gain enough nutrients and be healthier.

Supplements are helpful. You also have apps and other resources that can guide you towards living a healthier life. Plus, you have all the time in the world. Not having to commute every morning alone is a huge plus; you can use the time to exercise, prepare a healthy breakfast, and start your day the right way.

8. Get Help

We also touched working with the rest of the family in different parts of this article. Getting the support of the family is a must. Talk to the kids about not disturbing you when you are working during the day. Let them know your schedules and how you will be managing your time. Ask your partner to support you as well.

By getting the rest of the family involved, you are minimising the biggest distraction of them all. Combined with the other tips and tricks we discussed in this article, staying productive while working from home is not a tall order after all. With a few more tweaks, you can even be more productive than ever. Stay tuned for more tips and tricks on this matter.