Whether you’re new to working remotely, or it was previously a sporadic occurrence, if you’ve quickly transitioned to working from home full time, you may experience some challenges as you figure out the best way to structure your workdays to be most effective. Check out these 10 tips to stay productive while working from home:
1. Set Up a Work Spot
Don’t work in the same spots in your home that you normally relax in. Set up a work spot where you keep any electronics or office supplies, and perform your work in the designated area only – your brain will associate it with working, and you’ll be able to focus better.
2. Get Your Appearance Work-Ready
A major perk of working from home is being comfortable, but don’t take it too far. Get yourself ready for work each day with personal care and dressing in real clothes. Wearing loungewear all day can make it hard to get into work mode.
3. Establish Work Hours
Give yourself a definitive set of work hours when you’re working from home. This holds you accountable, while also protecting against overworking since you have an end time.
4. Compartmentalize Personal and Work Tasks
Your personal and work life can get their boundaries blurred quickly when you work remotely. Compartmentalize your personal and work tasks so you don’t get caught up in doing chores when you should be working, or pulling out the laptop when you should be unwinding after dinner.
5. Communicate Ground Rules
It’s essential for your family and friends to understand and respect when you are working. Communicate your ground rules and let them know when you cannot be disturbed.
6. Protect Against Distractions
Your home can be a landmine of distractions to take your focus away from work. Protect against distractions as much as possible – block social media or other websites that suck up your time or keep the TV off, for example.
7. Create Transitional Routines
When you work outside of home, there are built-in transitions to beginning and ending the workday, most notably your commute. Prevent yourself from getting burnt out by creating transitional routines at home, such as relaxing with a cup of coffee and reading for 20 minutes before you start your workday or by turning off your computer and going for a walk at the end of the workday.
8. Schedule in Breaks
In a quest to be more productive, you may end up working too long and start losing focus and making more mistakes. Give your brain a chance to recharge by scheduling regular breaks throughout your workday at home.
9. Check–in Regularly
Since you’re not in the same physical location as your manager and colleagues, you won’t have the opportunity to have impromptu debriefing sessions in passing. Ensure everyone is on the same page by checking in regularly to provide consistent progress and status updates.
10. Keep Up the Small Talk
You may feel pressured to maintain the highest level of productivity possible when you’re working at home to show your boss you’re trustworthy. However, don’t forgo socializing with your coworkers like you would in person. Keep up the occasional small talk to remain connected and prevent feeling lonely.
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