How to Be More Productive When Working from Home

Contributed Post, March 15, 2018

There are many reasons why working from home has become so popular. Not only does it mean that you have a comfortable environment to work in, but you can have greater flexibility in your day too. However, working from home is not without its challenges. Do you find that it is hard to achieve the levels of productivity you expect from yourself when working from home? This is an issue that a lot of home workers experience, so you are not alone. After all, it is hard to keep motivation and efficiency levels high when you are in your home environment. However, there are some things you can do to boost your productivity levels. Read on to find out…

Minimise distractions – There can be a lot of distractions while working from home, and it is your job to minimise them. These distractions range from pets and television to children and visitors. Of course, you cannot chuck your children out of the house, so what can you do? Well, you can make sure you are doing the tasks that require your full attention when your children are asleep or at school.

Look after yourself – The importance of regular breaks and healthy snacks while working should not be ignored. When you are working from home, it can be easy to wander to the kitchen and grab a chocolate bar or another type of unhealthy snack. While this may give you an initial boost of energy, you will soon come crashing down. This is why it is vital to take care of yourself when working from home. Make sure you eat right and that you get breaks from the computer. You also need to get a good night’s sleep. Try to wake up and go to bed at the same time every evening so you can get into a routine. You should also minimise your use of technology before you go to bed, and make sure you don’t exercise within three hours of wanting to go to sleep. Activities like this will only get your adrenaline pumping, making it incredibly hard for you to shut off.

Organise your home office – There is nothing quite like clutter to set the mind off track. If you have lots of papers and files around you, or the children have thrown their toys all over the floor, it is going to be difficult to concentrate. Organise your office space and get rid of clutter. You are bound to notice a difference once you do this.

Communicate effectively – Communication is more challenging when you are a remote worker, yet it is something you will need to master if you are to remain productive. There are many different ways you can stay in contact with the people you are working for, from video calls and instant messaging to emails. It is important to make sure you use the right platform based on the type of conversation you want to have. For example, instant messaging is ideal when you need quick answers and when you want to have a less formal conversation.

Create a schedule – One of the reasons why you may not get as much done as you should while working from home is because you do not set yourself a schedule. If you just go about your work aimlessly, you are going to end up wasting a lot of time. Plus, you may end up working on the wrong tasks at the wrong time, i.e. you end up working on something that is not as important as another task. The best way to stop this from happening is to create a schedule. You can use this How To Create A Weekly Schedule Template | Sling provides to help you. Make sure you give yourself enough time for breaks in your schedule. Taking regular breaks is actually a good way to ensure you remain productive, as it gives you the opportunity to refresh yourself and achieve more.

Turn up the volume – Using music to boost productivity is something that does not work for everyone. For some people, it can have the opposite impact. However, when you are completing a task that does not require a lot of thought, yet needs to be done quickly, upbeat music can help. You will probably find that you end up typing to the beat of the music you are listening to.

Act like you are going to work – Last but not least, acting like you are going to work in an office environment can make a big difference. It ensures your head is in the right space. A prime example of this is dressing professionally rather than wearing comfy loungewear or staying in your pyjamas. A lot of people assume that the latter is one of the benefits of working at home – you can work in your bed while wearing your PJs. However, if you are sitting in the place where you sleep, and you are wearing what you would wear to go to bed, then you’re more likely to drift off than get any work done. This will put you in a lazy mood, rather than a productive one. Instead work at a desk, and dress as you would dress if going to an office.

So there you have it; some top tips you can use to achieve more while working from home. If you follow the tips that have been provided, you are bound to experience a boost in your productivity levels. From creating a schedule to taking regular breaks, there are many different tactics that can be implemented to take your work to the next level while at home.