With another probable lockdown slowly approaching our way with the second strain of Covid-19, work from home is becoming a common word in everyone’s house. Some might love the idea while others may not be too keen on it. There can be plenty of perks of working from home like flexibility, your home turned into an office designed specifically for you, more time in your day for self pampering since you can now skip the commute, and of course the ability to cook yourself a fancy lunch and store in a casserole to serve warm later, that would never have been possible at the office. For some, working from home is an excellent opportunity to have more time with the family, allowing them to have balance in their lives, especially when it comes to things like spending time with partners, friends, or kids.
For the peeps who’re not too keen on working from home, don’t worry. There are plenty of ways you can amp up your productivity and have effective work from home experience. In order to stay sharp, happy and effective, working from home, you’ll need to follow the tips below. These tips will help keep your productivity going and make sure you actually get the work/life balance that working from home promises.
Tips to boost productivity in Work-From-Home
1. Personalized Workspace
If you don’t have your own personalized workspace then your entire house will end up becoming your workspace. You’ll waste your time digging through bedroom drawers for those documents you kept last night. There’s no reason why half of your documents won’t get misplaced if you keep them scattered all over the house. You’ll find memos, sticky notes under your couch cushions, and you’ll reach for a brush but pull out a stapler from the drawer in the bedroom. So, it’s time you make yourself a small or big dedicated workspace with proper office furniture like a desk and comfy chairs, a lampshade, drawers etc. The point isn’t to recreate a corporate office, but to create a workspace that works best for you.
2. Take a lunch break
If you think you can manage your work and pass off your lunch by munching on a sandwich simultaneously then, you’re only sacrificing your health for your work. Remember you’re no longer restricted to your office cafeteria which serves bland food. Take a long lunch break, make up some quick delicious dish for lunch and eat in peace. You can even save the rest of the food in an insulated casserole to keep them warm and enjoy it later.
3. Insulated Flask
Invest in an insulated Flask for your home office. An insulated Flask or water bottle keeps your drink, be it a juice, hot coffee, chocolate smoothie, iced tea or just plain water, at exactly the temperature you want. These smart inventions are sure to keep you hydrated throughout the day.
4. Maintain Regular Hours
Having clear timings for when to work and when to call it a day will keep you from being overworked and maintain a healthy work-life balance. One of the best benefits of WFH is flexibility, when the job allows for it. Sometimes you need to extend your day a little or start early to accommodate for some pending work. When you do, be sure to wrap up earlier than usual or sleep a little extra the next morning to make up for it. You can also use automatic time-tracking apps which let you check in on whether you’re sticking to your schedule.
5. Socialize virtually
Loneliness, disconnection, and isolation from colleagues, are common problems in WFH, especially for extroverts. You can use team messaging apps like Slack or FaceTime with your colleagues.
6. Take small Scheduled Breaks
You should always give yourself adequate short breaks from work. Take a short walk, move away from the computer screen and phone. A lunch hour and two 15-minute breaks seem good. For computer-based work, it is important to relax, stand up and walk around to get your blood circulating, at least once an hour. It also helps to move your eyes off screen regularly, even if it’s a micro-break of 5-10 minutes. You can also take a quick snack break. Plan and have some cut fruits, nuts or even small one-pot meals in insulated food jar, that you can quickly consume while taking a short break from work.
7. Go watch sunset from you balcony/terrace
It’s not safe during the pandemic to go in public spaces. So, go to your balcony or the garden, terrace etc. Your body needs movement and blood circulation. Fresh air and natural light will do you good.
8. Cut off from Social Media
Don’t be tempted into taking too many social media breaks during working hours for browsing through Facebook. This can be detrimental of your productivity.
9. Work when you feel most productive
Your motivation to work will naturally flow. When you’re working from home, it’s important to know when your most productive period of the day plan your schedule accordingly. To make the most of your most productive periods, save the harder tasks for that time.
10. Create a Schedule
Spending time figuring out what you’ll do today can waste your time to a great extent. So, plan ahead. Plan your task list before starting the work day. It’s important to let your agenda change if you need it to, but it’s equally as important to commit to an agenda that outlines every assignment before you begin. Try solidifying your schedule the day before, making it feel more official when you wake up the next day to get started on it.
Last Words
Working from home can be awesome and for many modern professionals, working from home every once in a while is a luxury that our respective companies afford us. It’s a golden opportunity to maximize your time with the family, spend time with your friends and even get more work done. But which environment actually allows us to be more productive? Follow the above tips to be the most productive at WFH.