Working from home can be one of modern life’s greatest joys, but home is also full of enticing distractions and bad habits – and without a supervisor keeping an eye on you, you might find yourself slacking off.
Luckily, there are plenty of useful techniques and methods – beyond your willpower and motivation – that you can use to keep yourself on task and focused.
Give yourself a physical workspace
Some people take “work from home” to mean “work from the couch” – but that’s often a bad idea. The biggest advantage of remote work is minimising your commute, but you should still have a commute between your living space and your workspace rather than letting those be the same.
Working in spaces you use for everyday life can harm your productivity, cause your work to spill into your personal life, and even interfere with your sleep. If you dedicate a space to use as your office, you can enter “work mode” more easily – and exit it, too, leaving everything behind until the next day.
Upgrade your equipment
It’s hard to work without the tools you need to get the job done right, and if there’s one thing you might be missing at home, it’s the proper equipment. From your furniture to your paper shredder to your planner, ensure you have everything you need to complete your work as efficiently as possible.
Don’t hesitate to ask for what you need
You need to set a precedent early on that you will ask for what you need to get the job done. Some of what you need will include:
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Office furniture and equipment: You will need a desk, chair, computer and sometimes a printer. Find out whether the company has a budget for this. Many of them do because they know that having ergonomic furniture and the right equipment will make you more productive.
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The right technology: You don’t want your system to crash or have a weak connection when you’re in an important meeting. If you’re taking forever to connect, it could be due to poor internet connectivity, outdated software or problems with hardware. It’s vital to use the right technology when you work from home.
You don't need deep technical knowledge to keep your system running perfectly. some basic know-how goes a long way in this regard
You might even take this opportunity to purchase more health-friendly furniture that your office does not offer, saving yourself from health issues down the line.
Set a routine for yourself
Even when working from home, it’s important for your productivity and sanity to clock in and out of work. This means setting a routine—even if sleeping in every day seems like a good idea at the outset, you won’t think so when your work starts to leak into the late hours of the evening.
Not having to commute will give you more time in the mornings before you need to start work. You may have time for a short exercise session before you start. Hopping into the shower afterwards and drinking a cup of coffee may signal your body that it’s time to kick off your workday. Otherwise, you may settle down even later to start work than when you had to commute. A prompt start in the morning without procrastination is important to be the most productive.
The hours of your day should be clearly delineated as “work” time rather than “should be working, but walking the dog and doing the laundry instead” time. Combined with a dedicated workspace, this helps you focus by giving you an avenue to switch into (and out of) work mode – allowing you to be productive when you need to and to relax completely when you don’t.
Get control of your sleep
Getting control of your sleep hygiene is an article unto itself. Setting a healthy routine goes hand in hand with it. The simple truth is that being well-rested contributes directly to your ability to focus and be productive.
To facilitate this, you’ll want to keep work out of your bedroom (and out of your bed, specifically), which is covered above. But you should also keep track of your exposure to light. Ensure the lighting you use while working is adequate (this keeps you from straining your eyes, too) and that the lighting you use while unwinding isn’t keeping you awake.
Finally, find natural light early in the day and often throughout it. Get outside first thing in the morning, and you’ll immediately become energised and ready to start your day.
Try some productivity apps
It can be hard to do all of this yourself, and plenty of apps are out there to help make you a more productive worker from home. Something as simple as a well-put-together task list app can make laying out your whole day a breeze.
Or try some Pomodoro apps, which keep you productive for blocks of time while giving you breaks now and then. These are especially great because the breaks allow you to do other needful tasks.
Clean up your workspace
Clutter reduces productivity, so take some time to clean up your space. Go through your piles of papers, or better yet, find ways to minimise your paper clutter, such as filing cabinets or using whiteboards for notes instead of Post-Its.
Organise your desk and divide the drawers so that everything has a place and you don’t have to dig for several minutes to find what you need. And if your office needs a deep cleaning, you might take that as an excuse to do things differently.
Plan your day
You usually need to do many tasks during your working hours. It will help to identify the hours when you are most productive. For some people, this is between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.; for others, it may be in the evening when the children go to bed. With this information, you can protect these hours and use them to do your most critical and demanding work.
Using a to-do list or planner can have many advantages:
- As you complete tasks, you can check them off the list. This shows that you are making progress and can give you a feeling of accomplishment.
- When you finish one task, you immediately know what to tackle next.
You can keep track of meetings, appointments and deadlines. This helps you to stay accountable. - You can share with colleagues when you are available or unavailable for conversations or questions they may have.
Schedule breaks
To be productive, you must take regular breaks to give your mind and body time to recharge. If you spend most of your time working on a computer, you need time to rest your eyes and stretch your muscles. There are many apps you can use to schedule work time and breaks.
- Try to stand up and move around at least once an hour to get your blood circulating.
- Take longer breaks where you can go outside for some fresh air.
- Exercise in the early morning before work or take a 30-minute break in the morning or afternoon for a quick walk, run or cycle.
Look for training and learning opportunities
When you work from home, it’s helpful to do online training courses to improve your skills or develop new skills. Your employer may have specific videos and online resources you can use. Plenty of online resources allow you to learn many skills, such as business or software skills.
Make your voice heard
You must participate in conference calls and video conferences while working from home. You should feel comfortable about speaking up and making your concerns heard. If you’re unafraid to ask questions, your work won’t suffer because of something you don’t understand.
Socialize with colleagues
Working from home can make you feel disconnected and isolated, hindering productivity. If you have a social channel in a team messaging app, like Slack, make sure you use it to talk about common interests or arrange to meet with colleagues who live near you.
An online coffee date or online book club meeting may be all you need to feel more connected. Your company may have a strong culture and actively encourage socializing. If not, you will have to be more proactive about nurturing relationships.
Set ground rules with family
Your children can cause distractions and disruptions when you’re trying to work. For example, they may interrupt an important meeting when they come home from school. It’s important to clarify when they can interrupt you and when they can’t.
If you and your partner work from home, you may have to negotiate quiet times, meeting times, childcare, and other tasks. Knowing that the other person has a meeting can help you to plan around it. If you are expected to take on certain tasks just because you are working from home, it can affect your ability to finish your work.
Do something differently if you’re stuck
The best part of having a routine is breaking from it. When all else fails, try giving yourself a day off if you’ve been struggling through many unproductive days.
If you can’t, switch up your workspace. Rearrange your office, clean it up thoroughly, or go somewhere else entirely. Work from a coffee shop or the library for a day. When you return to your office, things will hopefully feel fresh and productive again.
