Thanks to the pandemic, working from home has become the new normal. It does not matter whether you are a car mechanic who sells garage door springs and car parts on the side or a graphic designer who works for a large corporation.
Working From Home 101: How To Do It Effectively
While it may seem comfortable for some people, others perceive it as incredibly unpleasant. You might not be able to focus and feel useless and unproductive. Because of that, working from home can end up being quite difficult.
Nevertheless, work from home can be one of the most efficient and comfortable things out there. All you need to do to make it happen is approach it in the right way. To help you out, we made a list of tips that will help you work from home effectively. Take a look!
Find the Right Environment
Thanks to the fact that we have many mobile devices that we can possibly choose from, you can work from a laptop while sitting in the garden or from a tablet while drinking coffee in the kitchen. It can be incredibly convenient and boost your productivity.
However, it can also work the other way around. Not everyone can focus while working in their garden or on their balcony. That is especially the case if they have noisy neighbors or live in a heavily polluted area. Considering this, you should choose your work environment wisely.
Most importantly, make sure that it is a quiet place, away from noise and distractions. It can be your bedroom, your kitchen, or your bathroom if it is comfortable enough. Anything goes as long as you can fit your work equipment in there.
Work in Blocks
If you want to be more productive, divide the time you spend working into blocks. Each block should last around 30 minutes. Once that time is up, you should take a short break. Ideally, it should be five minutes long.
During the breaks, you might want to get up and walk around your house. You can make something to drink or grab a snack. It will give you the energy boost you need to keep on working.
Communicate With Others
This is perhaps the most important tip on our list. You need to stay in touch with your colleagues, even if they are not present in the same room as you.
This can be done by creating a separate chat room for your team members. You can use it to post relatable memes or talk about their day or the things that they are struggling with at work.
Having clear communication is very important for developing a strong and productive team that can achieve great things.
It also prevents team members from burning out and feeling isolated, which can have a really positive impact on their productivity. Keep that in mind if you ever feel like not answering that Zoom call or replying to a private message from your boss.
Create Realistic Goals
Setting realistic goals is essential when it comes to working remotely. It prevents you from feeling lost and gives you a clear picture of what you have already managed to achieve. However, it can be quite difficult if you do not do it the right way.
Ideally, you should come up with goals that are SMART – specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. Once you come up with such goals, you can keep track of them by creating to-do lists or writing everything down in a bullet journal.
Do Not Multitask
Many people might tell you that multitasking is very effective and can help you stay productive. Is that true? Not really. According to the latest research, our brains are not that good at keeping track of multiple tasks at once.
As a result, multitasking might backfire and make you much less productive than you would like to be. Thus, it is best avoided.
Look Into Time Management Techniques
If you want to be as efficient as possible, it would be best if you looked into making use of a variety of time management techniques.
For instance, you can plan out your day or start a timer every time you start a new task. It will make focusing on the task at hand much more manageable.
Develop a Routine
Do you have trouble with getting up from bed while working remotely? If that is the case, develop a routine. Act as if you were getting ready to leave for the office.
Get up early in the morning, take a shower, wash your teeth, get dressed, and eat breakfast. It will help you and your brain get used to the idea that you are meant to be working, not procrastinating.
Stay Organized
Did you know that working in a messy environment can be distracting? Taking this into consideration, you should make sure that your desk is tidy and organized. Try to do the same thing with the rest of your house. Dust off the furniture, sweep the floors, do the laundry. It will definitely help you feel motivated and productive.
The Bottom Line
As you can see, working from home and staying productive at the same time is totally possible. There are many things that can help you with that, such as working in blocks and developing a simple morning routine.
If you are not sure where to start, you can ask your co-workers and friends for advice. It is very likely that they are using techniques that you have never heard of before and can really benefit from.
On top of that, you will not feel alone with your problems, as it is very likely that they have been struggling with the same stuff as you.
Once you try to put the ideas we mentioned above into practice and try to do your best, you are very likely to boost your productivity in no time. Good luck!