The world has changed immeasurably over the last year and one of the upsides/downsides, depending on how you look at it, is that more and more of us are working from home. Initially, the idea of working remotely can be very appealing, however, it's not always as easy as it may seem. True, you avoid the morning commute and probably save a lot of money into the bargain, but the office offers an organized work-friendly environment with limited distractions that is often difficult to recreate at home. So, we've put together some tips on how to overcome these difficulties so that you can be as efficient and productive as you would be in the workplace.
Workspace
If you're working from a laptop, you have the luxury of choosing your home work space. Choose a quiet brightly lit room to be your office. Decorate the room with positivity and make sure it's neat and tidy - tidy house, tidy mind! Even if it's not a separate room but a corner, it's still your space.
Keep your diary and your notebook next to you so as to write down your ideas and to organize your thoughts. By writing down the old-fashioned way, notes, lists, projects and obligations, your brain retains the information more effectively.
Dress to Impress
Tell yourself you are working at the office. One way to do this is to dress as if you would for the office and you'll instinctively feel inclined to work. If you stay in your dressing gown all day, you'll instinctively feel inclined to go to bed!
Timetable
Being the boss of yourself, it's up to you to work out your timetable. Do not just leave it to chance as it is vitally important that you have structure in your work day. Discover which hours of the day are most productive for you. Most workers find that they work most intensely and productively in the morning but this isn't the case for everybody. Work out when you are at your productive peak and arrange to do your most difficult and demanding work at these times if at all possible.
If you have a family, it may be better to work when the children are at school or when they have gone to bed. It is purely up to you but you must create a schedule and a plan for the day and stick to it! Of course some flexibility is key as the unexpected is inevitable.
Prioritize for Peace of Mind
Whether you are working from home or from the office, as we've already mentioned, organizing your day correctly is of paramount importance.
Make a list of your tasks the day before and prioritize. At the top of your list put the tasks that are the most difficult or demanding. Tackle these tasks first thing so as to get them out of the way. Procrastinating won't do anybody any good and by prioritizing this way, you'll be able to concentrate more effectively on your other tasks of the day without worrying about the hard stuff. Trust me, you'll feel better for it!
Distractions
Our mobile phones are perhaps the greatest distraction when working from home. You really don't need to be checking your e-mails and your social media pages every five seconds. When you are working, make sure you disable notifications so that you can concentrate on the task at hand. It may even be a good idea to leave your phone in another room.
Take a ten minute break every few hours or so to check in so as to not miss out on any online opportunities that might present themselves. Make your online contacts aware that you will not be getting back to them immediately you receive an email.
If you do devote time to an email, reply immediately. Otherwise, if you get back to it again later, it involves re-reading and re-thinking your response which is an unnecessary use of your precious time. It is often better to telephone someone before sending an email; this can save a lot of time rather than to-ing and fro-ing via electronic mail.
Meetings
Zoom meetings for work are unavoidable and it's not necessarily something that you can control. However, make sure that the meetings that you take part in really concern your field of expertise and you're not sitting in on meetings where you do not have anything to bring to the table - this is wasting everybody's time, not only yours. Discuss this with your boss.
Take a Break
It can be very easy to get carried away with your work and to work continually for hours and hours. However, it is very important to take a break. It has been proven that our brain functions best for 45 minute periods. After this time, productivity decreases. Therefore it's a good idea to get up and move about. Go outside and take a breath of fresh air, listen to a song, treat yourself to your favourite beverage or watch a video that you enjoy.
You could set notifications for every 45 minutes that it's time for a break. Also, it's a good idea to reward yourself after a job well done - your boss isn't there to give you words of encouragement so why not take it upon yourself!
A Change is as Good as a Rest
Once a week establish a work away day! Take your laptop to a quiet café, a library or, weather allowing, to a park. The change of scene will do you the world of good and this in turn will have a positive impact on your productivity.
If you get the chance to meet up with your colleagues for a coffee and a chat, don't turn it down. It's very easy to become isolated when working from home and, although zoom has become a major part of our lives, nothing can replace human interaction IRL!
Nobody's Perfect
As we've talked about in another blog, perfection is an illusion. Be kind to yourself and don't beat yourself up about mistakes. Mistakes are how we learn - this positive spin will save you from time lost ruminating and does wonders for your self esteem too!
Log Out
Maintain a balance between work and leisure. From the moment you shut down your computer, relax and concentrate on yourself and your family. Don't be tempted to look at work emails until you ‘clock on' the following day. Otherwise, you'll find work encroaching into your personal life and you will find it impossible to switch off. It is very important that you set boundaries both for yourself and your work colleagues.
