Working from home has its own pros and cons. While some will say that they love it for the immense flexibility of timings, some say it is quite challenging due to their condition. So no matter which position you are in, we know that this hampers your productivity to a great extent. In offices, you had an appropriate environment to work in, which you may not get at home.
Also, many say- to work efficiently, you need extensive motivation for completing your work by the deadlines given. However, that is not the exact case. This happens mostly because you do not get the basics of work from home right. The main obstacles that we face while working from home are mostly:
- Unplugging after work
- No one to talk to
- Lesser collaboration and cooperation
- Distractions at home
- Working from different time zones, in comparison with your teammates
- Unable to stay motivated
- Miscellaneous distractions and no one to monitor you
- Finding reliable wifi
However, working from home during the pandemic is a different type of challenge. Nowadays, every hour you are flooded with the news of new strains coming from different countries, how many of your friends are getting enlisted for the vaccine, and overall WHO news from all over the world. So it takes even more willpower to stay focused only on your work with so many interesting and terrifying things going around you.
So given below are some work from home tips that could help improve your productivity immensely. Even if some are not feasible for you, try implementing the others for an improved result!
1. Fix your work hours and maintain a regular schedule while doing work from home:
This is the most important step which should be taken to maximize productivity while working at home. Consistency in work hours needs to be maintained for being accountable to yourself and the person you report to. You need to keep certain factors in mind while fixing your work schedule. Note the time of the day when you feel most productive and the times when you need to be free for communicating with your boss or colleagues. Accordingly set your work hours, in order to complete your tasks efficiently and maintain communication with your boss and colleagues as well.
Convey your hours of availability to those who might want to get in touch with you and in this way you can avoid getting distracted while you work. Test this for a week and fix those as your work hours. Make a strict timing schedule and ensure that you stick to it.
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2. Organize your workflow while doing work from home:
Plan your day before starting your work. It will help you stay focused and complete the work assigned in the given time. Especially in freelancing it becomes extremely difficult while managing your previous work and searching for new jobs at the same time. It often drives you into working overtime. For other types of work from home jobs as well, you need to make a structured plan and give yourself the breaks you deserve. Make a to-do list or use task management tools like Trello or Asana to keep track of the tasks you are supposed to finish each day. Prioritize your tasks, set your deadlines, and revise them when new assignments come up.
The best way is to insert your breaks in your to-do list as well. This will ensure that you get time off between your tasks. You can get rid of fatigue, rejuvenate your mind, and maximize your productivity this way.
3. Set up your personal workspace:
Establishing a dedicated workspace is extremely necessary for anyone who works from home. Try setting a desk, chair, and minimum storage space and be consistent in working there only. This is extremely helpful as whenever you sit at that assigned place your brain is conditioned to become alert. You feel more organized and motivated to finish your work once you start using this workspace every day. Make sure that this area is not in the kitchen or dining room where you are bound to be distracted by your family members. Set it up at that part of your house where you will feel that your chance of getting disturbed or interrupted is the least. Also, do not forget to personalize your workspace as you will be spending a huge part of your day there.
4. Avoid distractions and establish boundaries:
Working at home has its perks along with challenges of its own. You will face many unwanted disturbances and interruptions everyday while working. So, it is important to set up your workspace in a fixed place where you will face distractions, at least. Maintain your boundaries at home and try to keep your personal and work life separate. Use your breaks to talk with your family and reply to those unanswered texts on your social media accounts. Try keeping your phone silent while working and inform your family members that you are off-limits during your scheduled work hours. This will help you to finish your tasks by the deadlines and you can easily get out of the work mode at the end of the day as well.
5. Tune in to music:
You can try listening to music as this can help you concentrate. If you have a small apartment and you are living with a roommate, it becomes difficult to focus due to the noise going on in the background. Tune into soft music, instrumentals, nature sounds, or whatever works best for you. It is important to create an office playlist and you can listen to this whenever you need to stay focused while doing your work. This will also lower your stress hormones sufficiently and you can work with a fresher mind and increased motivation.
Working from home has become a common practice nowadays owing to the technological advancements over the past few years. Hence it is important to develop the enlisted strategies. By these, you can focus despite the different challenges you face every day. Put them into practice to maximize your productivity and you will be able to lead a more balanced personal and work life.
Thank you for reading the entire article with utmost patience. Please do leave a comment down below and share with us your views regarding the topic. It would be great to hear from you. Feel free to offer any suggestions that you want to share with us. We will be absolutely delighted to hear your suggestions and improve our content.
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