10 Tips for working from home and staying productive!

During the spread of coronavirus, it has become the norm for many people to work remotely from home part or full time.  This has been very difficult for a lot of people if you're not used to working remotely as there are a myriad of distractions and things to balance. This has been a unique challenge for many.

I have put together 10 tips to help you work from home and stay productive.

1 - WorkSpace - Your home office

Your working environment at home is more important than you realise.

Think about the location within your home and the distractions that may occur.  It may be exciting at the beginning, to work from your sofa or from your bed but from a practical point of view, this is neither a productive environment nor healthy.  Your body associates your bed with sleeping and not with working. 

Where possible work in a separate room like a bedroom or office so you can close the door when required; other options would be to find a location within your home where you can have an adequate desk or a final option would be to work from your dining room table.  Sitting as you would during a ‘normal’ working day will be much better for your mind, body and definitely your productivity.

2 - Maintain normal hours

Why is it important to set out your schedule and stick to it…..most of the time?  It is important to maintain a work-life balance when working from home.  That said one of the benefits of working from home is that you can be flexible with your time.  For example, if one day you wanted to start earlier or work beyond your scheduled time you can, just make sure that you recover that time back the next day by starting later or finishing earlier.

3 - Plan your day

Planning your day ahead is one of those simple but massive time management tips. Writing down your to-do list and set out your goals for the day, this will minimise time spent doing other things you have not planned for.

4 - Multitask! In your dreams

Multitasking will slow you down.  Focus on one task at a time to be more productive and manage your time better.

5 - Manage your attention, Close that door!

This tips could be a whole blog on its own, as in this day and age working from home there are some many opportunities to be distracted. I have picked out my two favourites:

Look to hide your phone during the day when working from home as phone checking is a major problem in this day and age. On average a person check there phone 160 times a day! 

Eliminate distractions or disturbances, if possible close the door to your home office or if not look at using some headphones.

6 - Socialisation or time alone

This is an interesting one because it is good to socialise with people as this will help you relax and reset, but there is also clarity in spending time on your own.  Spending time on your own will help you focus on your goals and future.  Both socialisation and time alone are good for your well-being, try to do a bit of both during your working week. 

7 - Don’t procrastinate

8 - Take care of yourself

Think about taking more frequent, short breaks as a lot of people when working from home take fewer breaks than when they are at work.  Look at getting a drink of water and have a healthy snack.  There is plenty of research that confirms eating and drinking improves cognitive performance.

9 - Go outside

Another way reset and clear your head is to go for a walk or go out in the garden.  This is my favourite way of getting my focus back when working from home.

10 - Sleep

This may seem like a strange one for a lot of people but getting enough sleep is important as it will improve concentration and productivity but on the other side it is linked to reducing stress.  In a nutshell, sleep is important to your overall health and productivity. Source