It comes as no surprise working from home can be a dream for some professionals in the workforce. The elimination of the potential office politics, a significant amount of time spent in the office, lunches out, and most of all, the commute, can make working from home seem ideal. Whether you have been working from home for years or are transitioning from home, adjusting to the work-from-home lifestyle and productivity can be a learning curve. Understanding how to be productive while working from home is one of the biggest struggles for any professional. Let’s explore 8 tips to stay successful and productive while working from home.
Work-at-home productivity tips
Keep your standard morning routine
Having a regular morning routine can be challenging to maintain when working from home at times. Since you are already at home, it seems easier to put off tasks or habits as part of your morning routine. Not keeping your standard morning routine in place while working from home can throw your day off balance and make productivity a challenge. For example, if you enjoy drinking a cup of coffee to start your day, or taking a bike ride as a form of exercise at the beginning of the day, ensure you still do it as a regular morning habit.
Create a designated workspace in your home
Just because you no longer have to sit at a regular desk in an office or a desk cubicle does not mean you shouldn’t designate a specific place to work. Providing yourself a space that is quiet, comfortable, and free of external diversions will increase your workflow throughout the day and keep your productivity at more elevated levels. Not to mention, it is pleasant to have a space in your home where you only really get to make it indeed the area of your creation. Enjoying the space you create develops a sense of pride for you and increases productivity levels while working from home.
Set firm boundaries with your household
Working from home does not always translate to working alone. Your household may still be active between other family members, pets, and even distractions from mail deliveries while working from home. When creating your designated space where you have to work from home, set firm boundaries with your household and cordially remind other household members that while working, you need to be productively working and preferably distraction-free.
Establish schedule limitations with your employer
If your boss would typically not ask you to work overtime or stay late to complete your daily tasks, you should reinforce the same while working from home. Establish a set schedule for your days while working from home and aim to only work during that set scheduled time block. This not only avoids burnout for you but increases productivity for your work.
Take regular breaks during the day
Working from home can create some more unproductive and boundary limitation habits. If you want to be productive, you need to schedule and take regular breaks throughout the day. Although it could be tempting to continue to work without taking breaks, if you took breaks when working in an office environment, you should aim to do the same while working from home. Taking a moment to get up and move your body or taking a lunch break to ensure you eat for the moment will increase your productivity while working from home.
Prioritize your time wisely
It is essential to remember that even though you are working from home, you still have a schedule to keep. That regular 9:00 AM meeting you may have always had in the office is not going to disappear just because you work from home. Before you get started for your workday, such as diving into your emails, responding, and creating your daily task, look at your day’s schedule. Between emails and functions, make a point to increase your work from home productivity by planning out your day and prioritizing your on-the-clock time for the day. Doing this will keep your day on schedule and save you more productivity while working from home.
Minimize potential distractions
You can quickly find yourself getting distracted when working from home. Between the house needing to be cleaned, mail deliveries, or the laundry, the distractions will be all around you. If you want to work from home as a productive success, you need to minimize distraction potential. While working from home, put your phone or even personal devices on do not disturb while focusing on work. By doing this, you are completely removing the temptation to check your phone or email until you stop for a break or at the end of the workday.
Communicate and collaborate with colleagues
Even while working from home, it is imperative to still communicate and collaborate with your colleagues often. As humans, we are social beings. Even introverted people will still need some social interaction. If you feel your productivity needs a boost while working from home, regular schedule time with your team and colleagues to collaborate for work.
By incorporating these tips into your daily work schedule, you’ll set yourself up for not only more productivity, but more success now and into the future as well.
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