There are many benefits to working from home but there can be downsides too, and it isn’t always easy to work efficiently without getting distracted. Here are some tips and tricks to help you boost your productivity when working from home so you can stay on top of your tasks.
How to Efficiently Work From Home?
Create a Dedicated Space
Being able to separate your home and work life is crucial to ensuring you can succeed at work whilst still being able to switch off and relax at the end of the day. That’s why creating a dedicated workspace is so vital as it allows you to stay productive and keep work and home separate.
Working from areas you typically use to relax – such as your bed and sofa makes it harder to separate your working time from your downtime and can contribute to problems commonly associated with home working such as burnout and musculoskeletal issues from sitting with bad posture for long periods.
If you have a spare room in your home that can be turned into a dedicated home office, this is ideal. If you’re short on space, you can still create a work area within an existing room, use fitted office furniture to optimise the space you have.
Get Organised
Once you’ve set up your home working space, you’ll need to spend some time organising it so that all your work essentials are easily to hand. Whether it’s virtual or physical files, create clearly labelled folders and designated spaces to keep them. Invest money in a stationary holder for those all-important pens, paperclips, and post-it notes. You should also keep your technology cables neat and labelled so you can see clearly what you’re unplugging!
Plan Your Time
Planning your time helps you make sure that the day doesn’t run away with you. Create lists of daily, weekly, and monthly tasks, plan time for breaks, and ensuring your schedule isn’t too tightly packed in case unexpected things crop up.
Working from home often means you’ll have the freedom to choose your own hours but this can also lead to your working hours spreading out over a longer period – starting earlier and finishing later, which can impact your work-life balance. Having a daily schedule with a consistent start and end time can help you avoid this and create clear boundaries between work and home.
Minimise Distractions
One of the most difficult aspects of remote working can be staying focused on your work when it feels like every minor detail of home life needs your attention right away, whether that’s laundry and washing dishes or even just watching TV.
If possible, work with your office door closed and your personal phone on silent. You could also try listening to podcasts or music to help you stay focused. Try not to schedule other things into your working hours that will knock you off track and make it more difficult to get back into your workflow, such as shopping deliveries or non-essential appointments.