In this digital age, many already live the remote work life and have developed a specific rhythm that works for them. Working from home has a lot of benefits like saves commute time, money and also lets you do more than you could do at your workplace. But it’s certainly no vacation and being productive is easier said than done.
However, even in the midst of a global crisis like Covid-19, businesses can carry on productively with limited impact in a secure and collaborative way with work from home. When you work in an office, the environment has lots of cues and associations that help you get into the right frame of mind to be productive. You might not notice them when they’re there, but once you’re remote working at home, their absence can make it harder to get started – especially if you associate your home environment with relaxation and fun. It may also lead to overworking which is not at all good for your work-life balance. Here are the best tips to working from home that we have compiled for you to make working remotely effective:
- Follow a regular schedule: Setting a schedule not only provides structure to the day, it also helps you stay motivated. Your day should look like a normal work day where you keep most of your personal distractions away. Make sure you give yourself permission to have downtime. If you have to work extra hours on a project, give yourself some extra free time later on to compensate.
- If you have kids, prepare for disruptions: It’s difficult enough to get work done if you have children at home, but even harder with younger kids like babies and toddlers.
Still, it’s not impossible if you have plan ahead and have some flexibility. - Get into the right mindset for work: It’s important to keep home life distinct from work life. Develop a homeworking routine that sets you up for a day’s work, not a day snuggled up on the couch with your laptop while Netflix plays in the background, or working late into the night when you could be chilling out with loved ones.
- Buy a noise-cancelling headset with a mute button. The last thing you want is to be in an online meeting with all kinds of blaring noises in the background.
- Take regular breaks: Take restorative breaks regularly. To help you get into the habit, set an alarm clock to go off every two hours in the room farthest from your desk. Use these alarms as opportunities to get up and take a break.
- Collaborate and communicate: keep in touch with your team mates and share your updates with them through tech tools like Slack or Trello. These tools are multifaceted, with some platforms including voice call, video call and screen-sharing options to help you collaborate while working from home. This is particularly useful when you are jointly working on a project.
- Defeat distractions: You may face everyday distractions like corners that need tidying up, laundry, a dog that needs walking, televisions blaring in the background, a comfy couch tempting you to nap instead of check emails, your smart phone etc. Plan to do chores before and after work, and decide how much time you will dedicate to these tasks.
- Focus on what you’ve accomplished at the end of each day to keep yourself motivated.
- Create a dedicated workspace and let your family know that you are unavailable during work hours. If you don’t have a desk, use your dining room table. Besides making you feel like you’re at an “office,” this helps you maintian good posture, avoid distractions, and leave your work behind at the end of the day.
- Try dressing up each morning for work: It is believed that the clothes we wear affect our mindset and can really make a difference in our productivity levels.So if you find yourself working from home, put on your work clothes so that you can keep maintaining your focus and motivation