Working from home is an experience everyone dreams of… until their dog starts barking on important calls. While working from home isn’t a new initiative in various companies, many people are experiencing remote work for the first time! We always said “where there is wifi you can hustle from ANYWHERE”! Over the past few months, our team has found that these 3 work from home tips help to increase productivity and balance their work/home lifestyle:
Tip #1: Identify your productive hours.
Everyone is different! A question you may have received in the past is whether you’re a morning or night person. The same question applies to your work productivity. Take a week to identify your “sluggish” hours, or periods of time where you find yourself distracted. Keep a notepad on your desk and log the times. At the end of the week, you may notice a trend! Moving forward you can reallocate your workload to better match your productivity levels. For example, if you are most productive in the morning, you may want to consistently schedule time to work on daunting projects then, rather than at times where you may be distracted. And on the other hand, during the times where you find yourself less productive, schedule your lunch, learning or mini-workout! The beauty of working from home is that you are able to facilitate your day in a way that works best for you.
Tip #2: Don’t lose the routine
While it may seem appealing to roll out of bed and begin working, it’s important to maintain a routine similar to that you may have had when you were traveling to the office; Make your cup of coffee, put on nice clothes, prepare your lunch ahead of time, etc. The added plus, is now without the travel time, you can make more time for YOU! Keeping up with your routine allows you to get into the habit of preparing to “virtually go into the office”. As a result, you may find a decrease in distractions throughout the day.
Tip #3: Collaborate in the afternoon
This tip may not work for everyone (Refer back to tip #1)! However, if you are someone who is easily distracted when thinking about the amount of things on your to-do list, use the morning to accomplish the smaller tasks that are making your to-do list longer than it seems. Schedule collaborative meetings and phone calls for the afternoon when you have a clear mind and half of your to-do list checked off already. (P.S. Does anyone else love crossing things off their checklist?)
If you’re new to the Work From Home lifestyle and having trouble getting acclimated – don’t panic! Similar to getting adjusted to a new job, you WILL get used to working remotely.
