The world was exposed to a new way of operating when the coronavirus outbreak swept the globe at the start of the year 2020. Thousands of working professionals have switched to full-time work from home.
Many folks were taken off surprise and had no choice except to go along with the flow. Others were ecstatic at the possibility of working from the comfort of their own homes.
Companies and employees didn’t have enough time to plan for remote work, and they didn’t know how to move entire processes and teams to an entirely virtual environment. It was introduced suddenly and for an unspecified amount of time.
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The New Living Standard
If you’re new to the work-from-home scene, you may have learned that in order to thrive and strike the right balance between work and personal life, you’ll need to make significant changes to your daily routines and habits.
Working from home might be challenging. You’re in your own space, yet there are several distractions that make it difficult to focus on your activity. There may be company, a house to clean, laundry to do, a pet dog to feed, food to buy, and a pile of work to do.
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It’s also possible that you’ll end up working longer hours. Full-time remote employees put in an extra 26 hours of effort per month, according to a recent poll.
As the amount of hours worked grows, so does stress. 91 percent of employees who work from home have experienced severe to excessive levels of stress, according to a poll conducted by Ginger during the epidemic.
Everyone who has worked from home has had to figure out when to work, where to work, what office equipment is needed, and how to keep business and personal lives separate.
10 Tips To Keep You & Your Productivity Motivated
Reflection is a great way to begin your day
While working from home, self-reflection is an effective method for increasing productivity. Start your day with praying and meditating for a few minutes. This will aid in the relaxation of your mind, the alignment of your ideas and actions, and the preparation of your thoughts and actions.
Make a list of your daily priorities in a diary. Set little objectives for yourself throughout the day, such as how much of the overall task you want to finish and when you want to finish it.
According to a recent Harvard Business School research, 25% of persons who journaled performed much better than those who did not develop this good habit of regular reflection.
You can get into the correct frame of mind to achieve your objectives by setting aside a few minutes at the start of each day. It will show you where you are now, where you want to go, and how to get there.
Maintain a regular schedule
Compared to going to and working from a standard office setup, working from home allows you to have a more flexible schedule. A routine may bring a lot of optimism into your life.
It will assist you in becoming more productive and motivated. Choose one object that will serve as a reminder that you are going to begin work. It might be as basic as brewing a cup of tea in the morning, returning home after walking your dog, or washing, applying cosmetics, and dressing.
Choose an existing habit that will help you feel more prepared for work and stick to it.
Make time for “serious work” and “meetings” on your calendar
To maximize productivity, stick to a timetable. You’ll be able to better control your workload this way.
Consider the following elements while putting together your schedule:
- The time of day when you are most productive
- The schedule of your working wife and children (if this is applicable)
Deep work time is when you completely immerse yourself in order to do the most critical activities without interruptions. When you concentrate only on the task at hand, this is when you are most productive.
“Studies suggest that getting back into the flow of work after an interruption can take up to 25 minutes or more.”
So, figure out when you’re most productive during the day and arrange your deep work around that time.
If you want to get up early and get to work, aim to get as much work done in the morning hours as possible. This way, you can devote the remainder of your day to less demanding tasks and plan your meetings accordingly.
Begin grouping tasks
The process of combining jobs of a similar kind together to promote efficiency and production is referred to as task batching. Producing a blog and writing a school newsletter, for example, are two responsibilities that may be combined. I’m curious as to what the link is. Writing is the unifying theme here.
Breaking down a large project into smaller specific pieces and categorizing them by similarity can help you better manage your workload and improve the quality of your work. Task batching also helps to reduce stress. You won’t want to skip this work-at-home productivity tip.
Create a separate work place for yourself
Avoiding distractions is one of the most challenging issues people face when working from home.
Choose a spot in your house where your work will not interfere with the lives of other family members and where you will not be easily distracted by what is going on around you.
Find a quiet, stress-free space where you can concentrate totally.
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Keep a time log
If you have trouble managing your time, try the Pomodoro technique, which is used by millions of individuals.
Work is divided into small intervals of 25 minutes with this strategy. Each interval is referred to as a Pomodoro, which is Italian for “tomato.” Francesco Cirillo invented this approach, which he called after a tomato-shaped timer he used as a university student.
If you need to know how long a task will take and if you have a lot of repetitive labor to accomplish, this strategy will come in handy.
Make sure your gadgets are set to ‘do not disturb’
The habit of checking your phones every time a notification appears can ultimately eat away at you.
When you’re working on anything important, turn off all notifications and put all of your gadgets on ‘do not disturb’ mode, including messaging apps like Slack. Your efficiency will skyrocket as a result.
After work, go for a stroll
After you’ve finished working for the day, use the time you’d have spent driving to and from work to get out of the house and take a walk. Inactivity is one of the most serious drawbacks of working from home.
You have a tendency to sit in front of your computer until your responsibilities are completed, and before you realize it, hours have passed. Walking is one of the most effective ways to enhance your health and fitness.
Include at least one physical exercise in your daily routine, and walking is an excellent choice.
Make use of productivity software
Your laptop is not only your major instrument for completing and organizing all of your responsibilities, but it is also the key method of contact with your bosses and coworkers.
In recent years, a variety of productivity solutions, such as Fellow app, a meeting management program, have been available to help you increase communication and efficiency when working remotely. These solutions enable remote employees to connect efficiently with coworkers and clients.
Define your limits
You should establish ground rules for who is allowed to enter your workspace and when. If you have children or pets who require your care, this is critical. The goal is to keep distractions to a minimum so that your work does not suffer.
Let’s go through a few ground rules to get you started.
For starters, if you have children who require constant care, you may organize their day and schedule activities that will keep them occupied while you are on the phone or in meetings.
Adults are not exempt from the rule. Ensure that they are well-informed about your plans for the day. Don’t be afraid to maintain your ground and establish clear limits.
Then there’s training for dogs!
With their favorite toys (especially the ones they don’t get to play with very frequently), you can keep your furry employees entertained. They could be entertained for a while with interactive toys and long-lasting chews!
Pro tip: Closing your door will help you focus on your business calls.
