By now, many of the companies that we work for have instructed us all to implement working-from-home due to the COVID-19 outbreak in high hopes of flattening the curve. As exciting as working from home may sound, it can be a bit difficult to stay disciplined and focused on your actual work—especially when you’ve never worked from home before this.
Many of you may be struggling with maintaining productivity and actually having to focus on getting work done from the comfort of your home. With all of the various distractions and time you have on your hands, productivity may be the last thing on your mind. So how do you remain productive and focused on the task at hand while working from your safe haven?
We’re sharing with you, eight tips and tricks for maintaining the ultimate productivity while working from home. Check them out below, and let us know some of your W-F-H tips to optimize your productivity!
8 W-F-H Tips to Optimize Your Productivity
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Establish a permanent workspace
When you aren’t used to working from home, your first thought maybe “I can finally sit in bed all day with my pajamas on while logged into my computer.” However, this mindset will cause you to fail at working from home. You want to make sure you’ve establish some place in your house to get your work done.
Whether that’s at your kitchen table or a desk in your office space—make sure your workspace is clutter free, distraction free and bed free. This designated workspace will allow you to keep separate home from work, even though you are home, which in turn will optimize your productivity.
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Set realistic work hours
Sometimes working from home may seem like you’re working outside of your normal work hours. To prevent this feeling from occurring, simply set your regular work hours that you normally would work in office, but from home instead. If you normally work a 9-5, then make sure you are setting those work hour boundaries- anything before or after those hours will simply have to wait until the next work day.
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Stop watching the clock
OK so after you’ve set your realistic WFH hours, now you need to get to work and stay focused. This means, don’t watch the clock or count down the hours until your work day is over. Instead, focus on the task at hand and optimize your productivity by actually focusing on your work—in turn, you’ll realize that the time has actually flown by because you’ve been focused and in your zone.
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Discover your most productive periods of the day
Because productivity is key, you want to make sure you maximize it. If you realize that you are most productive at a certain time of the day (early morning or midday) then use that time to get the most work done. This not only goes for WFH, but everyday life. Utilizing your most productive periods of the day will help you maintain focus while getting your work done.
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Remove distractions and create a specific time for them
Working from home comes with a lot of distractions. Especially during a time like this, you may have your children home, or you may have to tend to other things throughout the day. Whatever your distraction may be—eliminate it while you are working.
Designate a specific time to watch television or do activities with your children, but keep in mind that your work time is specifically for your work, so make sure you’re using that time for that, and your designated distraction time for other things outside of work.
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Incorporate breaks into your WFH schedule
Removing distractions goes hand-in-hand with incorporating breaks. WFH is different than physically being in office, but it doesn’t have to be. You can still treat your time the same way you would if you were in office. It can be a bit overwhelming being idle for a long period of time in one place, so take breaks—bathroom breaks, lunch breaks, mental breaks, whatever break you may feel is needed, take one!
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Log off!
One of the most important tasks of a productive WFH routine is creating boundaries. Once your work is done, log off for the day—physically and mentally. This means, not only should you log off from your computer, but you should also take the time to mentally log out of your workspace and mindset.
Allow your brain to recharge and prepare for the new day with a clear and motivated headspace. Just because you have access to work 24/7 does not mean you have to work 24/7. Allow yourself to have a healthy work-life balance.
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Remind yourself that WFH isn’t a vacation, so don’t treat it as one
Although WFH may feel like a mini vacation, it’s important that you understand that it is not a vacation, but a time to not only get your work done, but to make sure you’re doing your part by self-quarantining in order to flatten the curve. Take this time to optimize productivity in your work as we all get through these difficult yet, possible times together!
Let us know in the comments below if these 8 W-F-H tips to optimize your productivity were helpful and how you plan on incorporating them into your daily routine!
