Working from home can be the devil’s advocate. The temptation to procrastinate in the surroundings of your own four walls is difficult to resist. Even though you don’t have co-workers dropping by to engage in conservation or being invited out for lunch, it is the lack of observation in the home office that makes you free of any inhibitions. This lack of accountability can affect performance as can the thought of popping downstairs to power through more episodes of your favourite Netflix show.
Here are 10 ways you can increase productivity while from working from home and make this luxury a profitable one.
1. Create Your Own Work Haunt
In a home environment, people tend to be at their laziest. It’s easy to stay in bed too long when your commute is literally a walk down the stairs or a dream across the landing. Take your work space at home seriously and set up a separate area that serves as your own office – this should be used for work purposes only. Consequently you will adopt the mindset of ‘all work and no play’ when you begin your daily grind.
2. Get Dressed
The epitome of indolence. Waltzing around in your pyjamas can put you into an excessive state of comfortability and this can inadvertently decrease your intensity levels. Treat your day as if you would be going to work, otherwise you might find yourself crawling back under the covers.
3. Keep Your Work Space Clean
Most offices employ a cleaner to give employees a fresh, clean start every morning. The majority of home workers however are not blessed with such luxury. Messes are distracting so keep your clutter and untidiness to a minimum as it will save you time throughout the day. To add to your disarray, studies show that over time, your desk can collect more than 400 times the bacteria on your toilet seat.
4. Reduce Social Media Disruption
Social Media has become almost engrained in our working lives. Any opportunity to check the latest tweet or viral Facebook post can subconsciously cause us to lose our concentration. Remove all social networks from your toolbar bookmarks and if necessary adjust your social media settings so that notifications do not come through on your mobile device during working time.
5. Use Music To Boost Your Energy Levels
Music can prove to be a fantastic melody of productivity if applied correctly. It is up to you to discover what beat makes you tick. Create playlists and try to match your songs to the different exertion levels that you will exercise throughout the day. For example, if you are blazing your way through a barrage of emails, songs of a fast-paced and expeditious nature are likely to be in sync to a task of such rapid nature.
6. Take Clear Breaks
Keep your batteries recharged by taking regular breaks. Give your eyes a rest and remind yourself that you do have a life outside from work. It is easy to become obsessed when working on a particular assignment or task so use the time away from the desk to clear your head.
7. Interact With Other Humans
Even though you are likely to be in contact with those that you have professional working relationships with, it is still imperative that you physically go outside and find another human to interact with. Any excuse from ordering a coffee to running an errand will suffice and in the process free yourself from the isolation of your own home office. This will keep you sane!
8. Embrace Productive Working Behaviours
There are several steps for creating desired behavioural change but the process begins with educating yourself to solve a problem and concludes around the concept of perseverance. This overall development is intended to empower an individual to take continuous small steps toward the behaviour they wish to adopt.
As mentioned in this blog post, take the time to hash out some starting behaviours that you think will be useful – these could be existing ones or others you have recently adopted. Set a date to reflect on these and critique yourself honestly to see what has worked (and what hasn’t!).
9. Structure Your Day
Routine is everything so make sure you schedule your working day at home to keep you focused and productive. Either early in the morning or the night before, make a list of all your tasks and prioritise them accordingly. “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
10. Pick A Definitive Finishing Time Each Day
Maintain a careful work-life balance. People come home to get away from the pressures of work, but you are not blessed with this option. Do not let your work life manifest into your personal life and upholding a boundary is important for both halves of the equation as well as your own fulfillment.
