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Working from home can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, you’ve got the freedom and flexibility to work whenever and wherever; on the other, you have a ton of distractions to avoid, and the lack of structure and schedule can easily bleed through your productivity. Here are seven tips on how to maintain a productive routine while working from home:
Have a Permanent Workspace
Allocate a permanent workspace or home office, whether it’s a spacious, ventilated closet or a spare bedroom. Creating boundaries between your personal and work life is key to ensuring a productive work-from-home routine. Ideally, your workspace will have a door so you can easily shut out background noise. You should also have all the equipment you need set up in your workspace, such as a file cabinet, printer, and office supplies. This minimizes the frequency of going outside and thus minimizes the risk of getting distracted.
Use the Right Technology
Investing in quality technology makes practical sense if you’re looking to work from home long-term. It may cost a pretty penny right now, but a high-performance router can save you a lot of stress, frustration, and lost time. Since you’ll need to be connected to the web to send out emails, attend video conferences, and update your teammates via chat, a reliable router is necessary. You’ll also need a good desktop, laptop, and remote phone system to efficiently perform your tasks.
Use the Right Furniture
The right computer chair can mean the difference between back pain and a comfortable posture and gait that’s conducive for optimal focus and efficiency. This doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have to buy luxury furnishings to get that level of comfort. Trusted brands, like Ikea, offer affordable desks and chairs. They also have file cabinets, dividers, and anything else you’d need for your office. You should also invest in a desk riser. These offer level adjustments for your computer setup so you can sit and stand while working.
Figure out What Hours You Should Work
If your hours are flexible, you should figure out what periods of the day you are most productive. Different people have different hours when they are most productive. For instance, you might find yourself daydreaming or slow in the morning, but full of creative ideas and focus in the evening. Once you figure it out, you should set the work hours and follow it to the letter. Set a hard limit that tells you when you should stop working and do something else with your time. This can be any activity as long as it isn’t work-related.
Have an Updated To-Do List
To-do lists help you keep track of tasks that have to be done for the day. Without a supervisor breathing down your neck, it can be easy to forget things you’re supposed to complete. A to-do list gives you that visual blueprint. It’s also a good way to finish tasks in the order that you’re supposed to get them done. In addition to a to-do list, you should also have an up-to-date planner. Here, you can write pending emails, deadlines, scheduled appointments, and conferences.
Dress Up For Work
Working in your pajamas can be freeing, but it also puts your mind in a different state, a more relaxed and lounging state. For some work-from-home professionals, this seemingly harmless wardrobe choice can play a psychological trick on your brain and affect your performance. Work-casual forbids jeans, shorts, and short dresses or skirts. A work-casual dress code is easy enough to implement consistently while still instilling a more professional and focus-oriented mindset.
Exercise and Eat Healthy
Working from home means you can easily slide from bed to your work desk in a minute. No more showers commute to and from the office, and all other physically exerting activities involved when you have to work outside the house. Make it a point to at least stretch in the morning. A work-from-home routine also puts you at risk fo developing bad dietary habits. It’s easier to reach up to the cupboards for some processed treats. Start doing meal prepping on the weekends so you can eat healthy throughout the week.
Increasing your productivity while working from home is all about establishing order and being several steps ahead of any distractions and common productivity zappers.
