Is your working from home productivity less than perfect right now? Manifest a little motivation with these success-focused suggestions.
It’s a tad tricky to adjust to working from home. There, we said it – but it’s really just the truth. Be it a choice or something thrust upon you, it’s not always easy to pull that elusive working from home productivity out of the air.
Yet, it is possible. With a few tried and tested techniques and tips from those in the know (aka those of us at SOCIÉTÉ HQ), you’ll get there.
So, if you’re suddenly working from home and struggling to adapt or you’ve decided to take the plunge and give entrepreneurship a go, here’s how to maximise your working from home productivity.
Stick To A Schedule
It’s fun to wake when you want, enjoy a leisurely breakfast, and start work as and when you please, isn’t it? Perhaps for the first week, but it soon gets old. Because there’s nothing that kills your productivity like a poorly planned day.
If you want to work successfully from home, you have to stick to a schedule. It can be any schedule you like, after all – it has to work for you, but it should be something you operate well with. The mind responds well to structure. And when you know that you only have a set amount of time to get things done, you’ll make sure you do.
Be Done With Distractions
When you’ve been working from the comfort of your glorious home for just one week, you’ll soon be able to spot one huge problem. The home is endlessly distracting. From puppies to piles of washing to prime time TV, there’s a wealth of woes to attack your working from home productivity. And so, you have to work extra hard to stop them.
This means not working in a social space where you know puppies or people will vy for your attention. It means not cosying down on the couch and hoping you’ll be wonder woman in the work department. It does mean being strict with yourself and saving chores for later, despite how convenient it is to complete them during the day and enjoy a free evening.
Discipline is the key to working from home productivity, and that means desperately avoiding distractions.
Treat Yourself To Breaks
If you work all hours, you’ll be at your most efficient, right? Well, if you think this, you’d be incredibly wrong. The more you work, the more unproductive you’ll become.
Ever noticed that you feel burnt out after sitting in front of a screen for hours on end? Or that you take double, or even triple, the time to complete a task after a long day? There’s only ever so much the brain can withstand.
But, if you were to take more breaks, your mind will feel refreshed and ready to create again. And yes, that’s breaks – plural. So, once every hour or two is absolutely perfect. Get a snack, pour a glass, or get out in the sunshine and stretch your legs. It works wonders.
Design A To-Do List
Now, that routine we mentioned, you’ve started to see just how crucial it is, haven’t you? And what goes hand in hand with routine when it comes to working from home productivity? A to-do list.
Love it or hate it, the to-do list helps you to get a lot done. And if you’re the kind of person that thrives at the thought of a series of tasks to work your way through, you’ll know just how handy they can be. Yet, at the same time, you have to make it manageable.
Let’s get real here. It’s glamorous to feel busy, isn’t it? But if you know you can only handle three things on your to-do list before you burn out, keep it short. Add everything else onto a to-remember or notes list instead. Because your to-do list should keep you covered, not chaotic.
Be Kind, Be Grateful
This final point may seem strange at first, but it’s as equally as important to your working from home productivity as everything else. Because if you’re about to get anything of value done, you have to be kind to yourself.
Don’t set yourself up for failure with poor preparation. Don’t wallow in your workout wear and wonder where your enthusiasm has skipped off to. And certainly don’t expect too much from yourself.
Working from home can be a little anxiety-inducing at the best of times, let alone in the current climate. So go easy on yourself. You’ll find your rhythm in time, and until then, focus on all of the goodness you have to be grateful for. It’ll keep you going – even when a Gossip Girl binge calls.
Are you working from home right now? How are you making it work for you? Share your working from home productivity with the SOCIÉTÉ community in the comments below.
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