What is the clue for staying productive while working remotely? You should create an environment that enables you to do your job at hand. It makes no difference whether you are a “freshman” or an old hand at working from home, below they may find 5 tips for creating a productive workplace at home.
Take Breaks to Restart your Brain
Fresh air and sunlight positively influence not only plants but they have a wonderful impact on people, too. Regular training at the gym or simply going for a walk adds much to your physical and mental health that is the keystone to productivity during remote work. In case you have a dog, just make it a reason to spend at least half an hour in the nearest park. This will definitely “upgrade” your mental clarity and optimize productivity.
Having short breaks throughout a workday is useful not only for your mental wellbeing but physical as well. In particular, it refers to the eyesight. Staring at the screen of your laptop without breaks can kill your eyesight. So, going for a walk (together with super high-quality glasses from muunel) is your prevention from productivity loss and bad eyesight.
Don’t have time to relax due to terrible deadlines? It would be ideal to have a cup of coffee in front of a window because it has an almost identical effect as the above-mentioned practice.
Arrange Your Workspace
Even if the Covid-19 pandemic has made most people work from home, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a productive work environment (a couch, a bed, or a hammock is not about productivity, ok?). Organize a place dedicated to working. Buy or rent a comfy office table. Put the laptop, stationery, a smartphone, a plant, and your favorite cup, and nothing more on the table.
That way, when you sit at the table, your brain starts perceiving it as “it is time to work.” It modifies the feeling from “I’m at home” to “I’m at the office”. Such an environment will help you feel motivated and focused throughout the day.
How about Morning Traditions?
Many celebrities attribute their success to starting their day with strict habits. Developing a morning routine supports your productivity during the day. Prepare an action plan for your morning you should stick to from day to day. Ideas for morning routine activities you may find here.
An important thing should be mentioned in this paragraph. While working from home, have you ever paid attention to how you dress? It is time to do it (productivity will say “thanks” for that). Forget about pajamas or costumes that make you look (and feel) like a sloth. Well, casual days are incredible, but misuse will negatively influence your work.
Create an Effective Communication
Performing a job remotely doesn’t mean a solo experience. As a rule, it requires communication with colleagues and contractors. That is why it is a must to arrange appropriate methods for collaboration with them. A short guide for effective communication is the following.
In case you have to make an official announcement or decision or deliver extra important info, it is effective to do that via emails. If you want to get an immediate answer to your question or tell about a fast update of something to your colleagues or contractors, use tools like Slack or Google Hangouts.
Detailed discussions or brainstorming is perfectly implemented during meetings. As far as you work from home, videoconferencing via Skype or Zoom is the solution. Such apps help users to arrange periodic check-ins with their colleagues.
Nobody Cancelled Work-Life Balance!
Staying productive is impossible without creating boundaries. What is that about?
In most cases, working remotely means you have limitless access to work. However, it doesn’t mean you should be on-line 24/7! Even if a wonderful idea came to your mind at the last minute, come back to that the next day because a last-minute action may be extended over hours.
Think about a word or a phrase that will serve as a signal that you should stop working momentarily. Tomorrow your productivity will be at the highest level.