More people are working from home than ever before. With the crisis on our hands, working from home is a necessity for some people.
Working from home is great for some and challenging to others. It can be incredibly difficult to be productive when working from home especially when you live with other people.
Since you have to work from home it is up to you to optimize your space for productivity. The following are tips on how to make working from your home more productive:
Create a Schedule
The first thing you will have to do to be more productive is to set a schedule. If you do not plan your day, you will be constantly interrupted and distracted which will ruin your focus.
Working from home gives you the advantage of setting your own schedule as opposed to working in an office where you have to follow a set schedule. Therefore, you can structure it so it maximizes your productivity.
You should always create time for other things in your schedule other than work. It is also a good idea to work during the hours when you feel most alert. That may be early in the morning or late at night.
Make Your Working Space More Professional
If you want to be more productive working from home, you should create a working space that promotes productivity. The best way to do that is to make your working space as professional as possible.
It is difficult to avoid the temptation to place personal effects on your working desk to make it more personal. However, such items are huge distractions that make it very easy to lose concentration.
We all have different ideas of what a professional working space should look like. The best option would be to make it as plain as possible. As they say, ‘out of sight, out of mind.’
Get a Desk Convertor
Even though you are working from home, probably from a laptop, you will still use a desk. However, using a sitting desk at home may make your life very sedentary. Experts at ErgoEdge.co advise getting a desk convertor, which is a device that transforms your sitting desk into a standing desk. It has adjustable height control so you can use it wherever it feels comfortable.
When working from home, it is vital that you take great care of health and sitting all day will do just the opposite. Therefore, a desk convertor will not only make you healthier but it will also make you more productive.
Take Breaks
Because of the many distractions that can happen when working from home, you may find yourself locking your office and spending all day inside. However, if you want to be more productive, that is the wrong approach.
You should include regular breaks as part of your daily schedule. There are many breaks to schedule including eating breaks, bathroom breaks, relaxation breaks and time for play or exercise.
Taking a break is crucial to productivity as the human brain has a limited attention span. By taking breaks, you reset your attention and can return to your work with focus.
Turn off Notifications
The single most effective way to be more productive when working from home is to avoid distractions. Unfortunately, it is extremely hard to do so in the modern world.
I suggest that you turn off all the unnecessary notifications from any channel possible. That will include both on your phone and computer. If you can, you should put your phone away while you work.
Sustained attention is the key to productivity and every time it is pulled by a notification, message or call, it is reduced. It will be an uphill battle, but removing even 50% of distractions will make you significantly more productive.
Declutter Your Working Space
Another impediment to productivity is a disorganized working space. The more cluttered your working space, the worse your productivity.
It is crucial that you clean and declutter your home working space at least once a week. It will save you from the monumental effort of having to clean it after a month.
The more items that you have in your working space or near you, the greater the chances of getting distracted. Having too many things also means that you spend unnecessary time finding your work items.
Working from home is certainly a challenge. The tips above should help you make working from home more effective than it previously was.
Only you can know when and how you are most productive. Just start small and you should be very productive in no time.