7 Ways To Increase Productivity Working From Home

There are many individuals who work from home especially ones who make money online. Furthermore, the current Coronavirus pandemic has forced many of us to work from home as we seek to preserve our health and safety. As you settle in to accomplish various tasks, you should understand that the home setting is a little different from your office or work place setting. You need some measures to help increase productivity working from home.

However, first and foremost, we urge you to stay safe and exercise the necessary precautions to avoid contracting and spreading this disease. There are some measures you can put in place to ensure you are almost or just as productive working from home as you are at your normal workplace. 

1. Set aside a working space

A separate working space is the first step towards a productive session. You may decide to use your garage, an unused room or any place you will have an easy time focusing. There are multiple billion dollar companies that started out in the founder’s garage. 

Your working space should have various needs such as a desk, a chair, a phone, or internet connection. Some of these needs actually present various distractions especially the internet or your phone. Ensure you are comfortable but not too comfortable to slack or even doze off. 

2. Create schedule with long working durations 

Most people prefer working from home due to the flexible hours. However, it is easy to mismanage your time and decrease your productivity. Create a schedule with long working durations to for example, 2 to 3 hours. 

Let’s say you have 8 hours to get some work done. You can set your periods for 3 hours, 2 hours, and conclude with another 3 hours. Ensure you do other activities such as errands in between or outside these periods. 

3. Have a daily list of tasks to accomplish

You can easily go stray from your schedule or daily goals. A to-do list is necessary to make each day productive. Incase you start slacking, simply take a look at what you are yet to cross-off your to-do list. This list also helps to track your progress over time. 

4. Minimize distractions to increase productive working from home.

Your home is filled with numerous distractions. They can be necessary and unnecessary distractions. Sometimes, you may feel like you need to get away to get some work done. One of the most popular distractions is the internet. It can be a distraction both at work and at home. Some companies deny social media access to their computers to ensure their employees maintain focus. 

You also need to limit your online access. Do not stray into social media or watch those funny clips before you get some work done. Other major distractions include:

• Family obligations
• Sleep
• Procrastination
• Alcohol

Minimize these distractions to increase productivity working from home.

5. Have some rules for the people around you

Any working space needs some ground rules to be able to accomplish the set goals. These rules are also necessary at home. For example, you can advise your kids about the volume level of the TV or music, or when they can come into your working space. Imagine you are at an important video conference and your child runs into the room half naked!

Furthermore, the rules should cover division of labor between you and your family members. Let them know when you are free to help out with the chores. 

6. Get out of the house often

Staying in the house non-stop can be monotonous and will hinder your productivity. You need to get out more often to get a change of scenery. It refreshes both your body and mind. Take this opportunity to walk your dog, take a jog, or even go shopping for essentials. 

Even those who have a workplace need to leave at least once a day in most cases for lunch break. However, during this pandemic, we would strongly remind you to maintain your social distance which should be at least 1 metre away from the closest person and avoid crowded places.

7. Call it a day

You should now when it is time to call it a day. It’s easy to be a workaholic especially when you do not separate work and office time. Saying, ‘that is enough for today’ is also a form of discipline. There are instances where we get last minute ideas. You want to try these out with a fresh mind rather than at the end of the day.  Write these ideas down and give them some priority the next day. 

Conclusion

Working from home is about discipline. In case you are used to the office setting, you want to try and mimic your office setting and habits. For example, you may choose to try dress up a little for work as opposed to a t-shirt and sweatpants. You can also take this time to learn from or create online courses. In a nutshell we advise you to take care of yourself, create boundaries and maintain a work-life balance so as increase productivity working from home.