Working from home is on the rise. As the workforce evolves and changes, more people are taking on remote jobs, freelancing, and other forms of telework.
There’s no denying that working from home has its benefits; for starters, there’s avoiding the tedious and often expensive commutes. Other benefits include the ability to set one’s own hours and workspace. Many people also often find working from home to be easier in terms of schedule setting.
It’s very clear that working from home is here to stay. With that in mind, maximizing productivity levels is critical. As the old saying goes, we should work smarter, not harder. Therefore, if you’re seeking productivity tips regarding working from home, keep reading.
Six Ways to be More Productive While Working From Home
Working from home means nothing if you’re not productive while doing it; therefore, the following tips are worth being mindful of, especially if you plan to work remotely for the foreseeable future.
Take Mini Breaks in Between Work Sessions
When many people think of work, they think about grinding it out to get results. More often than not, taking breaks doesn’t come to mind. However, it is critical to take breaks. Even when working, you’re going to need time to refuel and recharge. Whether this means taking 15 minutes for lunch or even taking a one hour break, don’t be afraid to pause.
Contrary to certain beliefs, taking mini breaks in between work sessions doesn’t mean neglecting your responsibilities. In fact, breaks allow you to be better energized and more equipped to fulfill your responsibilities. By contrast, the failure to take breaks in between working can lead to exhaustion and burnout. If this happens, you won’t be in the position to work at all.
Schedule Out Your Work Tasks
In many regards, scheduling and productivity go hand in hand. Therefore, knowing when to start certain assignments and when to finish them makes all the difference in the world.
Scheduling out your work tasks helps provide structure; it also helps ensure that you’re able to stay focused and organized when it counts. As you put together a schedule for your work, be mindful of due dates. Generally, tasks with closer due dates should be prioritized over tasks that are more flexible.
By scheduling out your work tasks, you’ll ultimately know when and where your focus should be at any given moment. Finally, scheduling out your work tasks also lets you include breaks and rest periods as well.
Have an Organized Work Environment
Organization matters; this is true not just when it comes to scheduling out work tasks, but also in terms of your work environment. When your work environment is a mess, this can waste time, cause distractions, and otherwise hinder your ability to do your job.
An organized work environment leads to more productivity for several reasons. Firstly, it ensures that all your documents, files, and other work tools are where they should be. You don’t have to waste precious time searching for anything because you know where your stuff is.
Staying focused is another benefit of having a workspace that’s organized and put together. Believe it or not, clutter can be immensely distracting. This is the last thing you want when working from home…especially when time is of the essence on a project.
Use Appropriate Work Apps
In this day and age, there’s an app for just about everything. When you’re working from home, however, using the right apps can seriously boost your productivity.
Apps like Trello, Slack, Airtable, Evernote, etc., can really come in handy for remote work. These apps not only help with the storage of information; they also make it easier to communicate with clients, coworkers, bosses, or others in your work life.
In this day and age, it’s especially important to be mindful of how technology can benefit you in your work. Using the appropriate work apps not only makes you more productive, but it also leaves you with more energy to spare.
Get a Good Night’s Sleep
Many people who work from home are all too familiar with pulling long hours and late nights. There’s nothing wrong with doing this on occasion; however, the importance of a good night’s sleep cannot be underestimated.
Ultimately, your mind needs time to sleep in order for your brain to ultimately rest and recharge. Sleep also impacts your physical health as well, such as your immune system. Working late from time to time is fine; however, if you are consistently deprived of a good night’s rest, this will eventually catch up to you, thus hindering your productivity.
Ideally, a good night’s rest entails getting at least six to eight hours of sleep each night. By allowing yourself to get a good night’s rest, you’ll be in the best place to think clearly, concentrate, and make the right decisions when working from home.
Steer Clear of Multitasking
In many ways, multitasking is something that happens in various aspects of life. However, when you’re trying to be more productive while working from home, you really don’t want to multitask.
Multitasking automatically increases your odds of missing something important or otherwise making a mistake. The reason for this boils down to the reality that multitasking inherently promotes distractions; it furthermore takes your undivided attention away from your work.
Even if multitasking is something that you’re good at, it’s best to put this aside when you’re working from home. By devoting your complete attention to your work responsibilities, this inherently aids you in being as productive as possible.
Conclusion
In today’s world, a growing number of employers, staffers, and companies are embracing the upsides of working from home. There are also many people who believe working from home ultimately helps the environment, due to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
As the shift in work culture happens, it’s important to ensure that change doesn’t hamper your productivity. In fact, by following the six tips provided above, you may find that the change from commuting to remote work actually benefits you work-wise.
Some people naturally fall into the lifestyle of working from home. For others, there’s an adjustment period. No matter which camp you align with, however, you can never go wrong with being more productive while working from home.