Before the pandemic hit the world, there was a stigma that always surrounded the people who worked from home. It somehow made people comment things like, you are free all day or you’re working from home, what the big deal’ and you are bombarded with chores. The essence of it is, the previously working from home didn’t sound like real work to people.
However, today in 2021 corporations are working mainly from home. Tools and gadgets are being made to facilitate just this. Now, working from home is not a luxury or an option, but it is has become mandatory given the pandemic.
This is why today we see a rise in work from home jobs as well, be it content writers, graphic designers, virtual assistants, Online Qari (Quran tutor), digital marketers, etc. There is a lot of jobs, that are now being given the flexibility of working from home. Corporations have also realized that employees can work productively from their homes as well, and best of all it has given people a balance of office and family life.
However, some employees struggled to work from home, as they were too used to the office environment. This is why, In this article, we will outline 10 ways you can be productive working from home.
10 Ways to Be More Productive Working from Home
Stay Religious to Your Regular Working Hours
Even though you are working from home, you have to make sure that you are working your regular office hours. Which are usually 9 to 5. What happens is, that if you become relaxed about your working hours, you might see yourself slipping to perform your tasks and stay in sync with your online meeting, etc.
This is why, to keep the office vibe going, keep the office hour routine intact. And be firm about it. Take your regular coffee breaks etc just like you would in your office. The key is that it will keep your office routine intact.
However, slacking one or two hours behind is not a big deal. What you need to keep in mind is to be available when your boss and coworkers need you.
Don’t Mix Work and Family
This is a tough one. Working from home sometimes means that you might not be able to separate work from home. You might get sucked in-home chores or end up babysitting while in meetings. While multitasking is not a bad thing, you still need to give your hundred percent focus to work to stay productive.
This is why, when you make your work schedule, it is important that you let everyone in the family know about it so they don’t end up disturbing your routine.
Plan your Day
When you want to work from home, you must plan your day ahead of you. It will help you keep the flow of work continues and prioritize your tasks. Consider the following elements when planning your day:
- List down your highest priority task first.
- Plan your hardest task during your most productive time. For example, a few people tend to be productive afternoons, so assign a complex task to that time frame.
- Plan your lunch and coffee breaks in between meetings so don’t miss out on something important.
Dress Yourself Up for Work
While you might be working from home, it is still important that you dress accordingly. Keep up your normal routine, which means get up and shower, and dress yourself up in your office suit.
We would suggest you even wear socks and shoes so you stay in the character.
Create Home Work Space
While dressing up helps, it also helps if you have a designated space at home for your work. We suggest you dedicate a room to your office, it can be your kid’s room, basically, a space that can give the alone and quiet time to work.
If you have a small house, you can set up your office in a living room where you can put a desk up against a wall and create a small space. What you need to take care of is to keep yourself away from distractions.
Keep your Office Space Clean
Just like your office space at work, you need to take care of your cleaning yourself just like you do at work. Otherwise, you will end up with a lot of misplaced stuff. Why? Because you have your rhythm of things and you should know where you kept your things. This helps you retrieve your things without delay.
- Spend a little money in your Home office
- Turn off Notifications on Phone
- Keep the Socializing Ongoing
- Create Boundaries.
