Many of us are currently working from home as we try to stop the spread of COVID-19. For some of us, this is relatively normal. If you have worked from home in the past, or usually spend most of your time working from home, you might just be trying to find a new way to juggle your work around other members of your family, who aren’t usually around in the day time.
For others, it’s brand new. Many people are joining the remote workforce for the first time, which often means having their previously held views being blown away. Most people that have never done it think that working from home must be easy. A lot of these people are currently finding out that their expectations don’t quite match reality.
Working from home isn’t often as simple as it seems, and most members of the home workforce struggle with motivation and productivity, at least some of the time. So, if you’ve been suddenly thrust into the home working gang, here are some tips to help you to stay productive, and make the most of your time.
Set Daily Targets
Big targets are great, but it’s often the smaller, daily goals that keep you going. When you first sit down at your desk, write down all of the things that you would like to achieve that day. These can be smaller things, such as arranging seo services and sending emails, or more time-consuming and significant tasks. Write them all down.
Try to Get into a Routine
Flexibility is great. You might enjoy working early, freeing up the rest of the day. On warm days, you might think that you’d rather work once the sun has gone down. If it works, fantastic. But this kind of flexibility isn’t always good for productivity. You might find getting into a new routine, and certainly, that showering and dressing for work help you to stay more productive.
Prioritize
We often lose productivity when we try to do too much. Our to-do lists become cluttered and unorganized and our thoughts convoluted. If you’ve got a lot to do, write a new list, prioritizing the most important tasks, which can’t wait until tomorrow.
Take Regular Breaks
It can be much harder to focus 9-5 at home. It’s harder to stay motivated when you are alone and easier to become distracted. So don’t try. Give the Pomodoro method a try, working in shorter spells with regular short breaks.
Define Your Work Space
When home is work and work is home, it is easy to feel lost. Define a workspace to help set clear boundaries, helping you to work without distractions while keeping family life separate.
Look After Yourself
We’re living through an exceptionally challenging time. You might be stressed out, tired and understandably worried about your health. It’s hard to work well when we’re feeling like this. Take care of your physical and mental health to boost your productivity. Make sure you are eating well, exercising, keeping in touch with friends and family and getting plenty of sleep.