How to work from home productively

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Whether self-employed or employee, in order to work from home productively you need a series of behaviors and rules. It requires giving a structure to your day. So, let us see how you can be productive when working at home.

Create a designated workplace

The first, although it may seem obvious, is that you establish a specific place to do your work. If you have a room that you can convert into an office, fantastic. If not, find a place where you can create your work corner.

It is important to have a designated place to help you enter into “work mode”. It will be easier for you to focus if you feel like you are in the office. A suitable table and chair as well as good lighting help you work more comfortably.

Prepare your work tools

Assuming you work from home with a computer, you will need several applications to do your job. A good internet connection nowadays is also usually essential in order to check email, search for information or use planning or communication tools.

As for the latter, tools such as Asana or Trello help you have a vision of your projects and tasks. They are also helpful to coordinate work with other people.

To keep in touch with your bosses, colleagues, collaborators, suppliers or clients, beyond a phone call, there are several video conferencing applications. They allow you to see the face of others in addition to sharing the screen in order to show them a presentation or report. Teams, Skype or Webex are just some examples that make it easier to keep in touch and coordinate work.

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Establish a schedule for work from home

The ideal is to be able to adapt your work schedule to your most productive hours depending on whether you are a morning person or not. But often we must also adapt to the office hours of others.

If you work for someone else, you most likely have a fixed schedule. So, just as if you were in the company office, you need to be available at certain hours.

If you are self-employed or have a job with flexible hours you can adapt your schedule to your productive hours and your needs. Although you may have to take into account the schedules of your family or your customers and suppliers. All this will depend on the type of work you do.

Structure your day

Beyond working hours, to work productively at home, it is convenient to create routines. Our willpower is limited but we are animals of habit.

For this reason, creating routines and good habits will help you know what to do at all times. That way you reduce decision moments about what you want to do next which can lead to procrastination.

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Get quality sleep

Sleeping well is the way to recover from the day and recharge your batteries. To do this, try to go to bed and get up at the same time. Regular sleep will give you the energy you need to perform well.

Create a good morning routine

Showering, dressing for work, and eating a healthy breakfast should be basic to your morning routine. Additionally, you can take time to meditate, journal, exercise, or read something inspiring. This will help you start the day in a good mood and with energy.

Take breaks

Throughout the day take breaks from work at least every two hours. Stretch your legs, move a little, look out the window and fill your lungs with fresh air. For lunch, take a longer break. Cook something healthy, eat calmly and rest for a while. If you can and it makes you feel better, even take a short nap.

Plan your free time

If you want to make good use of your free time, think about what you want to do. Take time to do a physical activity at least twenty minutes a day alone, with family or friends. Spend time with or call family or friends. Enjoy your hobbies and interests. This helps you disconnect well from work, which ultimately makes you more productive.

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Organise your work

Once we have talked about structuring the day, let us see how to organise your work well in order to be productive.

Which are the priorities

First of all, be clear about what are the most important issues. What are the projects and tasks that bring you the most results? Which of the important tasks are the most urgent? They are the ones you should tackle first. Less urgent important tasks should be planned. Otherwise you will postpone them over and over in favor of other urgencies.

Plan your work

If you really want to be productive, it is essential that you plan your work. With your priorities in mind, check your agenda. Reserve slots to make progress with your projects. Also take note of meetings in the short term that you need to prepare.

Also, you should create the habit of reviewing and planning monthly, weekly and daily. Reviewing means checking what you have achieved and then deciding the next steps. When you review everything you have achieved, do not forget to congratulate yourself on it. This is a very easy but effective way to motivate yourself.

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Write down the tasks

As they arise or you remember something, write down the tasks. Thus, instead of feeling tempted to do them right away, you give yourself the opportunity to decide when to tackle them. Not everything that comes up is important or urgent enough to stop what you are doing at that moment. Being productive means knowing how to prioritise and make decisions.

Avoid distractions

Just like in the office, distractions also take up our time at home. We have the usual culprits of mobile phone, social media and interruptions. At home we can also add the television, games console, fridge and even household chores.

Since you are at home, why not quickly put on the washing machine, clean the kitchen, sort those papers … If you want to use some of your breaks for some household chores, that is okay. But be careful that one thing does not lead to another and suddenly an hour has gone by.

So it is best if those distractors are out of your sight. At the beginning I was telling you to designate a specific space for work. Make sure that it is well organised and, as far as possible, only has things related to work in sight.

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Leave your task list ready for the next day

At the end of your workday, review your to-do list. Check off what you have finished, if you have not done so after each task. It gives a sense of accomplishment to be able to cross things off your list. Then review what is pending and decide what the important tasks for the next day are.

This will make it easier for you to disconnect from work at home. In addition, your subconscious will get mentalised for the next day. And the following day, with a glance at your list, you will know immediately what to tackle.

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How well do you work from home?

Do you like working from home? Do you find it difficult to be productive? What is your experience? What do you find the hardest when it comes to being productive? Which are your best productivity tips?

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