How to stay productive? Here are 5 tips worth their weight in gold for everyone who works from home!
The key to how to stay productive, is one of life's greatest mysteries. Many of us are unable to separate work from everyday life. Caught up in the ideology of career and pressured to equate our work with happiness – which causes us to formulate unhealthy, bad habits – we feel that something is wrong every time we don't push ourselves to the limits of sanity.
But even this relentless daily grind can have its relaxing moments, especially when we realize that mental and physical well-being must take precedence! And it was the transition from the traditional workplace to working at home that helped illuminate its value. Gone are the days when being trapped in an office, workspace or chaotic environment acts as a catalyst for boredom, disinterest or non-productivity. Instead, working from home can take the edge off the monotony – more often with more positive than negative connotations. We no longer have to worry about the time-consuming morning or afternoon journey to and from home, organizing free time and activities becomes easier, and shortcomings in the project can be eliminated with a single video call.
Nevertheless, it is crucial to be aware of the situation, because complications arise even when working from home. If we want to stay productive (and busy), we need to stick to it same structure, which we carefully designed in the traditional workplace. In short, working from home can be a blessing or a curse. Whether you're an efficient person who's always one step ahead of everyone else, or a procrastinator who always finds himself under the pressure of schedules and deadlines, we've put together some tips for you to stay productive when you work from home.
Find your routine
Structure is key
Scheduling has always been one of the most important aspects of a healthy workflow. Just because you've moved to a more comfortable work environment doesn't change that fact. Projects, meetings, deadlines—these are all variables that contribute to burnout, especially when you have trouble scheduling (and communicating) issues that arise along the way. In the office, we fix this by relying on more structured environment. Morning meetings are the basis for work during the day, hours of productivity are complemented by smaller but healthy breaks, lunch is the "peak" and serves as a marker of the working mileage of the day, as a time to talk about things that are still on the schedule and socialize with colleagues.
Working from home has a more complicated dynamic, especially in terms of the aforementioned. We are no longer expected to be present all the time. Our morning (or afternoon) meetings are just a fraction of what they used to be. And our colleagues? Well, let's say, if we didn't have a team communication app in our team, we would be invisible players behind the scenes who wouldn't affect our work. Our structure is therefore at risk. If you want to ensure that the lack of aforementioned structure does not affect your work, you are set boundaries. Wake up at your usual time. Make yourself breakfast. Enjoy your morning and find an interesting way to replace your morning commute, whether it's yoga, reading, research, or listening to your favorite music. Start work at a regular time (like around 8 a.m.) and force yourself to maintain a schedule like you would at work.
Divide your day into parts and don't forget to take time for lunch. Need an escape? Easier than ever! Head to the kitchen for a quick snack, sit by the window and admire the beauty of nature, take a walk around the block/house to get some fresh air. Leave the workplace at the normal time. Maintain your boundaries and force yourself to turn off the computer until the next day!
Create your perfect workspace
The most important environment
Now that you've mapped out your path, let's move on to more important things. Remember when we mentioned that breaks are a healthy way to reset during your workday? This is still true, but taking too many breaks can hinder your overall productivity. Instead of making a "home office" in the living room (or bedroom), let's try to move it somewhere where there are no disturbing elements. Separate space for home office is a godsend for all of us who work from home and for all of us who want to set a boundary between everyday life and the work we do.
Lounging on the couch and answering emails in your pajamas is a luxury we can finally afford when working from home, but that doesn't mean we can forget about professionalism. Determining a part of the apartment (or house) where we can move from homeliness to a more functional atmosphere is crucial to our success. Furnish this space or corner as in an office. Make your own workstation, include everything you'll need for a productive workflow and make sure things like TVs, smart devices, and other forms of entertainment don't get in the way of your current project. Keep your workspace clean, free of clutter or objects that are not intended for the work you are doing!
You can find more tips on how to organize your home office here connection.
Isolate the noise
Free yourself from external distractions
We will try to focus on zen and serenity when creating a home workplace. Of course, some people do just fine with background noises like music, podcasts, TV talk shows, and whatever sounds the urban environment can muster, but most individuals function best when they have their own controlled ecosystem to inhabit. It often means calm, instrumental music (no words to encourage distraction), calm and collected behavior and reduced external noise.
Since the world around us is difficult to control, we need to go back to the basics. Instead of trying to change the habits of your neighbors, the busy parking lot on the street, and the random individuals chatting directly under your window while you type, put on a pair of noise canceling headphones. Just like at work, there can also be distractions at home that slow down your work flow. In order to achieve Zen, your ability to block out all these sounds must be at the fore. So invest in a good pair of noise canceling headphones. You may find that blocking out the outside world here and there is quite beneficial for your health.
A list of the best active noise canceling headphones can be found here connection.
Eat better
Maintain a healthy and balanced diet
Nutrition is also an important part of maintaining productivity throughout the day. Working from home not only offers you a unique opportunity to save money and meal plan for a much healthier lifestyle, but it's also the perfect way to change your overall routine, with fruits, vegetables and healthy snacks just a step away. Instead of going out to lunch or ordering food every day, go to the kitchen and open a recipe book.
To stay on top of your work and prepare your mind for a project in advance, your body needs to function properly. Take the time to study the benefits of a balanced ritual planning, and you may notice dramatic changes in your overall health and behavior. Relying on saturated snacks, sugar and fizzy drinks will reduce your productivity. So the next time you open the fridge for a sugary drink or canned coffee, close it and pour yourself water instead, which you combine with a plate of healthy vegetables and protein that doesn't contain ingredients that will make your body suffer.
Pay attention to your health
The most important aspect
Last but not least, we have physical fitness here. We've all heard of the positives associated with a more active lifestyle. And if you decide even on something as small as it is a five-minute walk, this can be of great benefit to you. Being cooped up inside all day is not in human nature. We need to be exposed to fresh air, sunshine and gentle breezes in order to be healthy both physically and mentally.
