4 Productivity Tips For Working From Home During A Pandemic
Whether youâre an employee of a company or a business owner, itâs no longer necessary to work full-time from a brick and mortar office space to be productive.
This is thanks to ever-advancing software like Slack, Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts, and Simplish making office work and face to face work meetings a thing of the not too distant past.
And you know what?
In a lot of cases, working from home has many benefits. People are reportedly more productive, less likely to call in sick, quit their jobs less frequently, and are happier in general.
However, this isnât to suggest there arenât challenges when first transitioning to remote work.
To make this transition a little easier, Iâve put together these following tips to help you stay on top of everything work-related while working from home.
How To Work From Home Effectively
The main worry many people have when transitioning to working from home is the challenge of staying productive.
If this is you, donât stress. This worry is perfectly warranted as it can be quite difficult at times to stay on top of everything when working remotely.
âCause you know, keeping your kids entertained but out of your hair, attending to the emotional needs of your pets, feeding your partner (did I get those two mixed up?), setting up a functional home office, getting your head around new remote work software and remote technologies, all the while still finding time in there somewhere to have a social life can all be really tough!
To combat any seen or unforeseen problems you may have, here are a few tips and strategies that will ensure your success as a remote worker.
Set Up A Quiet And Practical Workspace
While working from home, any slight breaks in concentration can lead to major procrastination.
The neighborâs noisy power tools, your catâs want for a cuddle, ink-dry pens, unreachable power points for a low laptop batteryâŠ
...all these micro distractions add up quickly and can take hours out of your working day.
Therefore, itâs really important to set yourself up a workspace that is not only peaceful and quiet but also very functional.
Get yourself equipped with all the tools you are likely to need. A printer, closeby power outlets, a comfortable work chair, a pair of noise-canceling headphones, whatever it is you need to ensure your productivity.
Also, if you can, separate your workspace from your personal living areas. This not only ensures you stay productive but it will also allow for a separation between personal and professional life.
Set Out Some Ground Rules
Although working from home gives us the opportunity to be super flexible with our work hours and work structure, itâs still beneficial to set out some solid ground rules that you should abide by.
Itâs far too easy to start work on a Monday or Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. and knock off at 4 p.m. with work still to be finished. Doing this only leaves things to the end of the week or the last minute and can cause unnecessary stress and frustration.
To avoid unnecessary stress, try planning out your day. Use a journal or a software program like Simplish to allocate time allotments that you can stick to.
Another strategy is to split your day into increments.
The first few hours of the morning may be used for the most brain-sapping tasks, the middle of the day for planning and organizing, and the end of the day for emails, networking, and meetings.
Getting this right is essential to meeting your professional requirements.
Schedule Social Interactions Where You Can
Although COVID-19 is making it tougher than ever for us to be social, it is super important to get a little social interaction in while working from home.
Even the most introverted of us need to see a friend or loved oneâs face after a few isolating days of remote work.
Schedule in some social connection such as a lunch date, an exercise class, a morning stroll with a friend, or, if you find yourself in a COVID-19 lockdown, a video chat with a loved one.
Use Free Software To Cut Down On Home Office Costs
Sure, you can claim your internet connection, electricity, phone calls, and stationary on your tax, but that doesnât necessarily mean you have to rack up a massive home office bill just for the sake of it.
Where you can, use free services or software to cut down incurred costs.
If you are making international or long-distance calls, use Google Hangouts, Zoom, or WhatsApp. They all work off your internet connection and will cut down your phone bill.
Instead of printing everything, try to work completely electronically instead. Google Drive allows you to write documents and develop spreadsheets that are easily shared between you and your colleagues.
Google Drive and similar software also back all your work up remotely.
So in case of some form of emergency, like a power outage, you wonât lose your work as can happen with offline software.
Conclusion
Working from home is an exciting prospect. No traffic jams, public transport, or unwanted visits to your office desks from your boss.
Plus, catching an extra half hour of sleep or the delicious taste of a homebrewed morning coffee never felt sweeter.
As long as you can mitigate some of the challenges that remote work can pose, you are sure to stay productive and feel very happy in your new home office.
Good luck!