I’m may be slightly late to the party with this style of post, but for me working from home is a slightly newer thing for me. What with lockdown restrictions slowly tightening up again I have begun working from home a little more to limit and I personally find that I’m so much more productive working from home. With that being said, I thought i’d share a few tips on how I keep up productivity working from home that may help you if you’re struggling with your productivity levels.
I thought I’d share some tips on how I keep up productivity when working from home!
Following lockdown and furlough I returned back to work and the office environment back in July and I was so thrilled to be back at work. Having been furloughed for around 17 weeks, to return to the office and to some normality felt so weird, but also very welcomed at the same time. Fast forward a few months to now and with some of the uncertainty that is surrounding a potential second lockdown, working from home is slowly being introduced in case we suddenly have to move to remote working.
Thankfully I’m quite good at adapting when it comes to working. Whether it be in an office or from home, I am able to readjust and still manage to get the days to do list ticked off regardless of the environment. Personally I find that I am more productive working from home, mainly because you don’t have the natural distractions that come with working in an office but I also find that I get major FOMO when working from home and it can feel slightly lonely at times. Having said that, I know that isn’t the case for everyone and some really struggle with working from home, so here are a few things that I find help me to keep up productivity when working from home!
Make Sure You’re Prepared
The biggest and most important thing to consider when you’re working from home, is ensuring you are prepared to be able to do so. Whether that means ensuring you are able to connect to your work network from home, if not then ensuring you have everything you need transferred onto a memory stick or hard drive in order for you to work as effectively as you would in the office. Another thing to consider is also preparing your desk area the night before if possible! Don’t leave it to five minutes before you’re due to start work and you then come to find you need an extension lead that takes ten minutes to find. Having a desk set up prepared and ready to go will take the stress off of you the following day.
Set Realistic Goals
For me I find I am much more productive when I am at home purely because you don’t have the same distractions as you would in an office, so for me I actually over egg and plan to get more done, but for some that isn’t the case. One thing I always say when goal planning is to be realistic. Whether it’s your new years resolutions or planning your daily to do list, always be realistic with what you can actually achieve in the time you have. That way you won’t end up feeling disappointed that you’ve not got everything on your to do list ticked off.
Take Short Breaks More Often
Another way that I keep up productivity when working from home is ensuring that I am taking small breaks. As I mentioned above, being more productive also means not leaving my seat for hours on end and is a habit I am trying to get out of by taking short breaks away from my desk/screen. Whether it be popping the kettle on and quickly doing the washing up whilst its boiling, or whacking a load of washing on whilst you’re waiting for a document to save. Taking shorter breaks here and there can really help with productivity and it also gives your eyes a break from your staring at your screen all day!
Eat Lunch Away from Your Desk
Another little habit that I think we all get into whether we are in the office or working from home, is eating lunch at your desk and it can be so hard to recognise how much this can curb productivity. As I mentioned above, taking short breaks from your screen here and there is great, and this goes for taking a proper lunch break away from your screen. Whether you move away from your desk to eat lunch at the dining room table, or in front of the TV for 20/30 mins. It will then allow you to get your head straight back into work mode when you return to your desk!
Go for a Short Walk on Your Lunch Break
As well as eating lunch away from your desk another great thing you do to keep up productivity when working from home, is to get out of the house during your lunch break. If you can of course, because I completely understand some people just can’t. Just getting out for twenty/thirty minutes to get some fresh air in your lungs and to also get your body moving after sitting at your desk for the majority of the morning, it will do wonders for you. Whack on your favourite podcast (mine is Sh*gged, Married, Annoyed) or an audio book and get yourself out there! If you can’t get out during your lunch break, then i’d consider getting out before you start work or once you’ve finished for the day!
How to you keep up productivity when working from home?
