Which environment helps you become more productive-is it your home office or the company office?
Co-workers are frequently the greatest threat to you getting some meaningful, heads-down work done in the office. They show up at your desk, strike up a conversation, and invite you to lunch. The social interactions and benefits are nice to have, but they can be challenging to maintain if you’re easily distracted.
While family members might be a nuisance in the home office, it’s far too easy to become your own worst opponent.
At the home office, no one is looking. You don’t have the same peer pressure or sense of urgency to complete tasks. Working away from your co-workers and only having remote online meetings might lead to emotional disconnect and apathy. It also has the potential to induce procrastination.
With that in mind, here are the top 5 ways you can do to stay productive while working from home!
Establish Your Home Workspace
It’s not that working from home is challenging for many, but the thought that everyone is working from home. Having a specific workplace is difficult to come by when you have homeschooled children or roommates on conference calls, but it is necessary for being productive at home.
If you have an office with a door, take advantage of it. If that doesn’t work, try facing your workstation toward a wall or a window to shut out the rest of the apartment’s distractions. Create false borders between your home office and home by stacking books or using plants. If all else fails, a set of noise-canceling headphones can work wonders.
According to studies, having a personal office can help you focus. Having a defined area in your home where you “go to work” can help you focus more and be less distracted. It’s great if you have an actual workstation in your home, but because every home is different, you’ll have to make the most of what you have. A kitchen counter (sitting in the same spot each time), a dining room table, or a corridor desk are excellent options.
Start and Finish on Time
Working from home might make it even more challenging to strike a work-life balance. A home office can lead to you never leaving work if you’re not careful. Boundaries can help you not just balance your career and personal life responsibilities, but they can also help you be more effective as a leader who manages people.
Set working hours and expect your co-workers to adhere to them, as well as yourself. Set up morning and evening habits, such as having a cup of coffee when you open your computer and going for a walk when you close it. Use the “away” status on your digital communication tool as needed.
Socialize
When your company starts allowing employees to work from home, you’ll undoubtedly miss the informal social contacts you’re used to.
So, what options do you have? Communicate.
You can avoid boredom and loneliness by talking with your co-workers regularly. Contact them through video chat, apps like Zoom and Slack, or any other communication method your company employs.
Keep in mind that you’re not working from the moon but your own house. Go outside and engage in some human interaction, order a coffee, run an errand, whatever. It helps you keep your sanity.
Stay Active
Working from home sometimes appears to be a dream skipping rush hour and accepting calls from the couch, but it can easily lead to a sedentary lifestyle. Staying active is vital for your physical and emotional health, even if you work from home. It might take some creativity and self-discipline.
Here are the ways to get you moving:
- To begin, keep to a schedule that includes your daily workout.
- Remind you to move for a few minutes every hour by setting a timer.
- While you’re on the phone, stand up and walk through each room in your house for five minutes every hour.
- Go digital with yoga or kickboxing something for everyone and every ability level on YouTube and smartphone apps.
- Don’t you have any fancy gym equipment at home? It’s no problem. Sit-ups, push-ups, yoga, and various other exercises may all be done without any equipment.
Find and Work Your Rhythms
Some people work best in the morning while others require longer to get into their groove. Find out what works best for you and plan your day around it. If you can focus right away, arrange phone calls for later in the day; if you get a midday slump, schedule busy work that doesn’t require much concentration. While it’s critical to set workday boundaries, take advantage of a late-night flash of inspiration when some people are at their most creative.
Conclusion
Even if you miss the office, working full-time from home could be helpful. You won’t have to worry about commuting every day, and you’ll be able to spend more time with your loved ones, which will allow you to provide better care.
To help you make the most of your new schedule, try some of the suggestions mentioned above that you may discover that working from home is just as productive as working in an office.