By now we have all realised that working from home can potentially have a negative effect on our productivity. It is all too tempting to start working in your pyjamas and before you know it, you are watching TV, working from your bed and you haven’t worked a full day and been productive for 1 or 2 days, and before you know it, the weeks fly by.
Falling into these traps once might be a nice relaxed day of work, but over a long period of time this lack of structure can make you feel very down and even depressed. Structure is great for our productivity, but more importantly it is great for our mental health too.
Here are a few easy ways that you can boost your productivity while you are working from home for everyone from commodity recruiters to bankers and digital marketing professionals.
Set A Morning Routine
A good morning routine can make a world of difference to your day. Just by getting up and getting dressed into working clothes you will set yourself up for a great day of work. But why not go a step further and take advantage of your very short commute?
Use that extra time to create a morning routine that refreshes and energises you. Go for a run or do some yoga to start your morning. For example, a little bit of hair care, such as applying some argan oil in the morning will likely make you feel fresh and ready for the day ahead. Perhaps, simply make the time your skin deserves to do a full skin-care routine, pamper yourself with a skin-care range perfect for you and take your time to exfoliate, cleanse, tone and moisturise.
Determine and Fix Your Home Workspace
Having a demarcated space to work means that you can signal to your brain that it is time to work just by entering your set space. Set up a specific space where you can work comfortably and with focus. It might be a desk but if you have less space it might just be a seat at your kitchen table. Ideally you will be able to shut off your workspace to limit distractions. Having separation will also mean that at the end of the day you can shut your work-brain off and close the door on your ‘office’. This will mean you are less likely to return to finish that one little thing and that you will return the next morning properly rested and relaxed.
Keep Your Workspace Comfortable
One of the most important parts of working from home is making sure that the workspace you have is as comfortable and clutter-free as possible. There are a few simple ways in which you can keep yourself comfortable whilst working from home:
- Optimise your work set up for comfort and posture (chair, desk and screens)
- Try and maximise the daylight entering your workspace
- Keep the area around where you work as free of distractions and any unnecessary clutter as possible
- Look for ways to make your home more comfortable overall
By making your home generally more comfortable, not only will your workspace benefit, but you may find that you are in fact, able to work from more places around the home.
This in itself is a benefit which will provide a welcome change of scenery, breaking up the potential monotony of working from home. A great way you can do this is by properly insulating your home, which doesn’t need to be overly expensive. Draught-proof doors and windows, or even look into the UK Government’s Green Homes Grants, which can cover the costs of improving the energy efficiency of your home, making it that extra bit more comfortable.
Limit Distractions
Working from home can be full of distractions, from our children, to our pets, to the housework, to the TV. Distraction is everywhere. Try to cutdown on distractions by setting up a calm and quiet space to work. If you are not able to shut yourself away, try out some noise cancelling headphones.
Set Clear Working Times
Just like setting a clear space to work, setting out clear times for work and free time can have a big impact on your productivity. If you have some flexibility, consider when you are most productive and set your work times accordingly. Not only should you set and stick to clear working times but set clear resting times. A large part of being productive is giving our brains the time to rest and recover.
Pick Up the Phone
If you work in a team with other people, picking up the phone every now and again could save you a lot of time in the long run. When we are not working in the same space as our colleagues, we can often misinterpret what is being asked of us. Pick up the phone to check in on your work family and make sure you are all on the same page.