We’ve all heard of the advice not to bring your work from home. However, following this advice is impossible for people who work from home. With the pandemic in front of us, almost 56% of the US workforce has shifted to this setup.
Working from home is the best way to safeguard us from the virus and prevent the spread of infection, it may not be the best option for our productivity. While studies have shown that working from home can increase productivity by 13%, it’s not what’s happening nowadays with the Coronavirus crisis.
In fact, it’s the complete opposite. People, especially parents, who are working from home are struggling to stay productive because of a lot of factors. The biggest factors are space, privacy, and children.
If you find yourself choosing to stay under your bedsheets (click here for more detail) instead of working or you find it difficult to accomplish your to do’s every day, it’s about time that you find ways on how to boost your productivity. This article can give you some tips on how to do that!
Work from Home Tips for Boosting Your Productivity
Not getting all your work done is frustrating. This is most especially true if you have deadlines to beat. The good thing is the key to productivity is within you, and you have all the power to turn things around.
With that in mind, here are some of the tips on how to boost your productivity while working from home.
Establish your workspace.
Your working environment affects your work. If you want to be productive, you need to keep your workspace clutter-free, private, and conducive for working. Unfortunately, it can be quite difficult to find the ideal workspace when you’re at home.
It’s important that you designate a certain area in your house as your home office. In this way, you can concentrate on the task at hand. What’s more is you can create a certain sense of privacy, which is important especially if you have children.
Last but not the least, being in a place that’s allocated only for work will help you condition your mind and body for work, allowing you to be the most productive version of yourself that you can be.
Never multitask.
When you’re at home, it’s incredibly difficult to focus on your work alone because everywhere you look, there are things that need to be done. You need to wash the dishes, iron and fold the clothes, sweep the floor, etc.
There’s always the temptation to multitask. You would want to play with your child while sending emails or do household chores while on a business call. We have one tip for you—don’t.
Multitasking is the biggest productivity killer because it divides your attention and prevents you from doing your job efficiently.
Make your bedroom a haven for rest and sleep.
As much as possible, avoid using your bedroom as your home office. When you work in your bedroom, your body gets confused and it becomes hard for it to associate the bedroom only for rest. As a result, you can’t fall asleep easily.
When you’re sleep deprived or had a poor quality of sleep, you won’t be productive the next day. To avoid that, use your bedroom only for sleep, rest, and sex, so you can enjoy a good night’s sleep every night.
Try the Pomodoro Technique.
Studies show that the best way to become productive is to take breaks. Try taking breaks more often, especially when you start to be distracted or already feel tired and drained.
If you don’t know how you should schedule your breaks, try the Pomodoro Technique. You can do this by taking the following steps:
Step 1. List down all your to do’s on a board or sheet of paper.
Step 2. Work on one of your to do’s for 25 minutes.
Step 3. Tick off the accomplished task from your list after 25 minutes.
Step 4. Rest for 5 minutes. (This is equivalent of one Pomodoro sprint)
Step 5. Take longer breaks after every 4 Pomodoro sprints.
Step 6. Do this until your workday is over.
Final Words
Don’t just let productivity pass you by! Working from home can be challenging. The good news is there are plenty of things that you can do to boost your productivity! Follow our tips and you can be on your way to a more efficient you!