The events of last year necessitated rapid and drastic changes in the way businesses of all sizes worked. The pandemic forced the closure of large offices and prevented face-to-face work environments. This meant that a lot of employers had to implement sweeping work-from-home arrangements to protect their employees.
As the pandemic has stretched on for a year, a recent survey reveals that at least 71 percent of America’s workforce are still working from the safety of their own home. As time goes on, you may find yourself growing increasingly complacent.
Here are seven methods you can try to boost your productivity, even as you keep working from home.
- Stick to a Schedule
When you’re working form home, it can be very easy to ignore a schedule and just work whenever you feel like it. But this type of lackadaisical behavior is unacceptable, even if you’re a freelancer. Come up with a reasonable schedule that allows you to complete all your work goals and work on your personal endeavors such as chores. Once you’ve worked out a schedule, stick to is as much as possible so you can finish your workday productively.
- Dress Properly
So many people choose to begin their workday clad only in their underwear or wearing day-old clothes. Although this is fine when you’re working at home instead of an office, dressing up can put you in the proper and productive mindset. Slipping on a women’s crop hoodie and a comfy pair of jeans may be the boost your brain needs to go to overdrive. You don’t have to dress fancy, but getting dressed at all can be a huge motivator to working harder.
- Establish a Starting Routine
No one can immediately get to work after they’ve just gotten up, whether they work the day shift or night shifts. Therefor, its important that you have a starting routine that wakes you up before you have to log in for work. This can start with a refreshing shower, a hearty meal and light exercise. Find out what wakes your mind and body up before the proper start of your workday.
- Get Your Own Space
In an office setting, you have your own desk, your own computer and your own department office. Unless you live in a large apartment or a suitably spacious house, you may not have such luxury. It’s vital to your productivity that you seek out and establish your own small space where you can concentrate on your work. This can be your own home office or a corner of the living room. No matter what the space is, make it your own with a desk, a chair and any other furniture you’ll need.
- Take Frequent Breaks
Your body and mind can’t function properly without plenty of breaks and you need to ensure that, even though you’re working from home, you can still take time away from your job. Every hour or so, stake out five minutes where you can enjoy some light, relaxing activity. Listen to a couple of your favorite songs while sipping tea, reward yourself with some time on social media or go for a short walk around the block. Even a short break can be enough to refresh your mind and ensure you can finish your shift.
- Don’t Forget Your Nourishment
In the office, your coworkers can remind you that it’s time for lunch. However, when you’re working form home, you have to monitor your activities on your own. Never forget that you need nourishment such as both food and water to function and think properly. Set an alarm that will tell you when you need to drink a glass of water. Ideally, you should chug down a glass every hour or so. Set another alarm so you can know that it’s time to close the laptop and eat a plate of low-carb pasta or order some burgers and fries for lunch. Keeping your body fueled will prevent you from feeling sullen and let you power through the hours.
- Make a To-Do List
Finally, make sure that you have a comprehensive list of all the things you need to accomplish before your shift is over These can include specific tasks, meetings, phone calls you have to make and similar activities. You will feel an incredible sense of relief and satisfaction when you cross out all the items on such a to-do list and even completing one item can be enough to motivate you to work on the rest.
The pandemic will most probably carry on for months, if not years, depending on circumstances. Until such time, you will need to work from home. Keep these tips in mind, and you can expect stellar work and glowing reviews from your employers.
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