As the world embraces remote work, you may find you're working or interning from home. If it's not something you're used to, you may find you struggle with productivity and are wondering how to stay motivated at work since there are no strict office rules. A flexible work schedule can be a curse in disguise if you don’t know how to manage your time. We’ve put together 4 simple steps on how to stay productive while working from home.
1. Use an agenda to boost your productivity
We recommend setting aside time to list your priorities and tasks at the beginning of the week. Based on your progress, you can then adjust your daily to-do lists every morning.
There are a variety of tools available to help manage your time. While diaries are a timeless option, digital productivity tools have been gaining ground recently on account of the flexibility they offer to their users.
We enjoy keeping a to-do list in addition to a daily schedule. This way, we can list out all of our tasks, and adjust our schedules as the week progresses. Since Google Calendar is used by many companies to schedule meetings, it might be convenient to build your weekly agenda on the same platform. The great thing about Google is that features such as Google Keep and Reminders share the same parent platform. As a result, you can keep an overview of your long-term commitments while setting realistic daily goals.
Organizational videos such as this one can help you navigate the abundance of technology that is available to us today. Dive into the productivity space on YouTube to find a combination of tools that work best for you!
2. Be honest with yourself
Setting unrealistically ambitious goals for yourself will demotivate you early on. Know how long you can stay focused, how many breaks you need to take in a day, and how much time you require for your tasks. Working from home can be distracting for some, as you'll be around your TV, family/housemates, and constantly being reminded what chores need doing around the house. If you know you don't focus as well while working from home, consider taking your laptop to a coffee shop, library, or coworking space and see how well you can keep your attention on work and achieve your daily goals in a different space.
Evaluate how many tasks you can complete when you're completely focused. Don’t forget to schedule some breaks. At the end of the day, you can decide how successful your plan was, and adjust your goals accordingly for the rest of your week.
3. Create a workspace to stay productive while working from home
Having a well-lit, spacious, and clutter-free home office could significantly boost your productivity levels. If you usually scroll through Slack while sprawled across your bed, it might explain why you are not finishing your tasks by the end of the day. We all know how tempting it is to get lost on YouTube or Netflix or push aside your computer and cuddle with your dog. Having a designated space for work could solve that problem.
4. Disconnect for sustainable productivity
Taking time to decompress is vital to sustain your productivity. Make sure you spend time actively reconnecting with your family and friends, and taking time for yourself to relax and avoid burnout, so that you can wholeheartedly focus on your tasks during your working hours. The key word here is ‘active’. You will not be able to recharge effectively by scrolling through Instagram or running ‘Friends’ on a split screen. Separating work from your personal life is often crucial to finding the perfect balance.
