In the last few years, remote work and work-from-home trends have grown at an unprecedented pace. The employees prefer it over in-office mode and the companies are also taking a soft stance on it. The tricky part here is how you as a work-from-home employee can do your best to stay productive and achieve your goals. The ideas remain the same whether you are a business owner or a corporate employee. The challenge is to touch the milestones you set for yourself. This quick guide on how you can stay fully productive in this new work mode will prove to be useful.
Optimize your devices
Your devices are your best friends when working remotely. You need to make sure that they are optimized in every regard. It’s not limited to a phone or a laptop only. It could be your ergonomic chair, a good monitor height, a good quality noise-canceling headset, etc. These things combined can significantly improve focus and prevent strain on your eyes and body.
When you work from home, there are basic things you need to be good at like maintaining your devices and fixing the common problems as and when they arise. One key aspect of this is knowing about the apps you use for optimizing your devices including iPhone or a Mac. You might ask yourself ‘Is it safe if I use this particular app’. It’s natural for you to be concerned. For this, the guide in the link has every detail that you need to ensure the safety of an app. This knowledge will help you stay on course and work towards achieving your work-from-home goals.
Stay accountable to your team
Always show dedication and stay part of the collaborative unit. Your communication should be clear and your schedule and availability to your team needs to be top-notch. Stay logged in during office hours and use the best collaboration and project tools to be in sync with your team. You might buy a house in some other country to work from home. But to live and work abroad, you need to follow the same rules as before. You might be thousands of miles away from your team but that does not make you free from your office responsibilities and other duties.
Designate a specific workspace
You need to allocate a specific area in your home as your workspace – away from noise and all other home-specific disturbances. Keep it well-lit, uncluttered, and away from high-traffic zones (kids, pets, the road overlooking your home, etc).
Stay focused
To stay focused, use time management techniques like the Pomodoro Technique and apps on your phone and laptop. Take short breaks in between if needed. Avoid digital distractions and make yourself feel as if you are in the real office by telling yourself that you can’t make use of home time to meet people or take undue breaks.
Structure and prioritize your working day
Start your day positively and on time. Do this by creating a to-do list. Create time blocks for managing various projects. A well-organized day will help you maintain a sense of order and prevent you from getting overwhelmed by the workload.
Leaving the “office” at the end of the day
Working from home can easily lead to workaholic tendencies and undue stress. Set clear boundaries between work and personal life. Avoid the temptation to achieve more in a set time. For this, you should shut down your computer and silence work notifications on your phone. Take time to de-stress and recharge and use it for lighter activities like networking opportunities.
Create and maintain a morning routine
Waking up at a consistent time is heavenly. You get time to exercise, have breakfast on time, and spend time with your family and friends. And then at a set time, start your work day. This will keep you on track the whole day and help you achieve your targets timely.
Conclusion
These 7 points, staying productive when working from home can be a normal thing. You just need to follow a routine and stick to some basic rules. There have been some stories where working from home did not provide the ideal results for some but you can overcome those reasons. It’s a new work mode that many workers are using to their benefit and achieving a better work-life balance while not compromising on their productivity levels. You need to try it too.
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