Working from home can give you a lot of perks. You get to dress in your pyjamas, eat what you want for breakfast, and stay out of the 9-5 grind. But it also requires a lot of discipline and an intense focus on getting things done. So here are a few tips for being more productive while working from home:
1 Keep up with the news
It’s important not to let yourself become stagnant when you work from home. Check out what’s going on in the world with BBC News or other news sites every day so that you don’t just turn into a slug at your desk all day long.
2 Take breaks regularly
You’ll find that when you work from home, you get very focused on your projects and tasks. Don’t let it go to your head! Make sure to take regular breaks so that you can get up, stretch, and move around. This will help prevent carpal tunnel syndrome or other issues from sitting in front of the computer all day long.
3 Have a dedicated place for work stuff (and don’t let the bed be it)
If you have a place to work, be it a desk or an office, then make sure you don’t let your personal junk take over the space. You could opt for a wireless printer so that it can stay in one place and allow you to work from anywhere in the home. There are plenty of office printers to choose from.
4 Break up larger projects into smaller pieces
When you work from home, there are fewer people around to help break up large tasks into smaller chunks of time. When this happens, it can make things take longer because projects can become overwhelming and you may want them to be over with quickly because of that fact. When you break up a project into smaller tasks, it becomes easier to get them done. Plus, it allows you to track what you’re doing, which will help motivate you to keep working on the task over time.
5 Plan ahead
Before you start work each day, make sure that you have everything set out in front of you and ready to go. This will eliminate last-minute scrambling and help prevent panic when it comes time to get things done. If there are things that need your attention, write them down and put them where they need to be. This will allow you to stay organised and can save a lot of time at the end of the day when all is said and done.
6 Have your nutrition plan in place
If you eat lunch or dinner at your desk and work through the night, then it doesn’t leave much time for eating between breakfast and dinner. So make sure that you have a plan for eating each day to keep you from getting hungry during the day. If this is something that worries you, make sure to take breaks at fairly regular intervals throughout the day.
Working from home is the new norm for many, so being productive has to be a goal that all homeworkers should take seriously.