Remote Work: The Do's and Don'ts in Skyrocketing Your Productivity
The office—where the magic happens, creativity flows, and goals are achieved. For some, it is their castle of focus and their abode of productivity. This is all great except for one little problem: things are changing and most of us are now being forced to work from home.
While working from home is great – you get a more flexible work-time – you may have also noticed that it has become increasingly difficult for you to accomplish your daily tasks. You are stuck trying to figure out how to boost productivity while working remotely.
The mental fatigue that comes with being indoors every day might also be getting to you. Morning now feels like evening and vice versa! The days feel the same and it’s becoming more difficult to get out of the rut. Trust me, you’re not alone.
I’ll be giving you a few tips to get you enjoying your work again. Working remotely has its positives, and with the right hacks, you might even find that you’ll prefer working from home rather than commuting to the office every day. After all, a recent survey shows that employees who telecommute are overall happier and earn better than those who show up to the workplace every day!
Let’s look at a few Do’s and Don’ts.
DO: Have a Regular Work Schedule
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Ask any veteran remote worker and you’ll get the same answer: Have a schedule and stick to it!
It’s easy to lose track of time when you’re at home all day. You may find it difficult to get out of bed or to get your tasks done. The easiest way to get around this is to have a schedule.
Are you more productive during the day or at night? Set out about 4 hours during your most productive hours. If you work best in the mornings, consider working from 8 am to 1 pm, or 8 pm to 1 am for the night owls. You can even use a time control software to monitor your time input. This prevents you from burning yourself out. Time tracking apps like Traqq help you to know how many hours you’re putting in.
Having a set schedule where you can focus on nothing but work will help you build discipline and ignore external distractions, such as surfing through social media.
DON’T: Juggle Too Many Things
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It can be tempting to want to handle several tasks all at once. After all, you can cook while doing your office work and at the same time put the clothes in the washing machine, right? WRONG! You’re not a computer motherboard and you shouldn’t try to become one. Focusing on one task at a time will help you accomplish more and boost your productivity.
Your brain works more efficiently when you allow it to focus on one task at a time. Your decision-making speed is heightened and your creativity is sharpened.
Focusing on a single task also means you get to concentrate during family time. If it’s family time, then it should be family time. Separating work from your personal life is a great way to relieve mental stress and increase your work output.
DO: Have a To-Do List
Organizing your thoughts is one great way to improve your productivity. It can be difficult trying to remember everything you’re supposed to do, especially when working from home. To get around this, you need to have a to-do list! This makes you more goal-oriented. Each day, you can write out everything that you want to accomplish. Arrange them in order of importance.
Check each task off the list as you complete them. This keeps you from forgetting important tasks and focusing on less important ones. It also gives you a sense of accomplishment as you check each completed task off the list.
You can go the old fashioned way by using a notepad and a pen, or you can use to-do list apps such as Todoist, TickTick, and Habatica. These apps have extra features such as timers, reminders, and dates that make them a tad more efficient than notepads.
You can write your list in the morning immediately after waking up or at night before you sleep. Most people find it better to make the list before bed. It gives you the ‘up and at them’ attitude when you wake up the next day.
DON’T: Push Yourself too Far
One of the many benefits of working from the comfort of your home is the flexible hours. You no longer have to work from 9 to 5. You can choose your work hours and take a break when you feel tired. Studies have shown that it’s more effective to work with mini-breaks rather than forcing yourself to keep working even when you’re fatigued.
You can choose to work for 50 minutes, take a 10 minutes break, and repeat the cycle, or you can work for 90 minutes, take a 20 minutes break, and then repeat the cycle. There are various break methods that you can use to boost your productivity. Enjoy the flexibility of working remotely and don’t feel guilty when you want to take a break.
Remember, take an ‘effective break’ such as taking a little stroll, eating a refreshing plate of salad, or doing some stretches. Sorry to burst your bubble, but simply switching from your work screen to an Instagram feed won’t do you much good. Get up, stretch your body, and moving around. This can reduce your health risks by as much as 33 percent!
One last thing: do not turn your 10 minutes stroll into a 3-hour journey around the world! It’s good to use the break time to share a few good laughs and get your mind off work, but don’t eat into your next work cycle. Use your mini-breaks effectively.
DO: Create a Workspace
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One important hack for boosting productivity is to create boundaries. Have an area or room dedicated to work and nothing else. If you live in a small apartment, this can be as simple as having a desk specifically for work. That means no eating or surfing through social media apps when you’re on it. You can even take it a step further by taping the floor around your desk. This helps you to create a mental boundary.
Having a defined workspace lets you know that it’s time to get down to business. The moment you sit at your work desk, no distractions should be entertained. Do not eat, play games, or surf the internet. Build the discipline and watch your productivity levels go off the chart!
DON’T: Work in Your Pajamas
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Yes! You read that right. There’s a positive psychological effect linked to dressing up for work. You don’t need to wear a suit or knot a tie, but the simple ritual of getting up, taking your bath, and wearing a comfy “work outfit” gets your mind prepped to bring out your best.
Some swear they’ve increased their productivity just by wearing shoes. How formal you decide to dress is up to you. Just make sure you’re comfortable in whatever you choose.
There you have it—the do’s and don’ts of boosting your productivity. Try the tips we mentioned and observe how they will enhance your performance.
Do you want to build and maintain new habits? Get your free PDF version of the Don't Break The Chain calendar and start today!
Do you want to build and maintain new habits? Get your free PDF version of the Don't Break The Chain calendar and start today!
Author's Bio
Grace Morris is a tech and digital marketing enthusiast who loves to travel and is passionate about learning new emerging trends in digital media and the internet. Her interest in helping businesses leverage their digital authority has led her a career as a Digital Content Specialist in Traqq. Her next goals include writing a book and becoming an event speaker.
