Working from home is almost everybody’s dream. The idea of working at home in your pajamas and getting to set your working hours is not a luxury for everybody. As much as it sounds enjoyable, it can be quite challenging to stay focused and complete your intended projects.
Productivity at home depends on various factors. How can you be productive when you’re thinking if the nanny has fed the baby? Or how the waste management company hasn’t passed by the house? Basically, a home has a lot of distractions that need discipline and a schedule to know how to juggle through them.
So how can you be productive when working from home?
With all the annoying distractions that come with working from home such as noisy neighbors, your pets wanting some attention from you and chores, it can be challenging to get maximum productivity.
The first essential thing is to understand that what works for somebody else may not work out for you.
1. Get a Home Office
No matter what you do for a living, if you work from home, one of the most meaningful investments you can ever make is getting a home office.
If you work in your bedroom or the dining area, this could deter you from achieving maximum productivity. At times you’ll find yourself getting distracted by your favorite shows.
Some of the significant distractors at home are:
- Watching TV
- Lack of proper office equipment
- Children wanting your attention
- Phone calls
The idea is to have a distinct boundary between office and personal space. Clear a specific area or room (if your house is big enough) where you can work comfortably without any issues and distractions. If you have a spare bedroom, invest in buying office furniture and making the room your office space.
Finances are a significant determinant on what equipment you invest in furnishing your office room. Sometimes you may even consider getting a loan to facilitate the purchase. However, always ensure you can pay the loan to avoid debt collection companies coming after it such as Calvary Portfolio as explained here. This hurts your credit score which could prevent you from accessing loans in the future.
This way, an exclusive room helps you work quietly with maximum concentration as it is away from any distractions in the rest of the house.
2. Set Your Working Schedule
Home is not naturally a place designed for work. Therefore, if you have to turn it into your office, you need to have a working schedule. Just like you’d have one at work.
You need to have a working schedule that specifically details your daily goals, breaks time, refocusing time and so on. You need to schedule a time to check on your toddlers, feed them and get them to bed. You need to plan for time to recharge.
3. Implement Measures To Avoid Digital Distractions
Facebook pop-ups, email notifications, new Youtube video notifications and so on are some of the worst digital disruptions.
It’s so easy to sit down to work on a task, only to be distracted by a social media notification. An hour later you realize you’ve been going through the social media feed and completely forgotten about the task you were scheduled to complete.
Turn off the wifi on your phone or switch off the data. Don’t check the email until the time you’ve scheduled for the task. Alternatively, you can download apps that help you to control these digital distractions.
4. Take Care of Your Physical Health
When working from home, you have very few physical activities. The lack of physical activities can predispose you to develop sedentary lifestyle illnesses. Also, sitting for an extended period can be harmful to the backbone.
Therefore, it’s imperative to schedule time to take care of your physical exercises. Go for a morning jog. Hit the gym. Do some home-based exercises so that you can raise your heartbeat and avoid cardio illnesses.
5. Maintain Your Social Relationships
When a person goes to the office each morning, they don’t have to be concerned about maintaining social relationships. It’s easy for them since they are always interacting with colleagues and partners at work. However, for work-at-home professionals, you have to make an intentional effort to maintain your social relationships.
Having face to face conversations with your friends is imperative for your mental health. Getting a chance to vent out about your experiences helps you to manage your stress. Having a person whom you can talk to helps you to gain clarity about the challenges you are facing.
Therefore, for your mental wellbeing, schedule time to talk with your friends. Go out for a cup of coffee. Go for local meetups and attend networking events. They will not only help you be productive the following day but will also help you get networks for your work.
In conclusion, remote workers are increasing every single day. It’s therefore crucial for you to start learning ways to be productive working at home since, in the next few years, you might be running a remote company. You don’t want it to be counterproductive to your mental and physical health.