Working from home is the new norm ever since the COVID 19 Virus outbreak. Employees have had to adjust and learn new ways of performing their duties at home and online. In this social distancing era, working from home can be unproductive and lonely. You aren’t in a professional working environment and distractions once in a while will reduce your productivity.
Here’s what you can do to ensure you remain efficient and productive when working remotely.
Designate a working area
Normally, you would be working from your office in the workplace. To be effective and productive, it is necessary to replicate such an area or create a distinct working area at home. If you have a spare room at home, turn it into a dedicated working area that you can “commute” to daily. Ensure your working area is well-equipped and away from distractions like the television and kids.
Take breaks
When working remotely, it is easy to experience time famine where you have so much to accomplish in a short time. As you create your schedule, make sure to include breaks to avoid working throughout the day. Take tea and lunch breaks, or set aside time to stretch and get away from your devices. This way, you will be able to recharge, refocus, and regroup. Ultimately, you will work efficiently and increase your productivity.
Create a conducive working environment and stay healthy
Being confined within your home 24/7 is daunting and can reduce productivity significantly. For this reason, you need to ensure that you stay motivated by working in a conducive environment. Clean your working area regularly, organize it, and ensure excellent air circulation by hiring indoor air quality specialists.
A conducive environment is free from air pollutants and keeps you comfortable with the help of heating systems and air conditioning. Coupled with a conducive working environment, stay healthy. You can do so by maintaining a healthy diet, exercising, and getting enough sleep to be more productive and efficient.
Besides pollutants, you also have to get rid of distractions, such as unnecessary gadgets and clutter. Use space-saving office organizers to sort out your files and supplies and clear up your working area. A disorganized office breeds mental clutter, which will keep you from focusing on your job.
Maintain a normal-day-in-the-office routine
Before the pandemic hit, you probably had a usual workday routine. With the changes that have resulted in working from home, you no longer have that routine. However, you need to be flexible and create a new routine that you can stick to. Set strict working hours and stick to your routine. This will wire your brain to know when it’s time for work, breaks, and when to stop working, ultimately increasing your efficiency and productivity.
Maintain communication with colleagues
Working remotely can make you feel isolated and lonely. You are no longer around your colleagues, and you can’t visit them either. To ensure you are productive, maintain communication with colleagues through the available online platforms
Conduct weekly check-ins with your team while conducting meetings to ensure that everyone’s mental health and well-being are in check. It will also enable you to communicate work-related issues to increase productivity.
Bottom line
We are in a new era where working from home is the new norm. Although this is a big change for many, there are ways to ensure efficiency and productivity. Stay connected with your colleagues through frequent communication, create a conducive work environment and take care of your health.
Designate a working area where you can work without distractions, take breaks once in a while, and stick to your working hours. With time, you will learn how to work efficiently from home and increase productivity.
