5 tips for staying productive while working at home…
/During our current world pandemic with the introduction of the Corona virus in our human and now recently animal population. We have been forced into work at home businesses for some and others who find themselves with more time than they expected and are trying to learn something new. The issue we are facing is most of us are not used to this new way of life and are struggling to keep ourselves on task and find we are falling behind with what we need or should get done each day. So my tips for staying productive are as follows.
Have A Plan…
I think the most important tip for working at home is to have a plan of action. I know this sounds simple but how many times have you set out to complete a project and then got distracted and ended up in a totally different area. Happens all the time to me (I actually got side tracked for 2 hours while writing this post because I didn’t plan my day and forgot about 2 webinars that I signed up for) so I adopted an idea that I discovered while doing some research online. It was the use of a whiteboard, now I have included a picture of mine so you can see what I mean. All you need is the whiteboard, A black Sharpie marker, an erasable black marker and post it notes. We are going old school here as no technology is required for this one. So basically you separate the board as follows. 1st column which will take up most of the space is your ‘options’ section. This area is for projects that you want/need to tackle, so fill it up. 2nd column is your ‘ready’ section, which can fit 6 post it’s that are moved from your options area as items you are ‘ready’ to start working on. 3rd column is broken up into 2 sections with ‘The Pen’ and ‘Today’. ‘Today’ is at the bottom of the column and for 1 post it at a time. If for some reason you cannot complete the task because you are waiting on some information, then you can move that project to ‘The Pen’ and start a new project while you wait on info for your previous one. Finally our 4th and final column which is ‘Done’ and that is for completed jobs. The feeling of watching your ‘options’ column empty out and your ‘done’ column filling up is quite satisfying.
Exercise & Nutrition
I believe this point most people overlook and it can be an important one. I know when I am working at home I tend to get lost in my work and sometimes lose hours before I realize it. Working from home you have a mindset of comfort and everything is at your finger tips and easily accessible. This can put you in a state of ease and knock you out of your regular routine of eating properly and getting your daily exercise. Even if that exercise is just you walking into your building at work or heading to the cafeteria for a drink. The point is you are moving and in some cases getting some fresh air which can do wonders for your performance and focus. So taking a 15 min break and going for a walk (so long as you practice physical distancing) can do wonders for how you focus when you return. Also we tend to forget to eat when home and out of our regular routines, so be sure to make time for meals and snacks. The best way for me because sometimes i get so buried in my work that I set alarms for myself so maybe after an hour I will take a 15 min break or so on. Do what works for you and you will be more focused and productive.
Location Is Key…
If you find yourself struggling to maintain good work ethic while at home, why not try to set up a home office if possible. This office can have as much or as little as you like. The main takeaway is if focus is an issue then maybe you need to act as if you are going to work and have an area (if possible) where you can be hidden away from distractions. Pick a spot where you normally do not go so you are a bit uncomfortable. If you can, have a desk and chair set up for you to work at. The goal here is to try to make it like you are walking into work as much as possible to get you on the right track.
Social Interaction
This next point I thought of based on the responses of stay at home mom’s that I have heard over the years. The biggest pain point for them was having no adult interaction/conversation. When you are home day after day and your only conversation is on a child level with some brief adult interaction mostly created by deliveries or errands you run, it can get quite boring which leads to you feeling uninspired. The same goes for people who work at home but don’t take time out of their day (doesn’t have to be everyday) when they may be feeling down to talk to a friend. When you go to work you interact with different people all day long which keeps your mind stimulated. However at home you are dealing with the same people all day every day which can make a little social interaction a welcome distraction and quite refreshing. Try it the next time you are feeling out of sorts.
Define Your Working Hours…
This last tip is pretty important if you are working with a team, but also if you want to remain productive while working at home. If you work with a team having the same hours everyday will allow your team members to count on you during the times you have established. This way there is no guessing as to when you will be available and the work will flow better amongst colleagues when a defined schedule is followed. If you are on your own then having defined times will help to keep you on task and also be available during working hours for clients or vendors to get in contact with you.