The work from home setup is on the rise. Because of the current pandemic, working from our homefront has now become the new normal and more and more companies are moving towards this direction.
Working from your homefront may sound a lot more manageable and easier, however, based on what a lot of people are experiencing now, it's not always a walk in the park. This article provides helpful tips that can help you face the different challenges and hurdles as well as ways to boost productivity when working from home.
Work From Home Benefits
The work from home culture is now the new normal. Even though there are a lot of hurdles and challenges, the benefits of working from home are still well-established.
- Less overhead expenses
- Increased employee productivity
- Better work-life balance
- No long commutes
- More work and time flexibility
- This shows the employers trust in their employees
- This strengthens employees' loyalty to their employers
Work From Home Challenges
Although there are many advantages to the work from home set-up, there are also several disadvantages that we are all dealing with. This is most especially experienced when employees are just starting out and still adjusting to the new normal.
Here are some of the many challenges faced when working remotely:
- Managing distractions like family members, kids, pets, etc.
- Finding the line between work and rest
- Setting strong and healthy boundaries
- Less physical activity when working from home
- Feeling isolated especially for those who live alone
- Dealing with burnout and overwhelm
- Back and neck pain from sitting all day and a more sedentary lifestyle
Work From Home Productivity Tips for Beginners
1. Set Up Your Work From Home Office Space
The first essential item to get to when setting up your work from home office is finding the right place to do work. Additionally, this place needs to be somewhere you won't be distracted. Here are the factors to consider when finding your office space:
- minimal interaction with your roommates or family
- enough light in the area
- quiet place to concentrate
- enough power sockets available
2. Get Organized
Working from home is different from having an actual office. Getting work done from an actual office space changes your mindset and overall mood. Additionally, commuting from your home to your office also switches your mindset to work mode which helps you concentrate more. However, when your new workstation is just a few steps away from your bed, it can be difficult to switch on to work mode.
So here are a few ways to start getting organized when working from home:
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Online Tools to Organize Your Work
- Instead of having heaps of papers and documents on your desk, try using these online tools to organize your files:
- Google Drive
- Dropbox
- iCloud
- Instead of having heaps of papers and documents on your desk, try using these online tools to organize your files:
3. Set a Routine for Your Work From Home Setup
Before the pandemic forced us all to work from home, we each had our own schedule that we would follow and for most of us, it started with getting ready to head to the office. This routine signals our brain to switch on to work mode. When we follow this routine, you can switch your brain from relax mode to work mode even when working from your homefront.
- Wake up at the same time every day.
- Get ready and get dressed for work.
- Have a hearty breakfast before starting work.
- Make time for concentrated work.
- Add breaks in between your day.
- Avoid distractions in your work area.
- Clock out after work.
4. Schedule Your Tasks
Some people thrive on to-do lists while others don't. It's definitely different for each person, but in general, having a list of the things you need to get done is essential for your productivity. You can create task lists and prioritize which items need to be done first. This way, you get to lessen your overwhelm when you have a hundred items on your list.
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Productivity Tips When Scheduling Your Tasks
- There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to creating your work from home schedule and it definitely differs for each person. But here are some productivity tips that you can use:
- Prioritize the most difficult tasks first.
- Work on tasks that need moderate effort in the afternoon.
- Save the mindless or simplest tasks for the end of the day.
- There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to creating your work from home schedule and it definitely differs for each person. But here are some productivity tips that you can use:
5. Schedule in Breaks
We've discussed the different distractions that can come up when working from home. Which is why adding breaks in between your schedule and having some buffer time is so essential for your productivity and to avoid burnout.
Unexpected challenges when working from home:
- Slow internet connection or power interruption.
- Issues with your computer and difficulty booking a technician to restore it.
- Prioritizing your family's needs.
6. Practice Overcommunicating When You Work From Home
Working remotely means talking with your team, colleagues, and clients only virtually. In effect, it's much better to overcommunicate with your team than to under-communicate. Another additional factor that makes things a bit more challenging is if colleagues or clients are in different time zones.
7. Eliminate Distractions When you Work From Home
You're working on your report when suddenly your phone sends you a notification. You check the notification and respond to it. Then you quickly check your Facebook, then your Instagram, then you decide to check Twitter as well. It's suddenly 30 minutes later and you're still stuck on that report you've been working on.
Small distractions can impact your workflow hugely when no dealt with properly. So, setting boundaries and eliminating all possible distractions is so essential for your productivity.
8. Instead of Multitasking, Practice “Monotasking”
With a hundred things on your task list, you can sometimes feel like multitasking is the way to get things done. However, doing two or more things at once can do more harm than good. Firstly, the brain is more efficient when it focuses on one thing at a time. Secondly, multitasking lessens your focus on each task and makes you produce less than quality results.
9. Set Time Limits for Work
The line between work and life can get blurry when working from home. This is why it is essential to be strict with your schedule and follow your boundaries. Try not to let your playtime bleed into your work time and vice versa. When you set specific times for your concentrated work, you'll be able to enjoy your leisure time a lot more.
10. Stay Healthy When Working From Home by Exercising
Because we don't have to commute to go to work or walk to the meeting room for each team meeting, working from home has lowered our physical activity. Make sure to add movement into your day to keep yourself in shape, healthy, and productive.
There are a lot of at-home workout equipment available in the market, from jumpropes, resistance bands, to workout shoes, and if you want to go all-in, full-home gym equipment is available as well.
Ready to Start Working From Home Productively?
Aside from these tips that you can do to boost your productivity when working from home, having the proper essentials for your home office is crucial to your effectiveness in working.
With the right tools, mindset, and habits, your work from home setup will serve you, your colleagues, and your clients well.
Check out these additional resources to help you on your work from home journey:
