Working from home can be an amazing experience if that’s what you really want.
Even if you’re not self-employed, your life is still much easier compared to the people who spend hours every day commuting to work.
They have to leave home early in the morning (even if the weather is awful), most often enter an office full of people they don’t really like and don’t feel comfortable at their workplace (and can’t do anything to change the atmosphere).
But if you’re at home, you just need to go across the room and sit at a desk that is arranged the way you like it.
Then you go to the other room to make coffee and drink it in your favorite cup. You can enjoy the silence and can take a break whenever you feel like it.
There are minor problems, of course, such as learning how to ignore distractions, trying not to get too comfortable and lazy, and building some discipline and rules. But that happens in the process.
Not maximizing productivity, however, is often an issue for those working from home. That’s why I created a list of easy work from home tricks and tips we can do to stay on top of our game behind the desk at home.
And now, here are 8 little changes you can make today:
How to Work from Home for Maximum Productivity
1. Start checking email right before you begin working.
This will be like a routine to get you in the mood and set you up for a productive workday.
2. Have set hours.
The fact that you work from home doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be any discipline in your life.
Be ruthless when it comes to working hours and – after finding the 5-8 hours of the day when you’re most productive – make it a must to be in front of the computer during them.
It can also be worthwhile to set out your tasks for the day – this keeps you more ready to commit certain time allotments to your projects.
You can decide which priorities are essential for the day and keep those near the morning when you’re most active, while mostly administrative tasks can be structured later when you’re tired and ready to stop for the evening. Although this of course depends on the content of those daily tasks and how much freedom you have to work.
Look into the depth of the project and try to give your work some structure. For instance, if rolling out GDPR training in your firm, you may wish to spend a couple of hours each morning reading over the guidelines and understanding how to best deliver this to your colleagues or staff.
3. Eat powerful foods.
Eat for energy as even if you have a daily workout, working from home still makes your life lack enough activity.
Related: How to Have Energy All Day When You Work from Home
4. Check email 2-3 times a day at specific hours.
That will prevent you from checking it all the time – which is an awful habit many people share. And which, in the long term, becomes a constant distraction and a waste of time.
Doing it once in the morning and in the late afternoon or evening is one of the best work from home hacks in terms of managing email.
5. No junk food in front of the computer.
It’s a huge distraction, you get lazier and feel like you’re in front of the TV.
Not only can you easily start eating more without feeling hungry when you work from home, but it will also make you take your job less seriously. And will affect your performance too.
6. Stay active during work.
Go out of the room every 30-40 minutes, or stretch, do a few squats, pushups or crunches. Or just stand for 15 minutes while working every 2 hours.
7. Decorate your workspace.
Decluttering can help you stay organized, know where everything is and eliminate distractions. When everything has its place, life is easier too. But home decoration design matters too, especially when your home is also your office.
Make sure you personalize your workspace. Add a personal touch. Let it breed creativity and productivity. Choose the right colors and furniture and create an atmosphere that makes you feel great every time you sit at your desk.
8. Write down everything the moment it comes up.
Every single detail about your job, or every side project, must be written down so that you don’t need to remember it.
Even if it’s something interesting you read that can be related to your business.
Every now and then go through these notes. New ideas will flourish this way, and all tasks will be completed without missing anything out.
Follow these 8 work from home hacks and you and your business will benefit from it.
Now let’s talk about what we can do to get more done while at the computer.
How to Be More Productive Online?
1. Keep one browser tab (or an app when using your phone) open at a time.
2. When you find something interesting to read either finish it now or save it for later.
But react as if you have an email – take action now.
3. Be mindful of your current activity.
Multitasking is harmful to productivity and most of the time leads to bad results. It even affects mental health negatively.
4. Don’t consume unnecessary information.
There’s so much stuff fighting for our attention in each moment online that we can easily lose focus and start reading random things, checking out sites we don’t really want to visit, and clicking buttons and looking at pop-ups.
Here are some more tips on how to be productive when working from home:
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I believe that by working on the points I covered in the post we can all get more done in less time, feel accomplished at the end of the day, make our employers happy, be more successful in general and make more money online in the long term.
What do you think?
Share your work from home tips that help you complete more tasks, meet deadlines and stay on top of your game in general. Also, let me know what you do online that you think is unproductive and how you can change that.
