Working remotely is all fun and games until you wake up one day to find yourself sitting in front of the screen doing nothing. You can’t process. And that’s that.
Since you’re alone, working by yourself, there are no enthusiastic co-workers around to push you. There’s zero motivation.
Similarly, if you’re working with kids around, your daily battle to keep a balance between family and work might
Exhaust you beyond your limit one day. And it’d be too late by the time you realize that.
So, here we compiled five tips to increase and ensure consistent productivity when working remotely. We know you’re dealing with a lot. But implementing these tips might help you deal with things better.
- Begin your Days with Definite & Realistic Goals
Firstly, when you begin your week or month, set up your goals. Make sure your goals are both related to work life and personal life. Once you have these goals defined, you can break these down into days and set up one major milestone for each working day.
Make sure that you do not overdo your list. Do not mention everyday obvious stuff like taking shower or eating. And do not try to rush against time! Be practical with your expectations of yourself. Otherwise, you will never feel accomplished. As a consequence of this, there’ll be a visible decline in your productivity.
For example, if you’re a content creator, begin your week by listing down the due project(s) for that week. Break down these projects into five different milestones (or the days you work) and assign each milestone to each day. Side by side, you can set up a personal goal of learning a certain thing from that project. Say you’re a copywriter with a project of creating ten landing pages for a website. You can set up a personal goal of learning how to pick the most powerful words of all. Or you can train yourself to produce more or better quality content in minimal time.
Setting up goals gives you a purpose. It gives you the motivation to be productive. And when they’re realistic and achievable, you mark their completion and pick your fuel to do more!
- Set up a Dedicated & Ergonomic Workspace
Over the last two years of the pandemic, the importance of dedicated work from a home office setup has become quite prominent. You cannot work in the comfort of your bed as it kills your productivity and is quite distracting. According to surveys, working from a bed or sofa wrecks your productivity, sleeping habits, and health!
Hence, you should set up a dedicated workspace with proper, ergonomic furniture. When you have a dedicated space, your brain will associate that portion of your home with work and kick into its productive self as soon as you’re in the office setting.
Note that it doesn’t only have to look like an office to boost your productivity. It should also feel like an office. And for that, you need ergonomic furniture.
Measure the space you have and consider your needs. And buy yourself ergonomic office chairs, work desks, keyboards, curved monitors, and whatnot. We particularly ask you to be keen about the screen you choose. Whether it’s a curved monitor or an adjustable one, ensure that it complies with your work needs. If you strain your eyes and neck with the wrong screen or monitor and that for long, you may have to say farewell to work altogether!
- Set Your Boundaries
WFH often has us all believing we’re superheroes and can do it all. We know it seems doable and you may be very much capable of executing the task with perfection too. But know the amount of time you have (including other engagements like family, friends, academics, etc.) And only then sign up for projects.
Surveys report that employers tend to believe workers are free all the time too. And so, over time becomes a part of the job.
To keep yourself from getting victimized by either of the situations, set firm boundaries. Learn to say no. And calculate to the second before taking up work!
- Schedule Breaks as Well
Just because you’re working within the four walls of your home, you cannot and should not assume that you’re relaxed. You still have the work stress overwhelming you. Don’t let it build up or mess with your productivity.
Instead, handle the situation responsibly and take at least an hour-long break after every consecutive four hours of work. Note that this applies even if you do not feel like taking a break. It’s necessary to keep you energetic and productive.
- Communicate as much as you can!
Lastly, communicate your challenges, needs, problems, and even wins! Humans are social animals, and we require validation and company to keep ourselves functioning well. So, use social media to your benefit and communicate your wins and losses. It will not only help you document your journey and build your personal brand simultaneously. But it will also help you build a community and connect with others who put up with the same.
The same applies to your team members. Connect and communicate to solve problems and work better together as a team.
Final Thoughts
Summing up, the key to boosting productivity when working from home is to handle your routine a bit responsibly. Once you do it consciously, you’ll be able to achieve so much more!
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
