Almost everyone is working from home if they have the option. I started to work 100% remotely before the pandemic and did not see a massive difference during the pandemic in my home office routine.
I also realized that many people are struggling to work from home. I think constant distraction is one of the main factors to reduce productivity.
Productivity isn’t about being a workhorse. Keeping busy…It’s more about priorities, planning, and fiercely protecting your time. –Gary Keller
We all know the benefits to work from home: no travel, savings on meals and gas, comfort to work in pajamas (this is detrimental to your productivity, no pajamas, please!)
According to the study by Workopolis, 90% of people said that the home office helped them to boost productivity.
I can understand that there can be endless distractions; that’s why we’re going to see the top 6 tips to increase productivity.
6- Make yourself at home
Make yourself at home or in other words, get comfortable for work not to sleep.
Make sure to spend some money on a quality ergonomic office chair to see the difference between napping and working.
Maybe it’s time to invest in a standing desk, I really enjoy standing up after some time, but many of my colleagues did not like the idea of the standing desk. Maybe it’s time to experiment.
Standing electric desks are expensive and if the desk is not helping to boost productivity, there is no need to invest an extra $300–400.
5- Take screen time intervals
Yes, it will make a massive difference in comforting your eyes. I practice a 50–10–50 rule.
I work in 50-minute intervals, and after every 50 minutes, I spend 10 minutes without a screen. In those 10 minutes, I do pushups, squats, music, relaxation, and/or eat snacks to recharge my energy.
It might look simple trick. I highly recommend trying it at least 2–3 times to see the difference. Make sure you leave the chair and home office for a max of 10 minutes.
I set a timer on Alexa.
4- Distraction
Working at home can create two main distractions: digital notifications and manual notifications (people). You can easily manage the digital notifications by switching off the phone or using airplane mode. I keep the phone in the next room without switching off or using airplane mode.
The second type of distraction is manual (people). Yes, it’s pretty hard to manage, it could be your neighbor, partner, kids, friend, relative, etc.
I tried many ways to ask friends and family to not disturb but nothing worked out except the following one.
I took a printout “Office 9–5 pm” placed it at the door and kept the door locked. That tiny note is kind of working for me, people understand if the door is closed they do not disturb, and anyway, I leave the office after every 50 minutes.
Perhaps you could try my method to see if it can help you.
3- Office productivity
You are lucky if you have a separate home office and fortunate if the home office is next to the lake/river where you can look out the window at the beautiful green nature to calm your eyes and brain.
I bought a tiny green lamp to put on the desk to make sure it looks like an office. I also asked my company to give me extra monitors to set up like they used to be at the office. The trick is working out great.
2- Keep moving your body
Exercise is one of my favorite things to do since it keeps my body moving and allows me to refresh.
I completed nine 30-day challenges from the comfort of my home office. Click here if you want to see some simple squats, pushups, or water intake challenges.
If you can afford it, maybe put a tiny treadmill to walk for 5–10 minutes after 2–3 hours to stay alert throughout the day. Taking tiny breaks like me, following the 50–10–50 rule might help you to boost your energy.
1- Dress-up
Do not work in your pajamas!
Starting the day in your boxer and t-shirt is one of the worst habits you can establish to reduce your productivity in the long run.
You should consider working from home a blessing because it eliminates the need for a commute and saves you time, but remember to take a shower and get ready the same way you would for the office.
Train your mind not to enter the home office in your pajamas. If you are at the home office, your brain should trick you into thinking you need to work instead of relaxing.
Dressing up helps me trick my brain into thinking I’m professional at home and ready to tackle the workload.
Bonus tip: Don’t prioritize more than three tasks every day, and start with the most challenging.
