For most of us, working from home is the dream. You don’t have to worry about commuting long hours and you can work comfortably in your sweatpants. But sometimes working from home isn’t always the easiest thing to do. The endless distractions that are around our homes can make focusing hard and procrastinating even easier.
Social distancing has made working from home more of a reality recently and we’ve all had to adjust to a new way of working. At Entripy, we’ve been working from home too and we wanted share some of our tips and tricks on how we stay productive while working remotely.
Keep reading, to find out 5 ways you can improve your workflow at home.
Choose Your Workspace
Our homes are all different and we understand that not everyone has a home office or an extra room that they can spare to work in. But that doesn’t mean you still can’t create a designated workspace for yourself. The key is to choose a place in your home that is quiet and free of the most amount of distractions. Avoid working on your bed and try to choose a space that resembles an office desk -- whether its your kitchen or dining table -- make do with what you have available. This will also help you separate your workspace from your personal space, which is extremely important in establishing boundaries while working from home.
Structure Your Day
One of the main benefits of working from home is flexibility, but at the same time it’s important to set boundaries. Choose your hours and stick to them. Not only will this provide you with structure to your day, but it will allow you to feel like you are actually going into the office, even though you may just be logging into your computer from home.
It’s also a good idea to communicate your working hours with your family. Give them a heads up about any meetings you’ll have during the day or important tasks that require your undivided attention. Create a healthy work-life balance by taking lunch breaks with your family or partner and clocking out on time so you can enjoy your evenings together.
Create a Routine
Speaking of structure, working from home shouldn’t mean that you’re void of routine. Give yourself enough time to wake up and get ready, while also enjoying a healthy breakfast. We suggest waking up an hour before you start work so you can get your body moving and ready to take on the rest of the workday. Steer away from waking up right when you’re supposed to start work, as it’ll hinder your productivity and take you longer to get focused.
Communicate With Your Team
A large part of going to work is socializing and communicating with your co-workers. Working from home can sometimes make you feel isolated and lead to difficulties in communication. Most workplaces have integrated digital communication platforms like Slack, or Microsoft Teams to ensure their employees always have a mean of contact with one another. Use these platforms as a tool to stay in touch with your coworkers – maybe send them a message asking how their weekend was or hop on a quick video chat over lunch to catch up.
We also suggest hosting weekly virtual social events like Happy Hours or a Friday Drinks session. This will get your entire team together digitally and make you feel connected as a team even while we’re apart.
Take a Break to Exercise or Meditate
Whether this is some simple stretching, yoga, or a quick walk around your block during your break – a little bit of physical activity can be extremely beneficial to boosting your productivity.
It’s common to feel unproductive or burnt out during the middle of the day. Take 15 minutes or so a day to incorporate some exercise into your working day and you’ll feel refreshed and more focused when you return to your tasks.
If you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, take some time to practice meditation or some breathing exercises. Apps like Calm and Headspace are two great apps that help you meditate and feel more mindful.
And That's About It
Whether you’re a newbie or an expert to working home, there’s always room to improve your productivity and workflow while working remotely. We suggest taking it one step at a time and incorporating a new tip every day or week. Slowly you’ll get the hang of it and master the skill that is working from home!
