The shift in how we view the workplace was caused by globalization. For a long time, we have considered our work life to be an entirely separate event from our home life, and this has been a crucial aspect of self-care. Individual productivity should increase as more people are working at home but many workers are not feeling as productive.
Making small changes to your daily routine can help you increase your productivity. It is easy to fall into an efficiency slump when working from home. If you want to increase your productivity while working from home, check out this list of tips.
Working in an office with other people is a lot easier than working at home where you are on your own. It can be hard to work from the same place that you live. The job can be done well if you know how to do it. We’ve put together a list of tips and tricks for productivity and maximum effectiveness when working from home! Read the following for how to get the job done well when working from home.
Table of Contents
- Content Summary
- Before Starting the Work Day
- Setting Up Your Workspace
- Stick to the Schedule
- Take Breaks and Stay Healthy
- Pushing Through Workday Sludge
- Balancing Work and Childcare
- Staying Productive During a Work Crisis
- Staying Productive During a Home Crisis
- Protect Your Workspace
- Ending the Workday
- Preparing for Tomorrow
- More
- Feel free to share with me your own home working tips and tricks. I would love to learn from you as well, if you have any comments or feedback, feel free to leave it below!
Content Summary
Before Starting the Work Day
Setting Up Your Workspace
Stick to the Schedule
Take Breaks and Stay Healthy
Pushing Through Workday Sludge
Balancing Work and Childcare
Staying Productive During a Work Crisis
Staying Productive During a Home Crisis
Protect Your Workspace
Ending the Workday
Preparing for Tomorrow
More
Before Starting the Work Day
1. Set an alarm to wake up at the same time every morning.
2. Shower and get dressed. A clean body will give you a fresh start to the day.
3. Setting an office dress code for yourself. Don’t work in your pajamas.
4. Take any daily medications so you aren’t distracted by symptoms during the day.
5. Grab a beverage before sitting down.
6. Take a bathroom break.
7. Do 10 minutes of physical activity to get your blood flowing and your brain ready to work.
8. Eat something for a necessary energy boost.
9. Clean out your email inbox by answering or starring any urgent messages.
10. Make a work productivity checklist to help you stay on task.
11. Shut off social media notifications to make sure that you don’t get distracted by Facebook and other social media.
12. Get a “please knock/come in” sign for your home office door.
13. Create some sort of personal ritual to indicate you are starting the workday.
Setting Up Your Workspace
14. Create an independent workspace that separates from the rest of the home if possible.
15. Don’t work from your bed. It will encourage midday napping and ruin productivity.
16. Throw out any garbage.
17. Tidy off your desk. A clear desk is a clear mind!
18. Find a comfortable chair so you won’t be distracted by back pain.
19. Bring a sweater or blanket for temperature changes.
20. Use a desk fan for hot flashes.
21. Use an adjustable standing desk to avoid long-term back issues.
22. Listen to instrumental music.
23. Use headphones to eliminate distractions. This will not only help you focus on your work; it can also help you keep the volume down if your environment is noisy.
24. Pick a good keyboard to promote fast typing.
25. Use an aromatherapy vaporizer with mint or citrus essential oils to increase energy and add a positive scent.
26. Properly Light Your Workspace.
27. Use software like Flux to automatically set your monitor’s color to match the natural light and thus reduce eye strain.
28. Use multiple monitors to allow for flexibility and increased work speed.
Stick to the Schedule
29. Set realistic goals and make a plan together with the schedule.
30. Create a daily schedule. Most importantly, stick to it! Don’t Multitask.
31. Pick a daily start time.
32. Use a timer to schedule out a 15-minute break every hour and a half.
33. Take at least a half-hour lunch break every day.
34. Finish your workday at the same time every day to give you a daily goal.
35. Schedule phone calls for the afternoon between 1 pm and 3 pm when you are most likely to receive an answer.
36. Don’t ignore the schedule or you’ll rush blurring the lines between work and home life which will lead to burnout.
Take Breaks and Stay Healthy
37. Schedule your breaks in advance. This will break down the workday.
38. If you feel your productivity dwindling, take another break! Your brain knows best.
39. Discover what type of break you need and focus on it to remain productive. Self-care is also productivity!
40. Try some meditation, yoga, or breathing exercises.
41. Pop on a YouTube video to make yourself laugh, learn something new, or switch off.
42. Mindfully make a tea or coffee and enjoy the process.
43. Cuddle with your pets, if they’ll give you their attention!
44. Have a quick workout: jumping jacks, push-ups, or whatever works for you.
45. Cook a quick and nutritious meal to help keep your brain active.
46. Make a smoothie packed full of vitamins, fruit, and vegetables.
47. Make an important phone call: schedule an appointment, pay a bill, call your mother, and so on.
48. Prepare for dinner.
49. Fold laundry so it’s not waiting for you when you finish work.
50. Go get the mail and deal with some life admin.
Pushing Through Workday Sludge
51. Don’t give up on yourself. You can do more than you believe.
52. Do as many pieces of the routine as possible, even on tough days.
53. Break down the work into pieces.
54. Reward yourself for accomplishing tasks.
55. Don’t accept challenges if you’re already feeling overwhelmed.
56. Only accept new tasks when you are confident and excited to avoid additional stress.
57. If energy is dwindling, grab an easy snack or a glass of water for an instant energy boost.
58. Don’t take unscheduled breaks. These will disturb your routine and leave you feeling behind.
Balancing Work and Childcare
59. If possible, consider searching for outside assistance for some or all of your workdays.
60. Set a schedule for your children so that they understand the situation. Stick to it!
61. Plan low-involvement and high-payoff activities such as arts and crafts, board games, movie forts, etc.
62. Make snacks and lunches the night before and put them in a safe spot for easy hunger fixes.
63. Be patient. Working from home is new for the whole family. Stay calm as new challenges arise and you will prevail.
64. If necessary, manage your employer’s expectations and let them know that you’re working around children.
Staying Productive During a Work Crisis
65. Take five deep breaths with your eyes closed. Open your eyes and assess the situation.
66. Write down your immediate issue to be resolved.
67. Break down the crisis into smaller digestible pieces.
68. If you can take action, start immediately.
69. If you cannot take action towards the crisis, remain focused on other work to remain active.
70. Take an extra break if needed, but don’t allow yourself to lose the workday. Accomplish what you can.
Staying Productive During a Home Crisis
71. Assess whether the home crisis needs to take priority overwork.
72. Make a plan for the day and take action.
73. Assess what you can accomplish today.
74. Keep in contact with your peers and superiors so they can assist you.
75. Plan out how you will catch up when you return. This will relieve work-related stress while you’re focused elsewhere.
Protect Your Workspace
76. Use a VPN to avoid personal information theft and long-standing issues that can come with resolving them.
77. Keep software updated so you can avoid updates during work hours.
78. Use two-step verification methods to protect your accounts from cyber attacks that halt productivity.
79. Install anti-virus software to protect your computer from attacks.
80. Choose strong personal passwords. Even better, use a password manager.
81. Use desktop sharing software to share the screen, or even by just using the phone to take pictures of work and text to share among the teams.
Ending the Workday
82. Clean off your desk at the end of the day for a clean start in the morning.
83. File or shred any loose paperwork.
84. Get organized by creating a “tomorrow to-do list” for an easy morning routine.
85. Answer any final emails and close your inbox.
86. Tidy up the workspace for a fresh morning start.
87. Create some sort of personal ritual that indicates you have finished the workday.
Preparing for Tomorrow
88. Leave the house if possible after working all day indoors.
89. Spend 15 to 30 minutes outside for some fresh air.
90. Eat a hearty dinner for long-lasting energy.
91. Get Enough Sleep. Sleep at least eight hours a night for optimal productivity.
92. Unplug from the workday and enjoy your evening at home.
93. Do not answer work emails after work.
94. Avoid thinking about work until you start your day again. That’s why you made the to-do list!
More
95. Making sure that the Internet connection is good.
96. Make sure that you look after your health and wellbeing by exercise and fitness periodically.
97. Make sure you communicate with your colleagues and partners.
98. Get help when you need it and don’t be afraid to ask for help.
99. Be punctual and presentable when attending video conference meetings.
100. Get rid of distractions such as television, social media, and friends who are not working.
101. Follow organizational tips for your place of work. For example, label your drawers and cabinets so you can easily find supplies.