These days, many Americans are finding themselves working from home and aside from the random day with a cold, or watching a sick kid, many of us are new to this way of life. So while you’ve likely discovered some of the benefits of working from home, like wearing sweatpants all day and saving money on lunches, you might also want to figure out how to get more productivity out of your day. When you have Netflix just an arm’s reach away, and a bedroom calling you for a mid-afternoon nap, it’s easy to fall behind on your workload. Here’s how to get a little more productivity out of your days spent working from home:
Have your own workspace
The mind is a powerful thing, and to get yourself into the work mindset, it’s helpful to have a consistent area of the house that you work in. This area should be free of clutter, stress, and have some solitude so you can focus. If you don’t have a separate room to convert into an office, simply find a low-traffic area of the house, and maybe invest in a decent pair of headphones.
Create daily task lists
It can be easy to forget about important tasks for your day when your work day starts as soon as you get out of bed. But in order to be more productive, it’s a good idea to create a daily task list. Put everything on the list that you want to accomplish for the day. That includes work-related tasks, as well as simple tasks like doing the laundry or scheduling appointments. It helps hold you accountable for your day and feels rewarding when you’ve checked every box on the list.
Set a timer
It’s not a bad thing to take a break every once in a while. In fact, it’s been shown to be quite helpful. However, it’s easy to get carried away when you don’t have coworkers looking over your shoulders. So, to prevent yourself from getting stuck in a YouTube wormhole, or endlessly surfing through Instagram, set yourself a timer for your breaks. You’ll get the mental pause you need, but without a huge sacrifice in productivity.
Close the laptop when the work is done.
Recharging your batteries and giving yourself a mental break is crucial to being productive. So when your work day is done, close the computer, put it in a drawer and forget about it until the next morning. One of the detrimental parts about working from home is when you let your work run your life and you never end the workday. So, when the time comes, close your laptop, turn off the reminders, and let yourself forget about work for a while.
Get a change of scenery
While you shouldn’t change your workspace around the house, it’s still a good idea to get out of the house every once in a while. Take a break and walk around the block. It’s good for your eyes to focus on objects that are far away. And nature is proven to release beneficial de-stressing chemicals in the brain. After your work is done, enjoy other areas of your house too.
While working from home might not be the picnic you once thought it would be, it has many benefits over the days of going to the office. You don’t have to spend money on gas. You avoid rush hour traffic and all of the stress that comes with it. And you can keep your house a little tidier than it was before. As long as your productivity doesn’t suffer, you and your company may find this to be a perfect little situation.
