Need some tips to work from home without a hiccup? We’re filing our remote work productivity hacks to help you out.
Are you committed to remote work as the only acceptable format for working your job? It may be time to improve your remote work home setup to ensure you’re making the best of your at-home experience. The more productive you are at working from home, the fewer reasons your employer will be able to provide for summoning you back to the workplace.
Whether you want to start your new year with some upgrades to your work style at home or just want to ensure you’re not missing out on some optimizations that could change how you work, we have some productivity tips on working from home.
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10 Useful Work-from-Home Tips to Help You Reach Your Productive Best
Employers are convinced that employees who engage in remote work are not as productive as those who work out of the office. While convincing them otherwise is unlikely to be an easy walk in the park, for your own mental satisfaction, it can help to set up a working system where distractions are minimalized and everything you need for an optimal day at work is right at your fingertips.
For this express purpose, we have a guide on working from home ready to go, so you too can be your productive best.
Set Clear Boundaries on Work with Your Family Members
One of the first steps to stay productive despite the remote work format is to talk to your family members and set clear boundaries. Especially if multiple people work from home, there need to be clear ground rules on how you will work around each other and when it may or may not be okay to approach each other during working hours.
Family can be the biggest distraction in your attempts at productivity, but it isn’t always intentional. Talk to them about what you need and how you can all support each other’s work schedule.
Try to Avoid Working from Bed and Set Up a Clear Workspace Instead
One of the biggest mistakes of working from home is sitting back in bed and trying to get through work tasks. Your workspace and sleeping space should ideally be separate but even if you have no choice but to work out of the bedroom, consider setting up a work corner at the least.
If there is no table you can use, even moving to the floor or another corner of the room is better than relaxing in bed. Avoid sitting in high-traffic areas in your home or placing yourself in a position where you will constantly be distracted by what everyone else is up to.
Start Work Before Time, Just as You Would at Your Office
Many of us who work remote jobs relish the additional time we have to ourselves when we don’t have to waste it on traveling. However, waking up 10 seconds before your first meeting of the day is not ideal for your productivity.
Make an effort to establish a morning routine that gives you enough time to wake up, eat, and clear your head before you get started with the workday.
Invest in a Decent Wi-Fi Connection—This is Your Link to Your Workplace
An elaborate work set up with the best equipment the world has to offer is obviously nice to have, but such an investment isn’t possible for everyone. At the very least, you need to have the right kind of basic technology necessary to do your job such as a laptop and a good internet connection.
If your employer has to regularly struggle to get in touch with you or if you have to waste precious minutes waiting for the connection to allow you back online, you’ll find yourself wasting too much time being frustrated.
Improve your remote work setup gradually, bringing in only the equipment you truly need without wasting resources on unnecessary things that will only stare at you every day as a reminder of the money spent.
Engage With Your Coworker and Be Actively Present
Remote work makes it harder to connect with your organization and colleagues, this much is obvious. It’s easy to leave it to your employer to find ways to help you engage with your coworkers, but your personal performance and productivity will suffer if you continue to remain passive. If you’re serious about utilizing these productivity tips when working from home, treat this one as the most important factor.
Be Realistic About Your Tasks For the Day
Productivity requires some degree of realism—do not overestimate what is possible in a day and then berate yourself for falling short. At the start of every work day, take stock of what is possible and then create a list of tasks for yourself to get through during the day.
It is also beneficial to communicate your plan with your manager or supervisor so you aren’t later accused of being unproductive. Track your work actively as you go and create records of your own work ethic.
Eliminate Clutter and Any Immediate Distractions
One of the most useful remote work productivity hacks we have to offer is to clear your “workspace” of distractions. If you leave your piles of laundry and unfinished art projects lying around your workspace, you’ll find yourself frequently distracted by them. It is hard to be productive at work when all you can think about is the clutter or the cleanup effort that will have to come after.
Set Restrictions on Your Social Media Usage
With no managers hovering over us to put our phones down and concentrate on work, it can be very easy to waste your time on the social media platform of your choice. Set limits on your own phone usage, and if you don’t need it for work, put it a little distance away so you aren’t tempted to pick it up every few minutes.
If that’s not enough, look into productivity apps or app locks to restrict your own usage of these distracting applications.
Set Scheduled Breaks and Move Around When Possible
Another one of your work-from-home tips is to set scheduled breaks for yourself and actually to get up and move around during those breaks. Staying rooted in one spot where your family member delivers food to you and you have everything at arms reach can make you feel lethargic and sleepy.
Try to move your body and stretch during your breaks, making sure to stay active and alert as you work. While you’re at it, make sure to use your lunch breaks to eat real food instead of ignoring those for work.
Respect Your Working Hours
Make a genuine attempt to respect your working hours and stick to the times that you have agreed to work. This goes both ways. Log out on time and step away from work to give yourself some breathing room to prevent burnout.
At the same time, try to avoid using your working hours for other tasks and activities. While you’re on the job, respect that you need to work and stay available to your colleagues during this time, to help yourself stay productive even during remote work.
These work-from-home tips have been very beneficial in our own journey to perfecting our remote work systems and we’re certain that you’ll find some use for them too.
