October 28th, 2020 | Updated on June 29th, 2022
With the COVID-19 lockdowns still underway, the future is still uncertain for the world. Many of us are spending a considerable amount of time at home and indulging in remote working to keep the paychecks coming in. After all, people still need to earn and support their families.
However, the uncertainty is something that can take a toll on your mental health, and if you’ve never worked from home, adjusting can be quite a challenge. Many of us are used to the old-school, office routine with a collaborative working environment of coworkers.
If you are having trouble working remotely and staying productive, it’s time to take some action. Check out these 5 tips when working from home and get rid of all that procrastination!
1. Create Your Own Workspace At Home
To remain productive and focused while working, it may be a good decision to create a designated workspace at home, specifically where you can work with lesser distractions. Make the best use of the available space in your home and try customizing the environment to your liking.
Some places that are nice for remote working include a hallway desk, the dinning room table, or a kitchen counter.
Avoid working in your bedroom at all costs, as your mind and body will associate it with “sleeping” and setting up show there will only lead to more procrastination.
Once you’ve decided on a spot to work, clear it from all clutter that could distract and remind you of household chores.
As another useful advice, consider switching on the lights, if you get glare on your computer screen from the sunlight. Table lamps and floor lamps work good!
2. Take Short Breaks To Clear Your Mind
The thing about working from home is that people sometimes get so engrossed into worrying about how to complete their daily tasks.
As such, they find it difficult to focus even more and then continue to be unproductive throughout the day, which is quite troublesome to say the least.
This is why its important to get some sun and fresh air, after every little while. For each task done, get up and stretch a little.
Walk around or do a short exercise. Keep the blood flowing to your brain and all other parts of the body to keep you active and in control.
There are numerous studies that reveal taking short breaks can help increase overall productivity and mental clarity.
This is why a lot of smokers enjoy better focus, as they take regular breaks in between work, which helps in clearing their mind and unwinding for a few minutes!
3. Resist The Urge To Watch TV Shows/Movies
A common problem for most people working from home is resisting the urge to switch on the TV and just divert their mind from office-related tasks.
Now, while I understand that the pandemic does have a lot of impact on your mental health, and you need a form of escape, you must resist.
It can be quite appealing to get the TV remote, hit that “Netflix” button, and resume that movie/TV show you were watching from last night.
However, when working from home, you need to stick to your routine. You can watch as much television as you want, after logging off!
4. Stick To A Proper Working Routine
When working from home, it is imperative that you create a proper routine. Get up early to get a head-start on your day and get done with all vital tasks.
Take out time for lunch and short breaks in between tasks and stick to the system in order to boost your productivity.
Bear in mind that most successful people attribute their success to a routine of strict habits. Therefore, if you haven’t created a proper working routine yet, it’s time to get started. Also, instead of staying in your PJs, dress up for work, even if you are getting things done remotely!
5. Know When It’s Time To Log Off
Low productivity can often lead to people sitting late. In fact, a lot of workers say that they have been working a lot more at home than they did at the office.
While there are moments of low productivity and a lack of concentration, it is still crucial to log off when your shift gets completed.
If there are any pending tasks, plan them for the next day, if possible. However, don’t sit late as that can lead to exhaustion.
And it’s really no use working when the body and mind are not focused at the task at hand. So, when it’s time, log off and continue on with the rest of your day!
Wrapping Things Up
With the future being so uncertain, it’s vital to recall that we can only control what’s in our hands. So, if you are facing trouble in managing stress and keeping your productivity up, make sure to follow the tips above. While I don’t claim they may work for everyone, these tips do serve as a good starting point.