Since Covid-19 became a thing, working from home has become very popular with many companies now offering it as a standard benefit when employing people to work for them. Depending on the job, working from home may be offered for one day a week, half your contracted hours or in some cases your full working hours – some people love it, some people dislike it.
There are many benefits to working from home, it can help with childcare, it can help workers be more flexible and it’s been shown to reduce stress levels. But how do you be more productive working from home? Below are our top tips.
Have a dedicated workspace
If you are working from home, it’s important to have your own dedicated workspace to work from. By having a set workspace, you can have your laptop ready as well as your accompanying work materials. A dedicated workspace also helps put you in the zone, as when in the space you are distraction-free and at your “place of work’. It can be tempting to work from your sofa or dining room table, but a lot of people find they are not as productive when doing so. If you are thinking of putting a dedicated workspace together at your home, Pinterest is a great place to start for some inspiration.
Set up your laptop correctly
So many people fall into the trap of having a work laptop and just opening it and using it when working from home. Yes, this works, but if you spend some time setting it up correctly, downloading the best productivity apps and learning the quickest shortcuts, you’ll find yourself being more productive. You’ll be amazed at all the things your laptop can do for you that you may not currently be utilizing. For example, control + F can help you search for text or Shift + F7 can bring up the Thesaurus lookup in Word. If you ever use public computers for work, remember to delete Google search history as this can be a security risk. Also, password-protect everything with a hard password for extra security.
Take regular breaks
Breaks are good for you and can help you be more productive. When working from home, it can be tempting to not take a break and even worse, eat your lunch whilst working at your desk so that you can keep doing things. This is a bad habit to get into and can increase the likelihood of burnout as well as the quality of the work you are producing. Taking breaks gives your brain a moment to refresh as well as restore focus. It also helps your mental health and improves your overall well being. Taking a break doesn’t mean taking two hours off, it simply means a 15-minute break away to help relax before attacking your next task.
What tips would you suggest to help be more productive when working from home? Which of the above tips do you think are most useful? Are there any tips that you think we should be adding to our list? Let us know in the comment box below.
Awakening Wonders says
Sound advice!
Michelle (Boomer Eco Crusader) says
Those are all important. As a work-from-home veteran (I was doing it long before COVID), I’d also suggest setting a workday routine and sticking to it as much as possible. It’s way too easy to fall into the habit of working all the time.
cookie *:..。o○ says
I like to have a daily to-do list and a clear schedule to help me manage my time and tasks… If I don’t write it down, I tend to never do it 😂
Ashley | Make Life Marvelous says
This post is really helpful! I think working from home is going to be the new normal for many positions and I absolutely agree with your tip about having a space just for work. I can work from my comfy couch and do sometimes, but I always feel like I’m in a better mindset and can get into a rhythm when I’m in my office and I have everything right where I need it.
Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and wishing you a very happy New Year!
Make Life Marvelous