Working from home can be amazing, but it can also be a massive distraction. It does have it’s benefits like not needing to commute, no weather delays and no office drama. However, working from home can create challenges regarding maintaining a consistent level of productivity. Especially with so many distractions online, with the likes of 666Casino tempting you to deposit for casino promotions. Here are our 5 tips to help you stay productive at home:
- Establish your working hours
This may sound daft, but if you want to have a productive day of work, then pretend that you’re not working from home. It might be a good idea to start off by setting your alarm for 6 or 7 am every morning to avoid the possibility of a lie-in. Not having good time management can make your schedule chaotic. Set up your desired “office hours” for working from home. As an example, this could be 9am to 6pm every weekday. If you find that you don’t have much work to do on some days, spend your allocated “work time” looking for new jobs, updating your portfolio and doing research. To establish the things you can do, ask yourself “If I was in an office, would I be doing this task?”. If you answered no, then you need to do this task before or after working hours. Cleaning the house and meeting up with friends are activities that need to be done when you’re not doing work. Dedicating specific work time will allow you to focus on personal things guilt-free after work hours.
- Take care of your space
If you have your own home office, making it a space where you want to spend your time can have a big positive impact on your productivity. Even adding small touches like scented candles, comfy and colourful cushions and fairy-lights to your working environment can make it feel a lot nicer. It’s also worth starting the day (before work hours) tidying your space. It’s impossible to be productive and get work done when there’s mess everywhere and washing up to do. A tidy working environment leads to a tidy and refreshed mind. It doesn’t have to be a massive clean, but clearing up the chocolate wrappers from your Netflix binge the night before would be a great idea. Organisation is also key to productivity. If you leave documents and papers lying around then they will get lost and take hours to find when you need them. As boring as it may seem, it’s always good to stay organised. Make sure to have a little notepad on your desk so you can write a list and check off things you need to do as you go along.
- Remember to eat and move
When you’re super busy or stuck in the middle of a 10, 000 word essay, it can be easy to lose track of time and forget to eat properly. Keeping a balanced diet while working from home is essential as it keeps your energy levels up and will stop you from getting that mid-afternoon slump which we all get. This can be dangerous when working from home as your bed is right there and it may be tempting to lie down and watch TV or have a nap. Make sure to have your breakfast, lunch and dinner and stock up on healthy foods which will give you a much needed boost of energy. As well as eating properly, it’s also important to move and exercise. You’re likely to be stuck in one spot all day, so it’s a good idea to have a stretch. One thing you could do is go for a small walk around the block during your lunch hour. The fresh air will do you good and you’re getting a few steps in too. You could even squeeze in a quick HIIT workout; there are many great ones on Youtube which are only 7 minutes long.
- Wear normal clothes
As tempting as wearing your favourite cosy pyjamas all day may be on a drizzly and miserable Monday morning, it’s a good idea not to. Just because you’re at home, it doesn’t mean you can laze about and wear your comfiest sweats and scruffy t-shirt. Doing this will make you feel lazy and unproductive. Instead, you should wear actual clothes. This will keep you productive and you will feel less inclined to relax on the sofa like you were wearing comfy clothes. We’re not saying you need to wear your smartest suit and tie, we’re saying a shirt and smart-ish trousers will do just the trick. Wearing smarter clothes will surely have a positive impact on your work productivity and you’ll feel a lot more positive and professional in your work.
- Take breaks and remember to switch off
It may seem counterintuitive to take breaks to help you be more productive, but research has shown that the most productive workers focus on their work for 52 minutes at a time and then disengage for 17 minutes. Taking short breaks will help the mind feel refreshed and ready to take on new challenges. There are plenty of things you can do on your 17 minute break including going for a short walk to get some fresh air, go on the slots at https://666casino.com/games/slots or do a quick yoga workout to help you feel more relaxed. It’s also important to remember to switch off at the end of your working day. Remember the “working hours” you set? You should stick to those. No checking emails in the early hours of the morning. If you worked in an office, chances are you would finish around 5pm, get home, enjoy a nice meal, socialise and not think about work until the following morning. When you work from home it can be incredibly difficult to switch off as our phones are always pinging with new emails from clients and reminders of deadlines. This is not healthy at all and can have a negative effect on your sleep and stress levels. It’s good to enjoy work but it’s also good to enjoy some time to relax.