Are you looking to work from home?
Maybe you’ve found a great online job?
A lot of people nowadays have discovered the joys of working from home.
Working remotely is very rewarding. It lets you enjoy a healthy work-life balance. Or just have plenty of home time.
This means no need to prepare for work every day. No need to commute every morning and get stuck in traffic. There’s less stress on your daily routine.
The best perk for me is I get to spend more time with my kids. Plus, I get to wear pajamas to work.
And if I feel cooped up at home, I get to choose a change of scenery. My personal preference: a quiet corner in a coffee shop.
Who wouldn’t want to work under laidback conditions?
Are you fortunate to enjoy working from home?
I’d like to share tips for you to implement into your day-to-day routine.
Working from home has its many benefits. But it can also have its unique set of distractions that can take your mind off the task at hand and affect your productivity.
Remote work is awesome, but it can be a struggle at times to stay productive.
Here are some tips to help you pull off remote work successfully.
Start by designating a work area in your home.
Do you have a spare bedroom or an empty area that you can convert into your workspace?
Just because you’re working at home doesn’t mean you can’t have an office.
Be sure it’s a comfortable area conducive for work. Set up a desk and you have yourself a home office. It’s better than just cooping up on the couch or hutching in spaces designated for leisure or family time.
You can go as far as designing this space to give you the feel of a real office.
Structure your day as if you’re in the office.
It’s crucial that you maintain your regular working hours. It can be easy to lose focus if you don’t have a routine to stick to.
As your own personal manager, you need to create a schedule.
Swinging from one shift to another is bad for your productivity. So, identify the time of day when you are most productive. Then establish your set work hours following that body schedule.
Don’t forget to take breaks in between work.
Fatigue can affect productivity. When we’re tired, we become easily distracted and lose focus on the task at hand.
As much as you want to commit to doing more, take the time to relax.
Don’t let the guilt of working and finishing your tasks as fast as possible stop you from enjoying a five-minute breather.
But if you take a break, don’t settle for a five-minute Youtube video. Instead, use your time-off wisely and get off your work station.
Go outside the workroom. Bask in the sun or spend time for a quick chat with others who might be in the house with you.
My personal preference is to take a five-minute break every hour, except during lunch hour when I spend a full hour away from the computer screen to eat my lunch and relax.
Stay off social media.
This one can be challenging depending on your industry. For example, if you start a blog as a way to make money from home that will require you to be on social media to connect with your audience and promote your content.
Other work at home options like becoming an online tutor do not require using social media as part of the job.
Shut off any access to social media during work hours. While the platform offers many conveniences, it can be detrimental to your productivity.
I know it can be difficult to stay away from a guilty pleasure such as Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. So here’s what I did.
Addicted to social media? Shut off the notifications during the day so you won’t get distracted.
The shortcuts to all my social media accounts on the bookmarks toolbar? I also deleted them all.
I also signed out on all my social media accounts. That way, if I need to open Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, I will need to sign in again; I dislike doing the latter since I have a long email address and password for each social media account.
Leave the house if you feel cooped up.
A change of scenery can give you a boost in productivity. If you’re tired of staying at home, try working on your tasks at a nearby coffee shop or public library.
While you have set up an office at home, you really don’t have to sit in your official work station. That’s the beauty of working remotely. You get to choose where to work.