How I Increase Productivity By Working From Home
My experience working from home for the past month
I am very lucky in the sense that my job can be completed fully online. I work in digital advertising so everything can be done remotely. With COVID-19 and shelter-in-place, most companies had to transition their employees to remote workers — whether they liked it or not.
As society enters this new era, I found that there are many benefits to working from home. It also made me rethink my productivity levels and most importantly, why I believe employers should give employees the option to work from home even after COVID-19.
Below is an account of what a typical day looks like if I were to work from home vs. commuting to the office.
Note that this is my first-hand experience and view on work from home (WFH). I am sure many people prefer to head to the office than work from home.
Work From Home — Typical Schedule
7:20 am: Alarm rings — today is going to be a great day!
7:30 am: Change out of PJs and take the dog on a walk around the block.
8:00 am: Check personal email, read the news, check my stock accounts, set up a few stock trades, browse Medium, think of new topics to write about.
Depending on the day, I may even write for 30 minutes to an hour.
8:45 am: Shower and get ready for the day.
9:00 am: Start working. Sometimes I would cut my morning routine short and start earlier if I have important client meetings to prep for.
Noon: Take a quick break to make lunch. Walk the dog around the apartment complex.
12:45 pm: Back to work.
5:00 pm: Workday is over! Walk the dog (yes, again!) and eat a light snack.
6:00 pm: Head to my Crossfit gym for a good workout.
7:30 pm: Head home, shower, make dinner, watch TV, watch YouTube, browse social media.
8:30 pm: Browse Medium, read, write.
10:00 pm: Go to bed.
Working In The Office — Typical Schedule
7:20 am: Alarm rings — today is going to be a great day!
7:30 am: Pull myself out of bed and walk the dog. Probably still in my PJs. Catch up on the news, stock accounts, and browse Medium while walking.
8:00 am: Shower and get ready. Grab my lunch from the fridge.
8:30 am: Run to the car — Oh no, I am going to be late!
9:00–9:15 am: Depending on traffic… arrive at work and start working.
Noon: Lunchtime. Typically, I work and eat at the same time so I can leave work earlier.
4:30–5:15 pm: Wrap up working. Depending on how busy it is that day, I try to leave before 5 pm rush hour.
6:00–6:30 pm: Get home, walk the dog, squeeze in a snack.
7:00 pm: Head to my Crossfit gym (pretty tired already from the long day).
8:30 pm: Get home, shower, make and eat dinner. Majority of the time I am way too tired to do anything else. Binge-watching YouTube, TV, browse social media/Medium until I fall asleep.
10:00pm: Asleep.
Takeaways:
In San Diego, this the fourth week into shelter-in-place. All employees who are non-essential workers are working from home. Personally, I am more productive working from home vs. heading to the office.
Below are the top three arguments on why I would like to continue to WFH even after COVID-19:
- Increased Efficiency: There are days where I actually skip my morning routine and start working at 7 or 8 am. This happens when I know I have a lot of work to do or have important client meetings to prep for. Also, I found myself less distracted by all the activity in the office. There are days where I say to myself: “Wow… Did I get that much work done by noon? That usually takes me the entire day if I were in the office.”
- More Flexibility: If I started working early, I would typically end early. This frees up so much time to do other things outside of work. For example, on days I start at 7 am I would finish at 4 pm. I would take my dog to the dog park, finish laundry, and work out all before 6 pm. Contrary to popular belief, life shouldn’t revolve around work all day!
- No Commute: People who live in California have one of the longest commutes out of the country. For residents who live in a big metro like San Francisco, Los Angeles, or San Diego… it can take two hours or more to get home from work and vice versa. My typical commute home is “stop-and-go” traffic for 20 miles and can take up to two hours if there is an accident or heavy rain. I blame this for the cause of all my white hair!
By not having to work in the office, I am able to squeeze in some much needed “me” time in the morning, as well as earn back an extra hour in the evening. Not to mention… my dog is happy because he gets an extra walk in the afternoon!
Post Coronavirus:
I hope that companies will give the option to employees to decide whether they would like to come to the office or work from home. I also hope that companies realize that their employees can be trusted to work remotely.
I predict WFH flexibility will be an essential characteristic job applicants look for in their next role. Companies that embrace WFH flexibility in their culture will be highly sought after by job applicants. Even if it means working from home two or three days of the week — it makes a huge difference!
Companies will also have to figure out how to track productivity and ensure open communication between individuals and teams. Employees will not only have to build trust with employers but also prove that they are responsible and productive both inside and outside of the office.
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Thanks for reading…
