Working From Home Productivity Tips
Working From Home | 5 Things to Increase Productivity
In the midst of current global condition, working from home as part of social distancing is a very common way to keep your work going. Nevertheless, work from home doesn’t have to be boring or unproductive. Here are five things to keep in mind for a better working from home routine.
- Develop a morning routine
Creating a constant morning routine will help you to be productive. Here’s mine in short. I start the day with 15 minutes of meditation to create my intention for the day. Your intention can vary from developing a business goal, helping people, be compassionate, to be present, and so on. Next, I will head for a 15–30 minutes stretch or yoga exercise. It’s important to keep moving because as your body moves, your brain grooves. Following that, will be making coffee and have a small breakfast and a shower. After finishing everything, then I’m ready for work.
2. Get ready as if you’re going to the office
Avoid working in your pyjamas as it will give your brain a signal of going back to bed or lounging around in front of the TV. Get ready and groom yourself as if you are going to the office sans the pantsuits. A crisp shirt and skirt or pants will just do. My favourite get-up is still a simple dress. Don’t forget to apply your morning skincare routine and put a bit of lipstick if that helps! Because working from home does not mean abandoning self-care.
3. Plan a daily schedule in your calendar
Plan your task for the day or the week just like what you would do in the office. My technique is to put each task on a specific time slot in my iCal plus setting the reminder. By doing so, I know exactly hour by hour what are the tasks that I need to accomplish, not only the to-do list. Put the tasks requiring brainstorming and ideas in the morning and less heavy task like replying emails and conference call meeting later in the evening. For example, 9 am to 11 am is for creating a copywriting for brand A. 11 am to 12 am is for editing photos, then a 10 minutes email check followed by lunchtime. 1 pm to 4 pm will be my video editing slot. 4 pm to 4.30 pm can be for a conference call and last but not least creating engagement in social media from 4.30 to 5 pm.
4. Use the Pomodoro Technique
Pomodoro technique is a time developed in 1980 by Francesco Cirillo. It consists of 25 minutes of work followed by five minutes of a break then repeat. After four Pomodoros, then you can take a longer break, for example, having your lunch. This method trains your brain to focus and improve on your attention span as well as concentration. You can use your phone to set the timer respectively or go to the marinaratimer.com or download Tomighty desktop app.
5. Utilize technology and apps to connect
There are so many free apps that will help you to be more productive at home. Being at home will also build trust with your team. So you no longer micro-managing and judging people from where they work, but more on what they have accomplished. My favourite application includes Zoom for video call, Evernote for note-taking which then can be shared to the team, Slack for discussion, IFTTT to automate my social publishing, Later for planning, as well as Todoist.
In this challenging time, it’s very important for us to do our part. At the end of the day don’t forget to look out for the people around you. Extending support and warmth is all we have to do and gladly it is just a one video call away. I hope the tips will make your work from home activities a bit easier. What’s your favourite work from home hacks?
