8 productivity tips from people who refused to return to the office

According to the latest research, 97% of employees do not want to return to the office full time, and 61% of workers prefer being fully remote. So the new reality is that companies need to adapt to the fact that more and more workers want to have the option to work from home.

Thus the question arises: how to improve staff performance and productivity during remote work?

Let’s take a look at a few tips from people who have worked remotely for a long time to answer this question.

How does telecommuting improve productivity?

This approach allows workers to devote more time to themselves during the day, their personal mental and physical well-being, which subsequently optimizes productivity.

1. Organize the workspace

How do you organize work from home and increase your productivity in the workplace? First of all, it is important to properly prepare your workspace.

Office tables and shelves are often decorated with figurines, photographs, and even potted flowers. You shouldn’t do this at home. When you are in the home zone, you are not inclined to think about business, so the optimal style of arranging a workspace is minimalism.

Here are some ideas and suggestions to make the workplace better while working at home: a desk, a comfortable chair or armchair, and a computer are enough for work. If you are using other devices — a scanner, printer, then try placing them in the work area. If everything is at hand, then you will not have to be distracted.

2. Make a task list for yourself

Set your schedule to meet deadlines. Your employer should not have any questions on how to organize employees and coordinate their activities. You should do it yourself.

Using a visual dashboard with task cards to organize your workload is a good idea. This way you can understand the priorities of tasks and correctly allocate efforts to complete them. JIRA, Trello, and Hygger are handy Kanban systems that can help you make your workflow smooth.

There is no need to adhere to the standard from morning to evening working routine when working from home. If you are more productive in the evening, you can start work closer to noon, and you can also split the day into several parts if you need to go somewhere. The main thing is to stick to the plan, and you’re set.

3. Don’t forget to eat

According to various estimates, an adult can live without food for 25–30 days, provided that water is available and physical effort is saved. I strongly advise you not to check this on yourself.

Therefore, answering the question “How to improve efficiency at work?”, оne of the answers will be — do not forget to eat well and on time.

First, your diet should not only consist of tea and cookies. Second, take time for lunch and cooking. You can cook lunches for the week ahead on weekends, or you can go out to dine near your home — the fact that you work from home does not mean that you do not have the right to take a lunch break.

4. Minimize distractions

At first, your family or friends may not understand that you are working from home. But if you feel that some actions prevent you from being productive, then you need to get rid of them. Try to convey to friends and family that you are working and ask them not to overload you with household and other chores during your workday.

It is advisable to turn off notifications on your phone and try not to pet your pets during working hours (at least not every minute).

5. Breaks are important

Remote work means a freer schedule, and this often results in a person spending too much time at work, forgetting work-life balance.

Take short breaks for a walk, drink coffee, or chat with friends so you don’t overwhelm yourself with work. Taking breaks helps you focus and recharge, and when you get back to work, you will find that it helps you be more productive.

6. This point is for those who like to always look beautiful (even at home)

How to increase productivity at home? One unusual way to be more productive from home is to dress for success.

Working in casual home clothes or even pajamas can be too relaxing to concentrate on your work tasks. To avoid feeling too relaxed and losing your work atmosphere, it is recommended that you have work clothes for home.

You don’t have to sit at home in a jacket and office trousers (unless of course, you like it) — choose comfortable clothes, but use them only for work at home.

This can be a kind of mental ritual that helps to tune in to the working mood and abstract from the home environment.

7. Finish work when the workday is over

If you are the type of person who checks work emails even after leaving the office, then it can be especially difficult for you to work from home. Getting rid of this kind of workaholism when you work remotely can be even harder than getting rid of lack of motivation.

Therefore, it is very important to stop on time: log out of work accounts when you have finished work, do not go to your computer while having lunch, at the end of the day, put your laptop away, and spend time with your loved ones. A good way to avoid being delayed in completing tasks can also be to plan an event immediately after the end of work.

8. Remember to live your life outside of work

The issue of how to increase productivity working from home is relevant but remember that not all of your life is about work. (if you look from a philosophical point of view, then it is, but we are not doing philosophy here).

If you are comfortable working alone, in complete isolation, this does not mean that you need to sit at home all day long.

Do not lose touch with the outside world — do not forget to communicate with people outside messengers and at least sometimes go for walks to warm up and breathe fresh air.

And if you want to optimize the life of your site, here’s the solution!

So, does working from home increase productivity? With the right approach, yes. How to increase employee productivity in the workplace? Show them these tips :)

Share with us how you manage to be effective working at home.