March 13, 2020

Here are the best tips to be productive while working from home

Working from home can be easy for some, but difficult for others. Many businesses now allow employees to work from home on a consistent basis, which makes it easy to get into a routine and stay productive. However, now, as the coronavirus becomes more widespread across the United States, additional companies are requiring their employees to work from home, as social distancing is a one of the most effective preventative measures we can take to avoid the spread of the virus.

If you’re now working from home every day and you’re not used to it, you may be struggling to remain focused on the tasks you need to get done. After all, when no one is looking over your shoulder, it’s easy to get distracted with things outside of your work, like online shopping, or a tv show you recently started binging. Or perhaps your children or spouse are home all day, which is another battle all together. But have no fear! There are several tips for staying motivated and fixated on your job.

1. Find a dedicated workspace, away from distractions. Some people are fortunate to have a home office, which makes this tip easy to follow. If you don’t have a home office, consider using your dining room table. Or set up a table in a room that you can close off from the rest of your home. It’s important to block out the noises around you and stay away from disruptions. This is especially important if you have conference calls during the day.
2. Don’t get too comfortable. One of the perks of being home is that you can stay in your pajamas all day if you so choose. But being too comfortable can result in feeling lazy. After all, pajamas or sweatpants are usually worn when we go to sleep or lounge around. So if we’re wearing clothes that don’t reflect our task at hand, we could feel too comfortable and end up sitting on the couch instead of behind our laptops. Consider dressing as you normally would for work. Dressing for our day usually puts us in the right mindset.
3. Take breaks. Sitting down for long periods of time can lead to fatigue and discomfort. Make sure you’re standing up and walking around every hour to keep your blood flowing and your energy up. Take some time to stretch and consider going for walk on your lunch break.
4. Plan out your day ahead of time. Having a schedule and a list of tasks you want to achieve for the day or even week can be incredibly helpful. Consider everything you have due within the coming weeks and plan out what projects or tactical items need to be completed, and by when. An actual checklist can help you feel accomplished, as it allows you to literally check the box on tasks you finished. Once you’ve checked a few boxes, reward yourself with something like 15 minutes on social media.
5. Interact with others. Whether you are home by yourself or with family members or roommates, chatting with others throughout the day is allowed. When you’re in the office, you most likely chat with your coworkers throughout the day. Chatting with people in your home or calling a coworker to talk through a work task or just to catch up can be a welcome break after staring at a computer screen for hours. Just make sure it doesn’t get in the way of work all together!
6. Set boundaries. This is especially important if you have children. Make sure you set specific times to begin and end work so that you can ensure you have time to spend with your family. Working from home can often make it easier to work longer hours, as you don’t have to account for your commute time, among other things. Each day do your best to plan out your schedule so that once you log off work, you have a few hours to step away and enjoy your loved ones.

These tips are just a handful of what exists for people who work from home. If you’re looking for more advice, a simple Google search will result in hundreds of articles that provide advice. Just don’t let searching for tips distract you from doing your job!

At Venterra, we are dedicated to making apartment living as easy as possible, and we also have gathered tips on ways to make extra money working from home.