If your job does not allow remote retirement, this may soon change. But this privilege comes with a responsibility: When you work from home, you have to be productive.
Remote work is becoming more and more. Between 2005 and 2021, teleworking increased by 200%.
The comfort and quietness of the home environment can be a problem for remote work. Staying productive while working from home means identifying and eliminating distractions before they harm your bottom line.
Barriers to home productivity
Even if you have a home office, a variety of irritants can prevent you from being productive while working from home. The most common ones include:
Digital devices
Your phone is buzzing: of course - you are sure - you just need a minute to check this notification on Vkontakte. And you don’t even notice that you’ve been on social networks for half an hour.
When you work from home, it's easy to fall into this digital rabbit hole. Your computer gives you access to any game, social media, or entertainment site of your choice. There's a daytime show on TV that you wouldn't have seen if you were at work. These can all be excruciatingly distracting when you are working from home.
Children and pets
Do you have any pets? Is your husband or wife working on a different schedule? Are your children too young for school or are they on vacation?
Unless you live alone, you will have to learn how to be productive by working in a full house. Even if you ask them to avoid calling you too much, they can periodically distract you by wandering around the house.
Lack of accountability
When you work remotely, no one stands above your soul, controlling the implementation of the assigned tasks. Staying productive while working from home is a matter of keeping your focus on the task at hand.
One way or another, you must be accountable at least to yourself. Different productivity tricks work for different people. Some people dress up for work even when they are working from home. Others use the Pomodoro method. Some people are helped by music.
Housework
If you're a perfectionist, you know how distracting a sink full of dishes can be. It is difficult to walk on a dirty floor and not grab onto a vacuum cleaner.
If you find it difficult to be productive working from an uncleaned home, set a time for household chores just before or after your work time. Doing a little cleaning right before work can soothe anxiety about this. Cleaning up a little after - can help relieve stress a little.
Whatever the job, productivity is key
When you have a boss to report to, staying productive while working from home is hard enough. But how do you force yourself to be productive while working from home without him? What if you are a housewife or are you talking about a hobby?
Even if you are not in traditional professions, you need to learn how to be productive while working from home.
Parents who work from home, for example, have more worries than you might think. A poll on time management by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics [3] found that the average homeworking mother spends 30 hours a week on housework and another 18 hours on childcare.
Productivity in any form of work from home allows you to devote more time to yourself, your leisure time, or self-education.
How to create a focus-friendly home workspace
Creating an environment at home in which you can focus on work is not difficult, but it does take some self-control.
1. Leave all unnecessary equipment outside the door
If you work from home, you probably do it using your computer. It is important to minimize the amount of equipment in your work environment, in addition to the tools that you need to work directly.
Don't just put your phone on mute or turn it off, no - let it leave the room altogether. Do the same with your TV. And don't even think about leaving your game consoles nearby.
2. Make yourself comfortable - but not too much.
Your work environment has a lot to do with how productive you are at working from home. Create a space for yourself where you feel relaxed but full of energy. Whether you work in a well-appointed home office or not, take note of the following things.
Use bright but soft lighting
Locking yourself in a cave is not something that helps you be productive while working from home. A dark workplace can lead to lethargy and eye strain, especially if you need to work with paper documents.
To maximize your productivity, make sure your surroundings are well lit. Choose a location with plenty of natural light. Add warm light to it with overhead lights or table lamps.
But remember that too much light can also strain your eyes. If you start to experience headaches, blurred vision, eye irritation, or neck pain, try covering the curtains or moving your lamp further away.
Choose quality furniture
Yes, lounging in a chair or on a bed is a nice feeling, but if your goal is to be productive while working from home, then sitting down at the table is important.
The fittings for your home workspace should be of high quality. Your chair should make you sit up straight. Your desk should be able to accommodate your computer and all the tools you need. Keep only one chair in the room to ward off disturbing visitors.
Close the door
A closed door signals that the person in the room does not want to be disturbed. It will also reduce noise and prevent unnecessary distractions from your eyes, for example, at the TV or dirty dishes in the sink.
The key is to trap yourself in the bubble. If your office doesn't have a door to shut, perhaps you can use noise canceling headphones and hang a blanket? You can get rid of at least visual and auditory stimuli.
Think over the connections
Given that you work from home using your computer, you need access to two things: electricity and the Internet.
Place your desk next to a power outlet. If you need more connectors than it has, use a surge protector.
Think the same about the power of your Wi-Fi: even if you have a high-speed plan, you won't be able to get its bonuses if your wireless connection drops. Move your router closer to the table, or the table to the router.
Keep clean
A mess in the workplace can create a sense of chaos. Reducing clutter will increase productivity when working from home, not only because you will spend less time cleaning it, but also because it will help you concentrate better.
Take a moment before tidying up your office. Do a general cleaning once a week: vacuum, dust, wash the floor, take out the trash.
Think about air quality
When you work all day in one place, you will begin to notice how air quality affects your productivity. Dry, dusty air can irritate the respiratory tract. Too humid air is a good breeding ground for mold and bacteria.
If the weather permits, open the window. If not, get an air purifier. Remember to change your filters regularly. Depending on your climate, you may need a dehumidifier in the summer and a humidifier in the winter.
3.Establish House Rules
Many people who have not worked from home do not understand what a problem constant interruptions can be.
Explain to your children and spouses that you need to be as productive when you work from home as you are in the office. Tell them when you are working and what hours you should not tolerate distractions.
If you have small children, hire a nanny, or keep them busy with something like coloring books. If pets continue to pester you, lock them up somewhere, with food, water, and anything else you need. If someone is constantly breaking in to you, consider putting a “do not disturb” sign on your door.
4. Keep something to relieve stress on hand
One of the benefits of working from home is that you have any of your stress-relieving tools available on site after a long day at work. Take advantage of this.
A mug of chamomile tea works wonders when you're tired. Reducing anxiety is one of the key benefits of CBD oils. A sports mat next to your desk can encourage you to deal with stress through exercise.
What are the best stress relievers to avoid? Alcohol. While a little beer can really help you relax instantly, alcohol actually induces anxiety [5] through the rebound syndrome (rebound phenomenon).
Finally
Staying productive while working from home is difficult. But, as with everything, practice leads to the ideal: remind your boss of this, and perhaps he will allow you to do it more often.
