Telecommuting is becoming more and more popular with many businesses being forced to send their workforce home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Early adopters of remote work have mastered how to maintain employee productivity, but if you’re just starting out it can be challenging to get through the workday efficiently. These three work from home tips will help you stay focused, breeze through your checklist and effectively manage your time.
1. Plan It Out!
If you weren’t in the habit of writing to-do lists, you should consider adding it to your new workday routine. One of the most effective work from home tips that experts advise is meeting with your team and outlining the week’s priorities, and then creating your own individual checklist along with due dates. This will add structure to your day and the satisfaction of crossing a task off your list is immeasurable.
Take Breaks!
Yes, you read that correctly. Just like working in your PJs, working all day without a break is easy to do when telecommuting. While it is not recommended that you take frequent breaks – remember that checklist! – getting up from your computer to stretch your legs, grab a bite to eat or run an errand will increase work from home productivity and prevent burnout.
Keep Personal Tasks to a Minimum
Working remotely doesn’t mean you can start tackling those home projects during office hours. That includes but isn’t limited to laundry, paying bills, hanging photos or anything similar. A good rule of thumb to follow is that if you couldn’t complete it while you were in the office, you shouldn’t do it during office hours. If you’re concerned you’ll forget, simply make a personal to-do list and jot it down for later.Staying focused when working from home doesn’t require a bunch of productivity tools or gimmicks. By incorporating these three habits into your daily routine, you’ll see an increase in efficiency, impress your manager and maintain a healthy work/life balance.
