How To Work From Home More Efficiently?

Working from home is the best.

No more commuting. No more dressing up. No more having to squeeze your gym session at lunchtime or rush to run essential errands.

Now, you get to organise your day the way you want and achieve a work-life balance.

But the thing that you’ve noticed is you aren’t as productive as you used to be when working in the office.

Well, you’re not alone.

A recent study revealed that people who work from home full time (8 hours a day) are 70% less productive than people who don’t.

The good news is there are ways to work from home more effectively, and we've listed five of them for you in this blog.

Communicate Your Expectations With Others

Did you know that it takes 23 minutes and 15 seconds to be able to fully focus on the task you were working on before being interrupted?

Interruptions kill productivity.

Now, you might be sharing your space with a roommate who is also working from home or your family. And this can cause distractions making it hard for you to concentrate and be productive.

So, the first thing you need to do in order to increase your productivity is to lay down some ground rules. Let them know that they shouldn’t disturb you during your working hours.

Some of the things you can do to prevent others from interrupting you include:

Working with headphones on
Locking your office door
Communicating your office hours
Ensuring your family is self-sufficient during office hours

Create a Morning Routine

Studies show that we tend to be more productive in the morning.

If you were to work from an office, you’d wake up at the same time every day. You’d have a shower, get dressed, have breakfast and then leave the house to go to the office.

Unfortunately, when working from home, there is no routine anymore. Sure, you’re saving time, and you feel free from all these stressful time constraints. But you’re also not incentivised to start on time. So, to avoid a slow start and wasting precious productive hours, stick to a routine.

Here’s an example of a routine that you can follow:

Set your alarm at the same time every day (including weekends)
Have some me-time when waking up
Have a morning shower to wake yourself
Get yourself dressed into your work outfit - yes, have dedicated work outfits to put your into work-mode
Eat your breakfast and have your morning coffee (if that's your thing!)
Be at your desk ready to start work at the same time every day

Remember, freedom without routine can mean procrastination, loss of productivity and additional stress when working with strict deadlines!

Design a Dedicated Workspace

Whether you work from a family home or a small apartment, creating your own dedicated workspace is important. It’ll help you better focus on your work during working hours while allowing you to leave work behind once you’re done with it. The best way to do this is have a room allocated as your office where you can close the door and remove any distractions coming from the rest of your house.

If you don't have a room you can dedicate as an office, here are some tips on optimising your space to create the perfect office space:

Set up one shelf as a desk
Utilise the space under your staircase
Hide your desk away into a cupboard
Paint the wall in front of your desk, or buy some plants and a rug to separate your work and living space

Take Regular Breaks

This might sound counterproductive, but taking regular breaks can significantly boost your productivity!

In fact, taking regular breaks while working has many science-backed benefits, including:

Relieving tension in your body
Improving creativity
Improving memory
Boosting motivation
Preventing decision fatigue and burnout

While you can set your own breaks, you could also use a break routine that has been proven to increase productivity, such as the 48/12 rule. This rule suggests setting a timer and focusing hard on a project for 48 minutes before taking a 12-minute break.

Prepare Your Meals The Night Before

It can be tempting to start chopping food and cooking nice meals when working from home. But the thing is, if you worked in an office, you most likely wouldn’t be doing that. Cooking during your office hours means that you’re wasting precious time you could be spending at your desk being productive.

So, while we encourage you to take a break to eat, make sure to prepare your meals the night before to optimise your lunch break and make the most of your working day.

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