We know there are easy things we can do to help us get stuff completed. Only one month of working from your house and you are probably wondering how you can stay productive. Or even enhance your productivity levels. In a sense, working from your house should make you more productive because you don’t commute to work.
The time you could have spent on the road can be spent on handling more work. Also, there are no workmates, constantly asking questions and consulting you; thus, you are bound to be more productive.
Nevertheless, on the other hand, your productivity might be affected because your attention is attracted by a news article or social media pieces. Like me, you might have your children around. You probably have housemates that have lots of free time, and they might want to hang out.
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Regardless of the scenario that you are facing, these four remarkable ways I have come up with will help you stay productive as you work from home.
1. Separate yourself from the disruptions
In her New York Times article, Phyllis Korkki stated that an ideal environment is the one where you can handle a single task at a time, also known as monotasking. According to her, you should ‘actively resist the urge to check unrelated social media while you are working on a task.’
From what I have learned, you should avoid two kinds of disruptions:
The first one is the disruption of external forces, including housemates. It is vital to look for a separate area to keep such disruptions at bay.
The second type of disruption comes when using your laptop or computer. I generally will take breaks to view my best debt payoff app or look at my budget to consolidate utility bills.
To deal with these disruptions, it is advisable to schedule purposeful breaks or plan your schedule in such a way that you can have time for these disruptions at the opportune time. By prioritizing distractions, you can avoid having lengthy periods of distractions.
2. Take Purposeful Breaks
It is essential to take breaks because as ‘it is during a break that you consolidate ideas and memories to enhance learning.’ By taking purposeful breaks, it will be easier to refocus and prevent burnout.
These purposeful breaks are also an excellent time for your disruptive behaviors. By doing that, it will be pretty difficult to engage in distractions during work time.
It will be up to you to set how long the break will take. The break is crucial to ensure that you are refreshed and ready to be highly productive in the next phase of the work. The breaks also help in protecting you from burnout.
3. Interact with friends and family
An unmatched way of taking purposeful breaks as you work at home is to interact with family and friends.
The moment you disassociate your mind from work during a purposeful break, you are giving your mind time to concentrate on the things that matter in life. By taking time off to hang out with family and friends during the breaks, you are assured of being reinvigorated.
After you return to work, you’ll be in a better mood to handle the next phase, and you’ll stay extra productive for the remaining hours of the day.
Setting a healthy schedule not only helps with your productivity but also separates your daily tasks. Creating a day-to-day list with all of the important things you need to get done.