With the switch to work-from-home, many of us don't have the built-in framework of office life and culture to regulate our efficiency. That means we need to learn strategies for ourselves if we want to be more productive from home. A global study into remote working, conducted by Paper Giant for Atlassian, found that 40% of respondents felt that working from home translated to significantly more extended hours.
It doesn't have to be this way. There are several hacks and tricks that you can incorporate into your home office to boost your own productivity. The goal is to hit all your targets without intruding on your wellness or work-life balance. Read on to find out how to be more productive working from home.
Mind Your Desk
The Paper Giant study found that 40% of respondents felt they needed a better working space if they were to continue working from home. 34% said their workspace at home was less comfortable than the office. The solution is to pay attention to your desk. Clutter limits the brain's ability to process information promptly. So, if you want to process information more efficiently, it's time to get tidying up.
Try "zoning" your office space by creating separate areas for different materials. Reference materials, supplies, and long-term projects should all live in their own space. Then clear the desk itself and only replace the items you need for day-to-day use.
Also, add pops of color wherever you can. It could be a picture, a desk accessory, or even a coffee mug. Color can dramatically impact mood, as greens and blues are particularly proven to increase productivity, so reach for a leafy plant or a motivational print of the ocean. Plants are thought to have added benefits for inspiring productivity.
You can't change the four walls in which you work, but you can change your perspective. Sitting all day can be achy and force pains in the neck and back after an 8 hour day. Standing can intensify productivity and give you a mental energy boost. And you can inexpensively convert your sitting desk to a standing desk with a simple standing desk converter. Just place the converter on the desk, and you now have a standup workspace that can re-invigorate your mental energy at any time of the day. A desk converter from Readydesk is inexpensive and could change how you work. Our products are American-made and affordable relative to other alternatives on the market.
Embrace the Single Task
The truth is that very few of us are skilled multi-taskers. The problem is that as we move from task to task, we aren't getting more done. Instead, we're constantly forcing our brains to switch speeds. We move through tasks erratically and burn ourselves out. The answer is to slay the multi-tasking monster and embrace the art of the single task.
A more productive approach takes days or half days and devotes them to themes or similar projects. In that manner, it is easier to knock out tasks one after the other. And if you get distracted, it's much easier to pick up where you left off.
Plan for Tomorrow, Tonight
The Paper Giant study discovered that 44% of workers feel that it's essential to know how to motivate themselves apart from the framework set by office life. One of the best ways to do this is with a simple to-do list. And the best time to make it is the night before. While you're still in work mode, take the last ten minutes of your day to assess what you really need to get done tomorrow. This task could take twice as long in the morning when approaching it from a cold start. The trick is to make sure your to-do list is not overwhelming.
The Eisenhower Matrix is an excellent tool to help prioritize tasks, especially when working from home. The matrix enables you to organize tasks into four quadrants by urgency and importance. Then you can hone straight in on urgent-important tasks and schedule, delegate, or eliminate the others.
Block Out Flow Times
Your flow time is when you are the most efficient. For some people, it's early morning; for others, it's the evenings. Once you've identified yours, block out a 90-minute window each day for pure, deep work on your most complicated tasks.
Blocking out your flow time means working in a distraction-free state and concentrating on what is essential. Without it, you'll find yourself constantly focusing on small, non-value-adding tasks, blocking your progress on your more extensive, more critical pieces of work.
Dress for Success
When working from home, it really doesn't matter how you dress or if you're dressed at all from the waist down. But not making a decent effort at dressing is a significant mistake when it comes to your productivity levels. The act of preparing for the day ahead, including the selection of slightly nicer clothes than what you slept in, sends a message to your brain that it's time to work. Dressing appropriately switches your mindset to "on," which is crucial for concentration levels and gives you an added sense of purpose. That doesn't mean you have to wear a 3 piece suit or a skirt while you work from home. But it probably means you should leave the sweatpants in the drawer on workdays.
Set Up a "Force Quit" To Your Day
It's easy to let tasks drift into the evening, but that's problematic for both your personal life and your production for the next day. Overworking can lead to stress and burnout. It harms not only your productivity but also your wellbeing and mental health. Set a firm time to bring your workday to a close and stick to it. A hard finish not only means a softer start to the morning after a good rest, but it also means you'll work faster and more efficiently all day.
At Readydesk, we hope these tips for how to be more productive working at home helps you to thrive in your home office. We make the best standing desk converters for your versatile work-at-home environment. Convert your desk or any flat surface into a standing desk with ease. Contact us today!
