Working from home is here to stay, and for a little while as well. Some people love it, some people hate it, and I’m not a big fan of it either, but once you start getting more productive, it will become much more fun.
What is productivity exactly? I’m convinced that everybody can have their definition of productivity. Some people explain it as getting as much work done as possible in a day/week/etc… and some describe productivity as getting as much quality work done in a certain amount of time while their mental stability doesn’t suffer (very important for me as well).
In this article, I’ll display four ways to improve your productivity to make working from home a little nicer.
Build Your Scheduling Habit And Stick To It
According to developgoodhabits.com:
“Having a schedule allows you to realize your potential when it comes to productivity because you become relieved from tempting distractions. This ultimately reduces the pressure of rushing through things in order to get everything you need finished on time.”
Some so many people are unable to stick to schedules, whether it’s because they get distracted or they never used one before, and it all comes down to commitment. The most important thing you need to get this commitment is motivation. Without motivation, you won’t achieve anything.
Setting a schedule also makes it possible for you to do things you otherwise can’t do — if you strategically plan your day and stick to it, you will have time left for the things you want to do.
One important tip from me is that you should plan your breaks very carefully — you need some time to get out for a walk or at least get up from your desk to relax. Being in front of a screen all day is disastrous for your mental and physical health. I use an Apple Watch, and it buzzes every time I need to get up or need to drink water — there are several apps for that as well.
Usually, it takes a bit of time before you are used to your schedule, and you make it natural — according to this study from 2009 it takes between 18 and 254 days to form a new habit. But on average, they conclude that it takes 66 days.
You could use your calendar app to schedule your day or week, but I’m more fan of the custom apps like Notion, withing Notion you can plan your life as you want it. It’s more than just a calendar app — you can create lists, habit trackers, notebooks, etc…
Communicate Your Schedule With The People Around You
When you’re working at the office, there are certain rules to comply with. These rules make sure it doesn’t get messy and nobody gets frustrated and annoyed by other employees. When you’re working from home, this is not different. The ones living in your house, for example, your parents, your partner, or your children.
When you are working, they shouldn’t interrupt you — so make sure that you communicate clearly to them when you want to be left alone. Share your calendar or schedule with your family or partner and make sure they exactly know when you’re doing your hard work!
When you are using Google Calendar (also a very neat tool for scheduling) you can share your schedule with other people.
You can even create a shared Calendar to have everybody’s events planned, but if you’re more old-fashioned you can also download a ‘Family Planner Template’ from the internet and put it on your refrigerator.
Leave The House To Keep Your Body Healthy
One of the habits to build that I keep ‘forgetting’ is to exercise/move your body daily. According to Mayo Clinic:
“As a general goal, aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every day.”
There’s nothing worse for our body than to sit in front of a screen all day without any daylight, fresh air, and sunlight, so get up and go for a walk every day.
Your body needs to move, it needs blood circulation and since we’re not walking around the office anymore, getting a coffee at the restaurant on the corner of the street you need to do it yourself.
If you’re not able to walk for 30 minutes, you need to remember that any minute of exercise that you do is worth it — otherwise, you have zero.
And one of the major advantages of walking is that it’s free of charge! It doesn’t cost you anything to walk and feel happy!
Get In Touch With Colleagues & Friends
Humans are social animals, and we can’t live without personal interaction. Talking to each other via screens and phones doesn’t satisfy us at all. Loneliness and depression rates are higher than ever, and we should take good care of ourselves.
These are three health benefits according to Mercycare:
- Your mental health improves overall
- It lowers your risk of dementia
- You feel safer and more confident
You have to figure out for yourself how you want to interact with your friends and colleagues — propose to have a drink together and talk about the things that don’t include work.
You are more than your job. You are a human and you need to have fun now and then.
Wrapping Up
Do you know what’s the thing with habits? You need to do it and nobody can help you with it. The sooner you start building them, the more profit you get, and don’t expect that you’ll make these habits your own within a week — that’s not going to be the case and you’ll be disappointed.
Besides all the productivity, take good care of yourself.