As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are currently working or studying home. Staying focused when working from home can be difficult, but we have some great tips for enhancing your productivity.
Set up a workspace/office
This will help you stay productive and separate home from work; places like your bedroom are likely to have many distractions. You don’t have to have a separate room for an office, but try to dedicate a space only for work, for example the corner of your living room. If possible, close the door so your family members will understand you shouldn’t be disturbed. Avoid using the area for any other purposes, so when you are in the space your mind is set for working.
Follow your routine
If you normally start work at 8 o’clock sharp, try to stick to this. To improve your focus, get changed from your pyjamas and have a good breakfast before starting work. Following your daily routine also includes lunch breaks and the additional ones you may have. When you’re on a break, leave your home office and avoid working simultaneously. After keeping up with your usual daily rhythm, returning to normal work life won’t feel like an impossible task.
Prepare your lunch the night before
Your lunch break might not be long enough to prepare one and enjoy it in peace. Instead, you could prepare a sandwich already the day before and use the extra time on something else, for example video calling a friend or relative – almost like having lunch together!
Exercise
Exercising outside of work hours helps you keep your mind off from work, but doing short stretches, couple of standing toe touches or simply getting up from your chair every now and then will improve your blood flow and help you stay focused. To avoid muscle soreness, remember a good posture and take care of ergonomics too. You might want to try working while standing up instead of sitting. This can improve your ability to concentrate!
Get out of the house
Maybe go for a walk after finishing work? After a day of working a change in scenery is good for your mind and will give you something to look forward to while working. A short walk around the block is something you may want to add to your daily routine, giving a sense of normality in the middle of the pandemic.
Productivity apps
Last but not least, downloading a productivity app helps you stay focused and motivated. Our top three apps are Evernote, Forest and Trello! These apps can be used outside of work life as well, and each one suits different tasks. Click here to find out more!
In the end, the key for being efficient when working from home is staying focused and separating work life from your free time. Because of the lockdown most of your free time is also spent home which makes the task harder than usually. On the other hand, you might find working from home to suit you better than working from an office. Make the most of a challenging situation!