Maintaining productivity is a primary concern, especially for those working from home. Because of the significantly flexible setup, remote employees often struggle with maintaining their productivity at work.
One thing people need to understand is that developing a productive lifestyle is not a one-time thing. In order to maintain productivity for longer periods of time, it is important to establish healthy habits that will help you do so.
To give you a better idea, here are some of the most practical and effective tactics to boost productivity while working from home.
6 Work-From-Home Habits To Boost Productivity
Prepare Your Body
One of the reasons why people don’t feel like being productive is because their bodies are not feeling completely well. This doesn’t immediately pertain to a sickness or illness but focuses more on the person’s general well-being.
According to recent reports, roughly 40% of people in the US get less than the recommended 7 to 8 hours of sleep. This means that their bodies do not get enough rest to reset in order to feel refreshed for the next day. Aside from that, insufficient sleep can make people feel even more tired or unwell.
Considering this, one of the ways to boost work productivity is to take care of both your physical and mental well-being. Take action by eating healthy food, getting enough sleep, and avoiding matters that may stress you out. Doing this practice allows you to keep your mind and body ready to take on tasks and perform at your best.
Avoid Snoozing
Did you know that something as simple as snoozing your alarm clock can affect the way you feel for the rest of the day? More than getting the recommended hours of sleep, it is extremely important to avoid snoozing your alarm or going back to get a couple more minutes of shut-eye.
Studies have shown that having multiple alarms set at intervals and snoozing them can affect the quality of rest that you get. The theory is that snoozing can confuse your natural body and disrupt your REM cycle.
A critical part of the REM cycle is that it prepares the body for wakefulness. A complete REM cycle is enough for the mind and body to feel fully rested and energized. So when REM sleep is disrupted, people can feel more tired despite having enough hours of sleep.
To deal with this, strive to wake up and stay up with just one alarm. This will condition your mind and body to rest within your set body clock, allowing you to feel energized and refreshed every time.
Get Rid Of Distractions
There are a lot of distractions when working from home. It can be something like the numerous social media apps on your mobile phone, the noisy and obnoxious neighbor, or the pile of household chores that needs to be done.
Whatever it is, distractions can fill your mind and stop you from staying focused, affecting your productivity. Considering this, one effective productivity habit is to get rid of distractions before starting work.
For example, if you’re getting easily distracted by your phone, then put it somewhere out of reach of set it to Do Not Disturb (DND) mode during work hours.
Struggling with loud neighbors or a noisy environment? Get noise-canceling headphones or find a spot in your place that is far from the busiest parts, such as the kitchen or living room.
Bothered by the handful of chores that needs doing? Set a specific time to finish them before or after work. Then, try to keep them off your mind until you have the time to work on them.
Establish a pre-work routine
One of the unique characteristics of remote work setups is that it offers employees a significant level of autonomy and flexibility, enough for employees to have the freedom to choose when they want to work. Thus, some remote employees start work at different times of the day.Considering this, it is not enough to establish a morning routine to start your day right. Instead of that, it is more suitable for remote workers to build a pre-work routine that will help them prepare to start work with the right mindset.
To do this, allot some time to mentally and physically prepare yourself, ideally an hour or so before your scheduled time to work. Eat a meal, drink your coffee, meditate, take a shower – do whatever it is to warm up your mind and wake your body.
Stick To A Schedule
One of the drawbacks of remote, flexible setups is that schedules can sometimes be too loose to occupy a significant amount of time in the day consistently. Some remote employees experience working 8 to 10 hours one day and doing absolutely close to nothing for the next couple of days.
While some people find this setup beneficial, others see this as a challenge and a possible risk to their productivity. Because of inconsistent schedules, some remote employees find it difficult to build a daily routine that involves working for a specific time in the day. On off days, they might find themselves lounging around simply because they have nothing to do.
However, a thing to take into consideration is that productivity is not limited to work-related tasks. Knowing this, one way for remote employees to have a consistent schedule and routine is to continue working on tasks, whether it’s house chores or other responsibilities, at the exact same time every day. Doing this helps your mind and body to adjust and even anticipate the scheduled work, allowing you to stay focused.
Learn And Set Your Boundaries
According to recent research, employee burnout has significantly increased during the height of the Coivd-19 pandemic and the widespread remote work setups. Burnout is a work phenomenon associated with immense feelings of stress and fatigue.
Studies have shown that factors contributing to burnout include unmanageable workload, lack of work-life balance, poor work relationships, lack of recognition, and more. Generally, a poor work environment and situation can lead employees to develop chronic stress and poor physical health, ultimately affecting their productivity and quality of work.
However, a common mistake that remote employees make is to allow such circumstances in their work life. They take on too many responsibilities, avoid social interactions, and completely devote themselves to work. While many consider workaholism an advantage, such a practice may do more harm than good.
To prevent this from happening, one habit remote employees need to build is the ability to pause, evaluate current circumstances, and decide to say yes or no to opportunities. Having the self-awareness and control to predict and avoid possibly risky situations can greatly improve both your physical and mental well-being.
Ideally, this habit will keep you away from additional stress. It can also provide you with more time to do things that make you happy, such as finding new hobbies and building relationships.
Bottomline
Work productivity and efficiency are two things everyone wants to master. With these skills, they would not waste any time and even gain more free time to do the things they love outside of work.
However, maintaining productivity and efficiency is a lot more challenging for employees working in the comfort of their own homes. There are tons of distractions, and the environment itself is a lot different compared to traditional offices.
Instead of bright white lights and quiet cubicles, some remote employees deal with lough neighbors, poorly illuminated rooms, and uncomfortable work setups. Therefore, it can be hard for remote employees to maintain a high level of productivity while at home.
Despite this, it is still the remote employee’s responsibility to find ways and come up with a routine that will help in keeping their day-to-day productivity in check. But more than one-time hacks and tricks, it is ideal for remote employees to develop habits that will help them maintain productivity regardless of circumstances or situations.
Doing this allows them to comfortably live a productive and efficient lifestyle instead of forcing themselves to do so.
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