How to Stay Efficient When Permanently Working From Home
Working from home permanently, when you’re used to commuting to an office every day, can be both a blessing and a curse. You’re no longer wasting time in the car, bus, or subway, but at the same time, you’ve got handfuls of distractions preventing you from getting important work done: the neighbor’s barking dog, the food in your fridge, and the TV in your living room, for example. So, how do you stay efficient when permanently working from home?
Get Dressed and Ready For Work Each Day
You’re not going into the office anymore, so you may ask yourself: why should I put on my slacks or my pencil skirt? You should, however, get dressed as if you were going into the office, even when working from home– here’s why.
Completing that daily routine of polishing your looks each morning will put you into a productivity mindset. If you’re sitting around in sweatpants, you’ll feel like you’re lounging around on a Sunday morning, which will kill your productivity. Start your day looking professional, and you’ll feel professional, which will improve your productivity as a result.
Schedule Your Time
Start every day and every week by taking a look at any meetings you’ve got scheduled for that day, so that you’re aware of events coming up, rather than being caught off guard in the middle of a task. It may help to plan your meetings in an online scheduling software, so that you can receive notifications of upcoming events on both your phone and your desktop.
Then, plan your flexible tasks around those meetings. Where is there “white space” in your calendar– i.e., chunks of time where you have no meetings or events scheduled? Write (or type) your flexible tasks into your planner in those white spaces. Scheduling a specific time to complete a task– as if you’re scheduling a meeting– will make you more likely to actually complete it on time without getting distracted.
In addition, you’ll want to make sure that your internet providers are reliable– having your internet regularly go out while you’re on Zoom meetings won’t bode well for your productivity.
Remember, just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean that your home life is allowed to permeate your work life– and vice versa. By following these simple yet important guidelines, you’ll finish each work-from-home day feeling productive and mentally healthy.