There’s no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the way businesses operate, with more businesses than ever encouraging or requiring their employees to work from home. A number of these remote-work arrangements were implemented suddenly, leaving employees and managers alike to navigate a new work reality that might be unfamiliar.
Though this might sound like a dream for most individuals, switching from a structured office environment to the comfort of your own home can be challenging in many ways. While many employees are now working remotely, many workers and managers are still trying to adjust to this virtual transition. Now that we have had a year of practice, let’s revisit some best practices to see what we might adjust to improve our productivity.
Here are five ways you can maintain your productivity while working from home:
- Setting Priorities
During the workday, tasks are often prioritized according to the needs of others or the immediacy of deadlines, and though we don’t like to think so, typically only a limited amount of time is spent on activities that are actually important, and more energy is spent being “busy”.
Thoughtful prioritization typically involves creating an agenda for the day, evaluating tasks, and allocating time and work to bring the most value in a short amount of time. Prioritization should be flexible, as you may need to interrupt low-priority tasks for urgent must-dos. It is important to reduce clutter by removing things off the to-do list that aren’t essential and start focusing on tasks that are important. Prioritizing tasks effectively with intention can ensure that every task you tackle drives value and keeps unimportant tasks from cluttering your to-do list. As Stephen R. Covey taught us, Important and Not Urgent items are easy to set aside, however eventually they will become urgent which puts us back into fire fighting mode as we work to complete our priorities that fell behind.
- Planning your workday
One of the most important and basic things you can do when working from home is to create a regular schedule for yourself. It’s tempting to give yourself total flexibility as to when you get started; taking breaks and calling it a day. Fight the urge!
Tasks and projects can pile up if you don’t keep your schedule consistent. Setting yourself regular hours keeps you accountable to yourself and to your boss. This simple yet effective strategy makes you more likely to get all your work done, and it makes it easier for you to schedule your time for when you are most productive.
- Set Boundaries
To better manage your remote work lifestyle, watch that you’re not overworking yourself. As you work from home, your work & life balance can become a blur which can lead to individuals working more hours, though not always productive hours when working from home. This keeps us working even longer as we try to catch up and accomplish tasks.
To combat overworking, and to completely disconnect from the stress of working from home, it’s important to set boundaries for your work team and your family. Take breaks at appropriate times to pace out your day and engage in relaxing activities. When we are in the same environment for so long, we need to rest and clear our minds. If weekend work is not required, set your own boundary to get away from your desk. These best practices will help you be more efficient and effective in your work and alleviate stress.
- Tracking your time
Tracking the time you spend on specific work activities can help identify pain points in your work process and will aid in setting and achieving realistic goals. Time tracking also helps give you a sense of how you are actually spending your time. We find Clockify easy to use for this purpose.
This strategy can help achieve a clear view of how your time is spent throughout the day and where you may need to reallocate your priorities to achieve your goals. Having a sense of what you worked on and accomplished is a great conversation starter with your boss. Such clarity goes a long way in making you an efficient professional.
- Practice Self-Care
It’s important to be conscious of your mental state. Productivity happens when people can reduce their stress levels. Building self-care into your daily routine can help a lot with this. Whether that is a walk outdoors, contact with loved ones or spending virtual social time with colleagues.
Additionally, leaders should encourage self-care among their employees who are both emotionally and mentally striving to adapt to remote work. With the stress of new workplace environments and the stress of daily updates around COVID-19, leaders should advocate for remote employees to exercise, get quality sleep, take frequent breaks, and continue on with lives as normally as they can.
Working from home means more distractions, fewer ways to interact naturally with fellow employees, and more social isolation — all of which can lead to less productivity. To overcome these challenges, decide which tip you want to refocus on first to enable peak performance.
