Tips For a Productive Day Working From Home
Working from home is a relatively new concept for many of us. The idea of working from home is something many people longed to try in an attempt to reduce commute times and spend more time at home. However, after being thrown in at the deep end, we’re finding it’s not as simple as we once expected. Working from home is great, but a lack of structure can cause us to be less productive or unmotivated. To help combat this, we’ve compiled a list of tips to help you have a productive day working from home.
1. Assign a Designated Workspace
It’s important to devote a designated area specifically for work. Somewhere you can focus with a space to leave your laptop, pen and paper, and most importantly, coffee. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy but, if at all possible, avoid working from your bed as this comfortable setting can lead to tiredness. Sitting upright on a chair at a table will increase your productivity levels as this will help to recreate your work setting. Whether it’s your kitchen table, dressing table or a collapsible table, the important thing is to create a workspace that works for you!
2. Stick to Your Usual Working Hours
One of the positives of working from home is avoiding long commuting times. For many, this allows a lie-on every morning, but it’s important to stick to your usual working hours. Working the same hours as you would in the office helps you to stick to your normal working routine, and normal is something we all need in our lives right now!
3. Set Alarms For Start, Lunch and Finish Times
When working from home, it can be easy to lose track and let personal time blend into work time. To avoid this, we suggest setting alarms for key times throughout the day, such as work start, lunch and finish times. This will ensure you don’t forget to take your well-deserved lunch break and will give your eyes a much-needed rest from the computer screen. It will also remind you to start and finish work at your scheduled times.
4. Get Dressed
The temptation to stay cosy in your pyjamas all day while WFH is one of the hardest to resist, but getting dressed will help you focus by making you feel as if you’re dressing to leave the house. Ideally, dressing as you would usually dress for work would be optimal, but this may be a bit of a stretch, so if you even change from pyjamas to athleisurewear, you’re setting yourself up for a productive day ahead!
5. Update Your To-Do List Every Morning
Start your day with a clear goal in mind. Updating your to-do list everyday will help you to focus on the tasks that are top priority for the day ahead. Plan out your day by the hour and schedule focused time to complete certain tasks. This will add structure to your day and help keep procrastination at bay.
Top Tip: Put ‘Make My Bed’ at the top of your to-do list every morning. This simple chore will help you feel organised by giving the impression that you’ve already completed a task before you’ve even left your bedroom!
6. Leave Your Phone in Another Room
We are all guilty of getting distracted by our phones. We convince ourselves we will just check social media for two minutes and before we know it, twenty minutes have passed. Just because you’re not in the office, doesn’t mean you should allow yourself to get distracted by your phone – as easy as it may be! The easiest way to prevent distraction is to leave your phone in another room. Out of sight, out of mind!
Top Tip: If you’re convinced you don’t spend much time on your phone, check the device’s screen time feature and don’t be surprised if you see multiple hours logged. All those quick checks add up!
7. Sneak in A Workout From Your Desk
For an extra boost of motivation, why not sneak in a 30 min ab workout at your desk? Let Slendertone keep your core strong while you reply to emails, attend virtual meetings or catch up on admin. Simply pop on your ab belt, select your toning programme and let Slendertone get to work while you carry on with work!
Top Tip: Allocating a time for toning ensures you’ll never miss a session. Maybe first thing in the morning or 30 minutes before lunch? The choice is yours!
