Working from home is becoming increasingly common, but switching from a structured office environment to the comfort of your own home can be quite challenging. Learning how to successfully work from home is important if you want to keep the same efficiency and be effective at your job.
At home there are distractions, less communication and less accountability when compared with working in an office. However, this doesn’t give you a free pass to be less productive - there are lots of ways to stay productive working from any location. Here are some great tips for working from home.
Create a Home Office
Whilst it might be tempting to work from your couch, easy-chair, or even from your bed, this could take a huge toll on your productivity. One of the best working from home tips we can give you is to try to always work from a consistent room, desk, or chair to tell your brain that it’s time for work, not relaxation.
When you do this, your brain will associate your bed with sleep, your couch with relaxation, and your desk with work, helping shift your energy levels accordingly. You should also try and work in a room with the most consistent connection to the internet, or you could consider investing in mobile wifi Llandudno to ensure you’ll never lose your connection.
Regular Work Hours
When learning how to successfully work from home, one of the most important and basic things you can do is to create a regular schedule for yourself. It’s tempting to give yourself total flexibility as to when you get started, take breaks, and call it a day.
However, you’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t keep your schedule consistent. Setting yourself regular hours keeps you accountable to yourself and to your boss. It makes you more likely to get all your work done, and it makes it easier for people to get in touch with you.
Here are the important factors to consider when you’re setting an at-home work schedule:
When your boss needs you to be available
Communication with your coworkers and customers
Time of day when you are most productive
This doesn’t mean that you need to work nine to five every day. You should work when you’re most productive. However, it’s a good idea to find out when your boss really needs you to be at work.
Plan Your Workflow
When you want to learn how to work from home efficiently, one surefire way to keep productivity up is to get smart about planning your work day. Before you even start working, make sure you know what your priorities are for the day, how long you think it will take you to get everything done, and what you will work on if you have extra time.
You might find it helpful to take a few minutes before you go to bed to plan for the next day, as you may find that you sleep better without the stress of planning in the back of your mind.
In your planning, consider the following:
Do the highest priority tasks first
Plan your day around your own natural cycles—do the hardest work when you have the most energy throughout the day
Plan rewards and breaks throughout the day
Stay in the Loop
One of the best things about working in an office environment is the potential for collaboration and socialisation. You don’t have to lose this just because you are working from home. When you are learning how to work from home, try to check in with your coworkers at least a couple of times per week, whether this is by email, phone, Zoom, or even in person.
Make sure you keep up on a personal level, as well as a professional level. You can do this without taking a lot of time—just share the things that are most important, and encourage your coworkers to do the same.
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