Productivity tips while working from home

One of the main concerns of companies and managers when allowing their employees to work remotely is their productivity amid the distractions at home. However, if you are a remote employee and you want to keep a good relationship with your employer, it is important to ensure excellent performance at all times.

In this article, we will let you in on some tips and the top habits you need to lose to improve your remote work performance. Read on to know more.

Habit #1. Being distracted from home.

In a remote work setup, one of the main issues would be the distractions from our house. Whether it is your children, your housemates, or even your dog, it is easy to get distracted when you hear irrelevant noise while working. Not to mention the expected and unexpected chores that you must do like cooking, cleaning, or even accepting your deliveries.

However, there are some effective things that you can do to deal with distractions at home. Here are some of them:

Let your housemates and social media friends know when you are working.

It is important to let other people know when you don’t want any distractions. You can tell them in advance, put a sign on your door, or change your active status on social media. This way, you can prevent yourself from engaging in nonwork-related discussions with other people during your work schedule.

If you have young kids, getting help is important.

If you have young children, chances are you will be repeatedly interrupted while you’re at work. In this case, remind your spouse, or the people who are there to offer help about your dedicated working hours However, if they are also working, then it might be good to consider seeking help from your relatives or trusted nannies.

Set a dedicated working space at home.

If you want to avoid distractions at home, you should get a dedicated working space. It can be your bedroom or just a small space in your house corner, whichever works best. Just make sure that it is away from the noise, television, the dining room, and other communal areas in your home where people usually spend time unwinding.

Keep consistent work hours.

Having consistent working hours is important not only for your work-life balance but also for your productivity and focus. Simply don't answer unrelated calls during work to avoid distractions. You can set a callback message letting people know that you cannot answer them due to your work schedule.

Escape.

If all else fails, you can try working from a coffee shop, library, or co-working space near your area. Due to the influx of home-based workers these days, there are a lot of coffee shops and co-working spaces that offer a conducive environment for working with a stable internet connection

Habit #2. Mismanaging tasks and losing priority.

One of the main disadvantages of working remotely is the lack of face-to-face connection with managers This means that workers are more prone to mismanaging their tasks and losing priority without a properly working system. This is especially true for those who are working in different time zones with flexible schedules.

However, there are effective ways to still stick to your schedule and cross out your to-do’s at the right time. First, it is important to limit the number of your tasks each day and arrange them based on their importance and the due date for prioritization. You can try the Eisenhower matrix or do 1 big thing along with 3 medium things and 5 small things to do per day by following the 1-3-5 rule.

You can also use project management applications that will help you get better insight and control over your tasks. Just make sure to still have time for taking breaks to avoid losing energy and motivation to finish your tasks.

Habit #3. Being out of the loop in the remote workplace.

When working remotely, one of the most important things that every employer, manager, and employee has is an effective communication system. Unlike in a traditional workplace, it is easy to feel out of the loop and disconnected from your coworkers. Some may even feel paranoid that other people are having meetings and making decisions without them. Not to mention the terrible differences in time zones which usually lead to miscommunication.

To avoid exclusion in the workplace, make sure to have an effective communication system that will work for everyone. Hold virtual meetings every week that will overlap with everyone’s schedule to not miss out on anything about the recent news and issues about work. It is also important to build a culture of inclusion for remote workers by giving them the chance to be more proactive in speaking up.

Habit #4. Messing up work-life balance.

According to a study from Harvard Business Review, about 40% of 215 supervisors interviewed are not entirely sure about their capabilities to manage remote workers. One of the reasons for this is their fear that employees will just slack off without in-person oversight. However, that is far from the truth and most remote workers are more likely to overwork, messing up their work-life balance.

A lot of companies often overlook the possibility of overworking their employees in a remote work setup. Thus, most employees tend to forget to have breaks and lose their sense of time even after their working hours. This is a big mistake that often leads to fatigue, sickness, and contrary to expectations, unproductivity.

So, to prevent messing up your work-life balance, make sure to be more organized with your time management. Set appointments on your calendar for going out for a simple stroll or eating out after your shift. You can also set an alarm for breaks after every major task you were able to finish.

As mentioned earlier, it is also best to create physical boundaries between you and your workspace. While some choose their bedroom to avoid distractions, some set their dedicated workspace at another isolated area that they can easily shut off after their work. If this is not possible, then you can just simply shut off your laptop and put it out of your sight while resting.

Habit #5. Isolating yourself from the team.

This is almost the same with feeling out of the loop. The only difference is that this one is more related to your personal and social life in your virtual workplace. Unlike in the traditional office, there are no more impromptu “watercooler” interactions and it is almost impossible to share meals with your co-workers. This leads to a feeling of isolation from the team.

But, to avoid this, having social breaks in your schedule with those who reside near your area can make a difference. You can also try visiting a co-working space or coffee shops that help you feel less alone while working. Some companies hold ice-breakers and catching-up meetings for employees to let them talk about nonwork-related things once in a while.

Key Takeaways

Although some companies are still wary of implementing a work-from-home setup, it can improve the productivity of employees when done with the right mindset and habits. This is the main reason behind Remotify’s I.N.S.P.I.R.E principles.

By partnering with us, we can help remote employees get more insights and tips on how to handle their work-life better and promote productivity even as they work from home. Of course, we also offer other services such as HR tasks and payroll management for companies. To know more about this, check out this page or send us an email at hello@remotify.ph.