How to Work Productively from Home

With a growing number of people working from home now, it is essential to know how to familiarise yourself with this new environment and how to work productively.

Introduction: If you have never worked from home before, then the new environment may initially be distracting and uncomfortable. Everyone has different work, working style and work space, and these factors play into how well you can work productively from home. Understanding how you naturally work will help you see what needs to be done to help you be more productive while working from home. So here are a few questions you should ask yourself when preparing to work from home.

Finding a work set-up

Finding a work set-up that is ideal for you is crucial in helping you work productively. Space can affect your mentality, so it is important to find a space that can stimulate the feel of an office. So do you prefer a mixed, open space where you know others will be wandering through, or do you prefer a remote area that is strictly yours? Or are you someone who can work anywhere without any concerns?

Your working style

Do you work more productively when there is some noise or complete silence? Depending on where you sit on that scale, you should pick a workspace that will enable that level of noise to travel through. Whether this be closer to the dining room where there is usually chatter and noise from electronic devices, or in an isolated room furthest away from the dining area, perhaps closer to the bedrooms.

Who else is living with you?

Do you have a family, a flatmate or do you live by yourself? If you have children who are staying away from school, then you will need to figure out how to do your work and also care for them. If you have flatmates, then they may also be working from home, so understanding their personalities and how they work will help you see how you can divide working areas.

Avoid distractions

If you are someone who simply cannot ignore distractions when working, then find a space that helps you avoid them. This may involve finding a work space that faces away from the rest of your home so you won’t see house clutter while you work, or clearing clutter and potentially distracting devices from your own work desk. It may also be a good idea to clear out any distractions on your digital workspace. So try to get rid of any distracting and unused tabs and files on your home screen that may distract you.

Have a clear schedule

While some people work in spikes of energy, having a clear schedule can still be beneficial to ensure that you are taking regular breaks. This may also mean having a morning ritual, which may involve getting up and dressed, having breakfast and coffee. It can also be tempting to start work straight away in the morning when you have just woken up to maximise working time, however having a morning ritual can put you in the right mindset to work more productively later on.

Have consistent breaks

Having consistent breaks is important in helping you reset your mind and energy. This is why having a clear schedule is so helpful. Not having rewards or breaks between work can be demoralising and according to Parkinson’s Law, it also makes you less productive. This is because work expands to fill in the time you have given to complete it. So if you decide to spend an entire day dedicated to one task without any breaks, then you can feel more distracted during the day as you push the task aside for later on, knowing that you have the rest of the day to complete it.