With work from home becoming the new normal in a Covid-compliant world, it is a good idea to have a few rules in place so that one can make the best of it. There are many benefits to working from home if one is able to keep distractions at bay. Here are a few tips to help you work productively from home.
Fix a designated spot in your house as your workspace.
If you don’t have a swanky home office, that is absolutely fine. What is not fine is spending long hours on the bed with your laptop plonked on your lap. Or sitting on a couch in front of the television with one eye fixed on the telly and the other on your laptop screen. You can work on the dining table or at the kitchen counter or even in a corner of your living room. Just make sure you are sitting at a proper table and chair so that you don’t feel lazy or sleepy. In any case, when you are video calling your manager, he or she wouldn’t want to see you slouching in the middle of your bed, surrounded by pillows.
Follow a routine
Make sure you follow your regular office schedule as much as possible. Get out of your pajamas or track pants, brush your teeth and get dressed as you would for office. Have a good, nutritious breakfast, sit at your designated workspace and try to put in two or three hours for work. Take a break for lunch and a quick walk around the house or in your terrace (if you have one). Then back again for the afternoon shift. A quick break for tea and cookies and another hour before you call it a day.
Make a list
Make a list of tasks you need to complete each day. It makes things easier if you have a list you can check off.
Limit social media
Make sure you don’t check into your social media accounts every couple of minutes. It is easy to get distracted with Facebook, Twitter or Instagram tabs open on computer so make sure you have time set aside to check your accounts every day after your work is done.
Switch off when work is done
When your office day is over, switch off completely. This is easier to do when you have a designated workspace. Once you are able to establish the boundaries between work and home, you will be able to keep a good work-life balance and make the work from home transition smoothly.
Do you have any more tips that work for you? Write in to us. We would love to hear them.