Oluwadurotimi Ojaokomo: 7 Ways To Stay Productive Whilst You Work From Home

You likely have been asked to work from home in an attempt to flatten the pandemic curve. This is especially important because more cases are reported every day in the news. Working from home is now the new normal.

Working from home comes with a lot of distractions and challenges. There is the urge to stay in your pajamas until noon, or watch your favorite movies, or to finish that book you have been putting off for a long time. If you have kids, you could find yourself running after them without getting any real work done.

Whether you are new to working from home or not, you would find the recommendations in this article very useful.

Here are some tips to stay on top of your game and remain productive.

• Work like you are in a real office

Create the idea of your office in your home. Imagine that your coworkers and boss are there in the room with you.

Do not get carried away with the fact that you are in your home now. It is best if you continued the routine you had when you were still going to work i.e taking your bath and getting dressed for work as soon as you wake.

It doesn’t mean you have to wear a tie, but it does mean you have to feel prepared and ready to get started.

Just because you could relax around your house in pajamas or tracksuits, doesn’t mean you really should.

• Establish a Separate Workspace

It would be great if we all had a separate room for work, but it’s not always possible.

Yet, establishing a place that can prepare you mentally for work, such as a small desk or a table can be useful.

For your own mental health, try not to mix the space for relaxation, such as the bedroom or sofa, with the space to work. For example, very often, working from your bed can influence your sleep in a bad way.

• Inform your Family or Partner that you are working

Your spouse or partner or your children should know and respect your work routine.

They should know when you are available to them and when you are not. If you have to share the same room, make sure you have noise-canceling headphones. This will also help others know if you can be disturbed or drawn into conversations.

If you are still living with your parents, show your work schedule to them. This is important so that they do not disturb you with errands and also so that you do not come off as rude.

• Develop a Work Routine

Since you no longer have to come and go from the office, your brain has to learn your new habits to enter work mode. You could start your work right after morning coffee or after morning workouts.

This way, you are establishing psychological margins that help you get in and out of work mode. Plan breaks too so that you can stretch your legs, relax your eyes, and eat.

• Stay in Constant Communication with your Manager and your Colleagues

Ask for a short call each day with your manager to start the day, to make plans with your team, and fully understand your tasks.

Also, try to maintain the same level of communication that you had before with your colleagues, but now online.

This will help you stay motivated, fix urgent things, clarify tasks, and most importantly, it will help you stay connected and never alone.

Don’t hesitate to try new communication channels. If you have only used email so far, now is the time to experience new applications and productivity tools.

Tools such as Slack for professional conversations and work organization. Zoom or Google Hangouts for meetings. Google Drive, and Google Suite for sharing files or folders.

• Don’t go overboard with news consumption, especially during work time

Do not fixate on breaking news. Not only are these going to constantly interrupt you from your workflow, but they are also going to make you feel more anxious and even more isolated.

• Remember that we are all in this together

Connect with your colleagues and friends constantly. Try to maintain, as a team, an appearance to normality and friendship in an unconventional way. Go out for virtual pizzas or cocktails, play online, or watch a movie with someone else.

Thanks to technology and new applications, there are new and innovative ways of communicating with our friends and colleagues so easily.

Don’t stress, get dressed, and get your work done.

This Article was written by Oluwadurotimi Ojaokomo

Durotimi Ojaokomo is a freelance content marketer who offers writing and content strategy services. He helps businesses generate more website visitors and leads through engaging content.

When he’s not writing, you’ll likely find him watching a movie or reading a book. Get in touch with him here.