Studies have shown that working from home can increase productivity; however, without proper checks & balances put in place, it can spiral into a lonely and weird feeling that might lead to a Lack of Motivation. Here are a few tips to motivate yourself and increase your productivity while working from home.
Have A Dedicated Workspace
Within your home, find your concentration zone and make use of it each time you intend to get some work done. As much as possible, avoid working on the bed, playroom, and the living room except you can prevent or control any distraction caused by people around you or your environment.
Get Dressed Like A Professional
Since the mindset for work has been accustomed to a semi-professional dress code, being too casually dressed can hinder one’s brain from getting set for some serious task, so get out of those pyjamas right away!
Set Boundaries for Family and Friends
Depending on the set up of your home, friends and family are more likely to see you around more often. Make them understand that you are not on vacation and would be grateful if they left you to work at certain hours of the day. This also means that you should resist the urge to invite guests to your house during this period.
Create An Activity Schedule
Working from home demands concentration and dedication; therefore, you should create an activity plan or task schedule to help you remain organised and productive. Set up automated reminders for important tasks, online meetings, and deadlines; decide ahead how you’re going to proceed each workday.
Get The Right Tools and Facilities for The Job
Especially in Nigeria and some other developing countries, working from home requires certain facilities which you always enjoyed at your office, such as internet service and electricity supply. Endeavour to find out what quantity of data will be adequate for your work as well as what network works perfectly in your residence. Try to make the best use of times when you are supplied electricity by the power company and get an alternative source of electricity if you can afford it.
Adopt Apps To Control Your Social Media Usage Each Day
Social media interaction and entertainment has been a major distraction over the years, even at workplaces; working from home could further aggravate the distraction rate if it is not intentionally controlled. It is therefore important to research and invest in getting tools that can help you manage your time on those platforms. Moment; App-detox; Stay on Task; Break-free & Stay Focused are some of the most commonly used Apps for this purpose.
Avoid Procrastination
Do not give room for the postponement of any task that can be completed immediately. Do not derail from your daily schedule and avoid the urge to do house chores during your working hours; instead, schedule an appropriate time to get them done so that they don’t interfere with your work.
Take a Lunch and Walk Break
While working at home, time tends to move very quickly, especially when you aim at completing scheduled tasks. Indeed, you can sometimes forget to eat or change your sitting position for hours. Do not neglect the need to go on your usual lunch break like you would do if you were at the office; furthermore, take a few minutes to walk around, it helps you stretch your muscles and makes you feel refreshed. For every 55 minutes of work, you can indulge yourself in about 10-15 minutes of break to grab a cup of water or just get some fresh air.
Reward Yourself For Good Behavior and Concentration
For productivity sake, promise to give yourself a treat at the end of the day or after completing a strenuous task. When you feel satisfied with what you have achieved at the end of the day or week, put something together to reward your diligence and commitment.
Plan To Interact With Others At Specific Times
Staying at home to work can sometimes be mentally stressful and breed the feeling of loneliness; therefore, while practising self-isolation during this crucial period, endeavour to often interact with people living with or around you, just like you would with your colleagues at work.
Finally, working from home demands a lot of discipline and commitment on your part; however, you might not fully enjoy its benefits until you have been fully immersed in it. One last task which must not be overlooked while working from home is to Workout or Exercise regularly during the day. This helps your muscles to relax, improve your breathing, boost your immune system, focus your energy on what matters, and sometimes, inspire solutions to a task that has been proving difficult to solve.