One of the perks of working or even studying from home is undeniably the high level of flexibility it presents. However, if you don’t plan properly for it, this great boon often turns into missed opportunities. Some say working from home is the litmus test for productivity. On the other hand, others argue that people have less motivation to execute tasks in an efficient manner and meet submission deadlines when they work at home. Nevertheless, in most cases than not, people who work at home fail to be more productive when they don’t get the basics of remote work right and when they fail to stick to a well-thought-out work routine. Here then are some tips on how to improve and maintain productivity while working or studying at home.

Set up a dedicated work/study area

Regardless of how comfortable it might feel to work from your bed or perhaps your favorite sofa, it is always important to choose a special place to work or study that will boost your productivity.

So, take all the time you need to pick a specific room in your home that you can convert into your dedicated office. Doing this will enable you to create a clear distinction between your work-life boundaries. A dedicated work area will help you remain well oriented with your work simply by enabling you to make a physical distinction between working and relaxing. Also, should you spend many hours on end at your desk, you ought to pay close attention to the ergonomic aspects of its setup. You will always obtain numerous benefits by making enhancements to your workstation including minimizing the risk of lower back pain or even tension headaches. Setting up your work desk and chair properly will improve your posture, comfort, and in the long run, inevitably, boost your productivity.

Establish consistent work hours

A good work-life balance is essential to prevent burnout. Therefore, make sure you establish a proper routine of both your workdays and work hours and ensure you abide by it religiously. Should you have particular days when your workload is heavy, you may extend your work hours, but don’t make it a habit.

Create a suitable work schedule

Creating a suitable schedule when you work from home will enable you to self-track your progress and easily determine the time when you are most productive and when you aren’t. With a proper schedule, you will be able to effectively manage your workload, dispatch tasks right on time, and even determine when it’s possible to take extra work. It will as well help you create priority for the various tasks you undertake. For instance, you might deal with critical and urgent tasks first and allocate more time for trickier tasks. While creating your work-from-home schedule, always keep in mind both your short-term and long-term objectives to maintain focus, boost your productivity and confidence to achieve them.

Integrate regular breaks into your work at home schedule

To maintain your productivity while working or studying from home, it is always important to take regular breaks at the right intervals as you would in your regular office. It is important to note that your brain, and in particular your prefrontal cortex must rest from time to time to prevent fatigue, optimize productivity and even improve creativity.

Establish healthy household boundaries

Very often, your loved ones will tend to forget that you need space when you are working at home. So, make it a point to explain to them clearly the exact time you devote to work and ensure they understand you don’t wish to be bothered and distracted while you work. Doing this can go a long way in helping you concentrate on the tasks at hand and reduce the various distractions that can negatively impact your productivity. Additionally, if you have small children, set rules on what they should or shouldn’t do while you are engaged with work.

Make it a point to socialize with your co-workers as you would at the workplace

While working in the regular office setting, conversing with your co-workers is an inevitable and important part of your workdays.

On the flip side, this isn’t always the case when you work at home, and you can end up feeling disengaged and isolated which will eventually affect your productivity. To meet this need for socializing, you should leverage online messaging or chat tools to stay connected with your colleagues and have informal conversations with them that will help you maintain excellent work relationships. 

Coastal Business Systems offers top-notch managed print services and is a noted provider of state-of-art office technology and devices including the finest home office technology and a variety of smart technology that support both in-person and remote work environments.