During lockdown, the mass exodus from office life to remote work changed how many businesses operate even today. With that, blogs like these were a dime a dozen. Well, four years later, here are seven tips we found extremely useful and apply today.
1. Recreating Office Structure Virtually:
Working from home offers significant flexibility, but it also presents the challenge of creating structure within your day. In a traditional office setting, your day is often divided by scheduled meetings, team brainstorming sessions, and designated breaks, which naturally provide a sense of order.
- Task Segregation: When working remotely, mimic this office structure by dividing your day into segments dedicated to specific tasks. This could mean setting aside the morning for deep work tasks, the early afternoon for meetings and collaboration, and the later part of the day for administrative or lighter tasks. This helps ensure all necessary tasks are covered in a structured way.
- Break Scheduling: Just as you would in an office, be sure to include breaks in your schedule. This could be a 15-minute coffee break in the morning, a lunch break, and perhaps a quick afternoon break to help refresh your mind and maintain productivity throughout the day.
2. Emphasize Work-Life Balance:
When your home becomes your workplace, it’s easy for lines to blur between professional and personal life. This can lead to overworking, burnout, and a lack of downtime.
- Clear Boundaries: Use your calendar to establish clear boundaries. When planning your day, ensure you have a definite start and end to your workday. Block off time for lunch and other breaks to ensure you step away from your workspace regularly.
- Personal Time: Also, remember to schedule personal time. This could be time spent with family, pursuing a hobby, or just relaxing. Ensuring you have personal time to look forward to can help keep you motivated during your workday and helps ensure a healthy work-life balance.
3. Utilize Effective Digital Tools:
Digital tools can significantly enhance your productivity and organization. There are numerous tools available to help with calendar management and task organization.
- Calendar Apps: Apps like Google Calendar allow you to create separate calendars for different areas of your life (work, personal, side projects, etc.). They also provide features like color-coding and syncing with other apps, making scheduling seamless and visually clear.
- Productivity Apps: Apart from calendar apps, there are numerous productivity apps that can assist with task management. These include project management tools like Asana and Trello, which allow you to list tasks, assign deadlines, and track progress. Distraction blockers like Freedom can also be helpful if you find yourself often diverted by social media or other online distractions.
Bonus: Here are two articles for digital tools we recommend checking out:
From Zapier – The best AI productivity tools in 2023
From HubSpot – The 70+ Best Chrome Extensions for 2023
4. Handle Distractions Proactively:
Working from home can mean contending with a whole new set of distractions. These could range from household chores and family members to the temptation of social media or the TV.
- Scheduled Distraction Time: Instead of constantly fighting these distractions, schedule time to attend to them. For instance, you could have designated times during the day to check social media or deal with personal tasks. This way, you know you will attend to these distractions, but at a time that doesn’t disrupt your work.
- Workspace Setup: Set up a dedicated workspace that’s free from as many distractions as possible. Make sure family members or housemates understand your work schedule and respect your need for focus during work hours. And having a clean, organized space is a must!
5. Master Task Batching:
Task batching is a time management technique that involves grouping similar tasks together and tackling them in one go. This approach can significantly enhance efficiency and productivity.
- Batch Similar Tasks: For instance, instead of constantly checking and replying to emails throughout the day, set aside specific times to handle all email correspondence. This reduces the mental load of switching between tasks and allows for deeper focus and efficiency.
- Scheduled Batching: Another example could be scheduling all your meetings or calls close together. This allows you to prepare for and engage in these discussions without constantly switching modes from solitary work to collaborative work.
6. Prioritize Mental Health:
Mental well-being is critical to maintaining productivity and motivation, particularly in a remote work setting. Therefore, it’s important to make mental health a priority in your schedule.
- Scheduled Breaks: Be sure to schedule regular breaks during your workday. Even short five-minute breaks to stand up, stretch, or do some deep breathing exercises can help reset your mind and reduce stress levels.
- Relaxation Activities: Also, consider incorporating longer periods of relaxation activities into your day. This could be a 30-minute yoga session, a walk outside, or even a quick nap. These activities can help to maintain mental well-being, enhance creativity, and boost overall productivity.
7. Optimize Your Workspace:
Your physical workspace plays a critical role in your productivity and well-being, particularly when working from home. It’s important to create a space that facilitates focus, comfort, and efficiency.
- Designated Workspace: Try to dedicate a specific area of your home to work, even if it’s just a corner of a room. This helps to mentally separate work and personal life. Make sure this area is free from non-work-related distractions as much as possible.
- Comfort and Ergonomics: Invest in comfortable and ergonomically friendly furniture. A chair that provides good support and a desk at the right height can prevent discomfort or health issues down the line.
- Organized and Clutter-Free: Keep your workspace tidy. A cluttered workspace can lead to a cluttered mind, so take a few minutes at the start or end of each day to organize your space.
- Lighting and Ventilation: Natural light can boost mood and energy, so try to set up your workspace in a well-lit area. Good ventilation is also important for maintaining a fresh and conducive work environment.
- Personal Touch: Add personal touches to make your workspace pleasant and inspiring. This could be a plant, some motivational quotes, or pictures of loved ones.
By optimizing your workspace, you create an environment that not only enhances productivity but also makes your workday more enjoyable.
8. Establish End-of-Day Rituals:
Creating an end-of-day ritual can provide a clear signal that the workday is over and it’s time to shift into personal time. This can be particularly important in a work-from-home setting where it’s easy for work to spill over into personal time.
- Simple Rituals: Your end-of-day ritual could be as simple as shutting down your computer, tidying your workspace, pouring a glass of wine, or changing into comfortable clothes. The key is to choose something that signals to your mind that work is over.
What Works For You?
If you have a tip for a virtual work life that you find really works, share it with the community! We would love to hear your feedback over on Club Zenatta and add it to this list.
