You’ve got your home office set up. Your equipment is up-to-date and running smoothly. So why aren’t you more productive?
Working from home can involve dealing with distractions that you don’t get in an office, such as pets or children, unexpected visitors, and social phone calls.
Here are techniques you can apply to raise your productivity levels and keep distractions at bay.
Ignore Phone Calls and Visitors
This advice is typically easier said than done. One effective solution is to have a dedicated phone for business purposes. While you are working, turn off your cell phone to eliminate the temptation to engage in social conversations.
Make sure friends and family know home visits are off-limits during your working hours. Working from home provides many advantages, but it can be difficult for others to appreciate. It’s necessary to be very clear with boundaries from the start.
Dress Appropriately
When you head to your workspace, dressing professionally will help you work professionally, too. It’s important to maintain a professional attitude and dressing for work is a great way to keep your mind in the right place. It also helps anyone around you understand that you are working.
Keep the Television Off
The TV is a major distraction, so you should not switch it on until you’ve finished your work for the day. While it is not always possible, it’s worth noting that many of the most successful home-office setups avoid having a television in the same room.
Listening to Music Can Improve Your Productivity
One advantage of working at home is that you can listen to your favorite music. While this may seem like a frivolous bonus, music is known for lifting the mood and boosting productivity.
If you spend a lot of time on the phone, it will not be possible to listen to music while being professional. If your remote work doesn’t involve much time on the phone, however, background music can help you focus and energize you.
Tidy Your Workspace
A chaotic workspace will ensure that you waste time locating important documents and papers. Tidying your workspace at the end of each day is a powerful habit that will have great results over time. It’s worth investing in storage solutions to keep everything neat and organized.
Don’t forget to tidy your computer, too. Assign folders for all your documents and purge junk files regularly.
Take Breaks
Just as staff in traditional offices need to take breaks, so should remote workers. This is especially the case if you work primarily with a computer and spend a lot of time looking at a monitor.
A short break every hour is recommended to keep your productivity levels up. To help prevent eye strain, the 20/20/20 rule reminds workers to take a 20-second break every 20 minutes and to focus on an object about 20 feet away.
Whether you take a short walk, make yourself a coffee, or pet the cat, it’s helpful to move during your break and return to your workspace more refreshed.
Working from home typically means that you have more opportunities to change your environment to suit your needs. Apply these simple tweaks and tips to enjoy a more efficient and productive home office.
