Working from home can be a lot more productive than working in an office. You don’t have a long commute, you can work during your most productive hours and you won’t be interrupted by colleagues or long meetings. But working from home can be a vortex of distraction whether it’s browsing the internet or making your tenth cup of tea for the day.
Here are five tips to help you boost your productivity when you work from home from the counter-intuitive such as learning how to remove ink stains from clothes to boost your energy levels with music.
1. Turn procrastination into a virtue
When inspiration is running low and you’re really struggling to sit down, use that time to do daily house chores such as washing dishes, cooking, doing the laundry. For example, if you’ve spilt ink on your shirt, you can learn how to remove ink stains from clothes and do it straight away. You can also use procrastination to maintain your home such as supervising the tradesman fixing problems at home such as servicing air-conditioning unit, plumbing water pipes, and repainting the walls. The break will give you more energy and improve your home. Win-win!
2. Limit the amount of time you spend on the internet and checking your email
The internet is the biggest attention-sucking culprit. If you are addicted to certain sites, use an app like Freedom or SelfControl to block these websites while you’re working. If your job doesn’t involve the internet or being contactable all the time, turn off your internet and your phone during part of the day. Stagger the frequency with which you receive emails so that you can focus on getting work done instead of answering emails.
3. Pomodoro Technique
Short bursts of focused attention with a break in-between can help to boost your productivity. The Pomodoro Technique allows you to do just this: work for a run of 25 minutes with a 5-minute break in-between. There are many free Pomodoro Technique timers that you can download on your laptop and phone.
4. Listen to music with headphones
Music can be your worst enemy or your best friend. If you work on a laptop, listen to music that keeps your energy levels high or calming music that helps you focus such as instrumental music. The trick is to listen to music through your headphones. You can buy headphones under 500 In India That way you’re physically connected to your work space and less likely to dance around the house. Use the energy from the music to drive your work.
5. Go for a walk
Being cramped up in your house can leave you feeling unfocused and foggy-headed. If you are feeling restless, go for a brisk walk at least once a day. Working from home can mean that you’re less physically active — so work exercise into your routine as this will give you more energy, help you think more clearly and improve your mood.
Working from home can be the dream but it can also be difficult if you don’t have the right tools or routine to help you focus. Most importantly, it requires self-knowledge and understanding when and how you work best.
