
Working from home has plenty of upsides, including avoiding the daily commute, and being somewhat freer to start or stop working when you want to – as long as you get the job done. But everyday distractions in the home can sometimes limit productivity if you let them. The trick is to do things that keep you productive and focused.
“The benefits of working at home are attractive,” says Reena Cruz, a Productivity Expert from Xodo. “But without colleagues and bosses nearby, focus can slip a bit. There are key things that work from home employees should do to help them ‘stay in office mode’, however. They’re surprisingly effective.”
Below, Reena reveals how to keep your productivity high when you work from home.
The Expert’s Five Top Tips for Maintaining WFH Efficiency
Reena recommends the following five tips to help maximize WFH efficiency.
“While work pressure and deadlines tend to keep you focused, these productivity tips can also help to keep home workers on their toes,” says the expert.
- Routine: Set and maintain a strict work routine.
Reena commented: “Routine is very important for productivity. Make a set time to be at your WFH desk in the morning and stay there until the break time you have allotted for yourself. Then be back at your desk at the time you have self-scheduled. Follow the kind of routine you would have to follow at the office. Be strict about adhering to it. You will find this really helps to block out distractions and temptations at home.”
- Use a home office: Set up a dedicated work room and only work in there.
“It’s tempting to sit in the lounge or kitchen with your laptop, but those are relaxation rooms, and they will affect you accordingly. Create a home office that looks and feels like an office, and which signals ‘work’ to your subliminal self. You will then associate this room with work at a deep level, and be more likely to be less distracted.”
- Set daily goals: Work goals might usually come from colleagues elsewhere, but if you aren’t under immediate pressure from others to reach certain goals and meet deadlines, set them yourself and make sure to meet them.
“Goals and deadlines are incredibly important for workers. They drive efficiency by imposing achievement thresholds and time limitations. Set these for yourself if a colleague doesn’t. Goals are goals. Scoring them on time will give you the kind of positive feedback you need to inspire you to work well.”
- Dress the part: You may think what you wear while you WFH is irrelevant, but it can actually affect the way you perform by influencing you implicitly.
“Many WFH employees find that what they wear when they work affects their performance. This is because most things we do are a kind of role play, and work is no different. Don’t just suit up for that Zoom – dress for work (even if it is just a formal or work related shirt) when no one can see you as you WFH. It helps!”
- Leverage Productivity Tools: WFH productivity tools abound. They can help you to work as part of a team even if you are all scattered around the globe.
“There is no shortage of productivity tools for home workers these days. Tools like Xodo’s PDF management apps and Notion are great for staying organized. Platforms like Zoom, Slack, MS Teams, Trello, and Google Drive etc. can help you to work well and feel like you’re part of a real-time team. This will help you to feel less alone, too – and being alone is one of the challenges of WFH that can impair productivity.”
Content marketing manager from Xodo, Reena Cruz, comments:
“Employees performing tasks that were once office based at home is a fairly modern phenomenon. WFH is a lot of people’s dream, but it comes with challenges. Productivity is one of them. Putting the WFH tips I’ve listed to work can help you to become and stay ultra-productive when you work remotely.
“Routine is probably the most important WFH tip that I mention, but a separate office space is a very close second. You’ve got to create an office environment that is somewhere you don’t go at any other time. Leverage those WFH productivity tools, too, so you feel like you’re a valued part of a professional team.”