How To Be Productive Working From Home

As the country continues with virtual and remote work mandates as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, more employees are finding themselves working from home. For employees, this is often a welcome change.

Although a majority of employees prefer working remotely, it’s easy to fall into a cycle of procrastination and distraction. By following the top habits of people working from home productively, you’ll avoid career burnout, meet work deadlines, and boost your daily productivity.

Today, people from all kinds of jobs and professional industries are working from home more than ever before. From small mom-and-pop businesses moving their stores online to some of the country’s biggest companies offering international online jobs, people are working from home at unprecedented rates.

As a result of this new normal, the majority of American workers would prefer working from home permanently in the future. Zippia surveyed 2,000 employed Americans and found that 63 percent of workers want to continue working from home.

The majority of workers claimed to be just as productive at home as they are in the office, with 1-in-5 workers working more hours than usual.

So, it looks like this new virtual work environment may be here to stay.

If you’re one of the many Americans who would now prefer to work from home, using the hacks in this article will help you stay focused and work more efficiently. By increasing your productivity you’ll be able to more easily transition to working from home permanently after the pandemic.

Benefits of Work-From-Home Careers

Working from home comes with a slew of attractive employee perks. Overall, home workers have higher job satisfaction, more flexible schedules, and improved work-life balance.

Working remotely from a home office can be a great option for job-seekers looking for flex-jobs or people who need to stay at home, like caretakers, mothers, or those recovering from an illness or injury.

One of the most sought-after job perks is a flexible work schedule, or an alternative to the traditional 9 to 5, 40-hour workweek. Working from home typically comes with a highly flexible work schedule.

Whether working from home full-time, part-time, temporarily, or permanently, telecommuting typically allows you to determine your preferred working hours and work during the times you’re most productive. By choosing your hours and working in a comfortable workspace, you’ll likely increase your efficiency and improve your work habits.

A recent Zippia poll found that more than 44 percent of people are more productive when working from home.

This increase in productivity goes hand-in-hand with a more comfortable working environment. Remote work affords employees the luxury of working from virtually anywhere they want, so long as they have WiFi and cell connection. This translates to the perfect work-life balance.

In addition to higher job-satisfaction, working from home can also be a great way to gain new skills to be even more productive when completing work tasks and projects. Various online resources can help job-seekers, entry-level employees, and even high school students learn new skills and further explore their career interests.

Other attractive work-from-home perks include saving money on gas and daily store-bought lunches, avoiding heavy traffic and long commutes, and getting to dress comfortably and not being constricted to a specific company dress code.

Together these benefits of working from home all function to optimize productivity while decreasing stress levels among employees.

Amid the global coronavirus pandemic, one of the most obvious benefits of working from home is avoiding interacting with people who may get you sick.

Staying productive in the safety of your own home will help keep you both physically and mentally healthy, and you’ll avoid contracting COVID and, in doing so, avoid anxiety and other mental health disorders.

How to Create a Productive Home Work Environment

The first step to being an efficient and productive teleworking employee is creating a space that will allow you to avoid distractions, be comfortable throughout your workday, and effectively meet deadlines and complete required tasks.

Dedicating an area of your home as office space will help you stay focused on the task at hand when working remotely.

Set this space up as you would your desk at work, perhaps add a photo, an inspirational quote, and a notebook so that when you’re in this area your brain will recognize that you’re working. Keeping a clean workspace will also help boost productivity

Your work area at home should be free of distractions and equipped with everything you need during the day to complete your work. As a general rule of thumb, you should have good cell service, WiFi, and access to all the files and computer software you may need to complete your daily responsibilities.

Companies with remote employees often have a budget for office equipment — so, if you need something, whether it’s a monitor, office chair, printer, or computer program, don’t hesitate to ask your supervisor. Remote employees who have all the tools they need to complete tasks and meet deadlines are most effective.

If you have space, having a separate home office is probably the best way to create a productive workspace at home.

A home office will allow you to only focus on work-related tasks when you’re in that space, and when you’re done working for the day you’ll be able to physically close the door and separate your work life from your personal life.

Having this physical separation between work and your personal life can help remote employees avoid burnout and stay motivated at work.

If you’re unable to dedicate a room in your house to a home-office, limiting the amount of time you spent checking emails or completing work-related tasks after hours or using separate user accounts on your computer for work and personal activities can help maintain this separation and foster a positive work-life balance.

5 Tips for Working From Home and Being Productive

Being productive and efficient when working from home will allow you to prioritize tasks, meet deadlines, and achieve job satisfaction. Here are the top five tips you should use to stay focused when working from home:

1. Maintain a regular schedule. Sticking to a regular schedule will help you stay at the top of your game. By maintaining a regular schedule at home, as you would if you were going into the office, you’ll be able to prioritize tasks and increase your daily productivity.

   Developing a morning routine is one of the easiest ways to maintain a regular schedule. Having a regular morning routine is a powerful way of telling you when it’s time to get to work each day. Similarly, it’s also a good idea to create a routine that you follow at the end of the day to signal when to put work away for the night.

   One of the benefits of working from home is flexibility, and even though you’re not working the traditional 9 to 5 job, it’s still important to set a schedule and stick to it. Having a guideline for when you should be working and when you’re off the clock will help maintain a work-life balance.

   In addition to following regular hours, for the most part, it’s also important to maintain a regular schedule throughout your workday to meet deadlines and complete the most important tasks first. Making to-do lists is a great way of sticking to a regular schedule and being productive as a remote employee.

   Maintaining a regular schedule will help you get things done, avoid too much irrelevant multitasking, and increase productivity at work.

2. Take breaks. Scheduling breaks is such an important aspect of maintaining a positive work-from-home environment. Look into your company’s policy on breaks and take them. Typically a lunch hour and two shorter breaks, up to 15 minutes, is the standard breakdown for full-time employees in the US.

   When working from home it’s easy to get caught up in a task and skip breaks. But, the thing is, taking breaks during the workday will increase your productivity by avoiding burnout.

   Carve out time in your workday for lunch, and take a few shorter breaks throughout the day to get your body moving and your eyes off the computer screen. It’s also a great idea to leave your house for a few minutes during your breaks.

   Whether that looks like taking the dog on a walk or just sitting in the backyard with a cup of coffee, the fresh air will help you maintain focus for the duration of your workday.

   Some great ways to break up your workday are by listening to some music, doing yoga or stretching, or watching a quick show — tips that also work great if you’re working in an empty office.

   Try to avoid laying on the couch or in bed on your breaks, or you may become one of the 33 percent of telecommuters who nap on the clock.

   Equally as important as taking breaks during your workday, is taking the sick time and vacation days when you need or want to. Sometimes the best break we can give ourselves is a good vacation.

3. Set ground rules. When you’re working from home you probably won’t have a manager or supervisor looming over your desk and checking up on you. In this sense, people who work from home almost act as their boss by making sure they’re being productive, managing their time efficiently, and staying on task.

   Working from home comes with a huge amount of independence, and that’s why setting ground rules is so important.

   Unless you live alone, there’s a good chance that other people will be in your house while you’re working. By minimizing interruptions during your workday, you’ll maximize your productivity and stay focused on the job at hand.

   Sometimes telecommuters fall into distraction traps when working from home. When your home becomes the place you live, socialize, and work, it’s easy to become distracted. It’s important to set ground rules with yourself too, to avoid distractions and maintain productivity.

   For example, some ground rules you may set for yourself is not turning on the television or the radio during work hours, only answering personal calls, texts, and emails when you’re off the clock or on your breaks, and not doing any cooking or housework while you’re working.

   Creating rules and boundaries with yourself, your housemates, and your family while you’re working will ultimately make you happier, as you’ll achieve that highly sought-after work-life balance.

4. Communicate with colleagues. Your relationship with your colleagues can often make or break your work-from-home experience. When working from home, it’s especially important to communicate with your colleagues, since you can’t see them in person.

   Today, work from home jobs rely heavily on email communications and video calls, like FaceTime, Zoom, and Skype. Whatever method of communication your company and colleagues use, it’s important to take advantage of that and communicate with co-workers to complete tasks and projects.

   Virtual meetings are especially important. When a colleague or supervisor schedules a meeting it’s so important that you attend and stay focused and alert. When working from home, these virtual meetings are the closest thing you’ll get to face-to-face interactions.

   Although the perks are vast, remote work can sometimes be isolating. The best way to avoid feeling lonely is by socializing with your co-workers. Besides attending the required meetings and communicating with colleagues about work projects, it’s important to mingle with them as you would in the office.

5. Stay positive. Maintaining a positive attitude is the best thing you can do for yourself, your colleagues, and your company when working from home. Even if remote working isn’t your favorite thing, it’s important not to be too hard on yourself and to stay positive while navigating this new work landscape.

   By keeping a positive attitude you’ll be able to be much more productive during the day and get things done quickly. Happy employees tend to focus on productivity, have better time management skills, and adopt good work habits.

   When working from home it’s even more important to take care of your mental health. Since you won’t get as much socialization as you would when working from an office, recognizing when you may be feeling lonely or in need of a mental health boost is key to staying positive.

   Today, there are plenty of apps designed to help people take care of their mental health and stay positive at work. These platforms are especially popular among college students navigating the job market during the coronavirus pandemic.

   Some of the most widely used mental health apps are Aloe Bud, Joyable, Headspace, and Youper.

   Remember, happy employees are more productive.

Author

Elsie Boskamp

Elsie is an experienced writer, reporter, and content creator. As a leader in her field, Elsie is best known for her work as a Reporter for The Southampton Press, but she can also be credited with contributions to Long Island Pulse Magazine and Hamptons Online. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from Stony Brook University and currently resides in Franklin, Tennessee.