Throughout the global COVID-19 pandemic, businesses of all types, and in all sorts of different locations, have had to adapt themselves to different working arrangements.
One of the clearest manifestations of this has been the fact that many more people have been working remotely from home for the last several months – and it looks quite clear that there will be a shift in many industries going forward that makes remote working more of an open option.
But whether you are just working from home during quarantine, or are an entrepreneur and are trying to run an effective business from your home office, it’s not always easy to be perfectly productive without a conventional office environment around you.
Here are a few tips for working effectively from home.
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Set up an office space that is comfortable, and as organised as possible
If you are going to be sitting down and working for a significant number of hours per day, it’s important that you don’t underestimate the value of a comfortable home office setting. No matter how diligent or driven you might be, your focus will wane, and your productivity will suffer, if you’re in physical pain after the first hour or so.
So, set up an office space that is as comfortable as possible, ideally with furniture items that can be kept around and maintained for the foreseeable future, such as with the help of Affordable and Free Delivery Aeron Chair Parts.
Be sure, also, to keep your home office as organised as you possibly can. For whatever reason, many people – if not all – find that a cluttered personal environment leads to a cluttered mind, and makes it more difficult to stay on task.
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Use tools that maximise focus and minimise distraction
Distraction can be absolutely lethal to your productivity, and to your overall ability to be effective and to stay on top of things when working from home.
While distraction in a conventional office setting is certainly a hazard as well, you will typically be less likely to drift off and spend half an hour checking your phone, or refreshing your social media accounts, if you have co-workers and supervisors all around you.
At home, however, you have to be your own supervisor, and you have to take steps to pre-emptively minimise distraction.
One of the best ways to do this is to use tools that naturally have this effect, whether that’s a web blocker service such as Freedom, or a minimalist writing and notetaking tool like the reMarkable tablet.
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Stick to a regular routine, and avoid letting professional and personal time blur together
If you are an entrepreneur, there’s a good chance that you have long working hours by default. But no matter how long your working hours are, there are real distinct psychological benefits to keeping a clear division between your professional time and your personal time.
When working from home, it’s significantly easier to wander away from your work and take “personal breaks” during the day, and to consistently check your work emails or make amendments to your documents during the night, when you should be spending time with your family, or winding down.
Counteract this tendency by sticking to a regular routine, and avoid letting personal and professional time blur together. Aim to have keep to working hours every day.
