When you’re not in the workplace, you might start to get distracted, change your routine and not feel as focused. And although everyone might take a while to adapt to this change, it’s something that needs to be figured out quickly to ensure that productivity is kept up.
Over the next few months, you could find that working from home becomes a day to day reality. Which is why it’s key to identify how you can streamline your routine when in this new environment. To help with this, here are five things you should do:
Take Away Any Distractions
It might be tempting to take long coffee breaks, watch TV or do activities around the house when you should be working. But this will only delay the work from getting done, causing you to work longer hours each day.
To prevent this from occurring, it’s a good idea to put your phone on silent, sit somewhere that’s far away from the TV and make a work schedule to stick to. This way, you’ll be in a better frame of mind. Once the working day comes to an end, you can then reward yourself by doing an activity you enjoy.
Create a Working Space
Although the sofa might look like an inviting place to work, you might find that it prevents you from feeling like you’re ‘at work’. Therefore, it’s worth creating a home office within your home. Whether this is purchasing a desk or setting up shop at your dining table, it will ensure that your productivity levels are kept up.
Having a divide between leisure and work (in terms of location) is one of the key ingredients to a successful work from home routine.
Make A Schedule
As aforementioned, to ensure that your output doesn’t decline, you should create a schedule. Of course, your schedule will depend on how flexible your work situation is – i.e. do you have to work solely within business hours or within your own timeframe as long as all of the work is completed at the end of the day?
However, no matter what your situation, a schedule that’s bespoke to your working requirements is essential in working from home.
Prioritise Specific Tasks
When working from home, it’s vital that you prioritise tasks. This way, you can guarantee that everything is completed within the set timeline and nothing is forgotten. Something that you would have done within the workplace, it should be continued when working in this new environment.
Ensure You Have a Good Internet Connection
Another factor that can help to streamline your working from home routine is the quality of your internet or broadband connection. If you’re facing slow speeds, your overall productivity decreases, causing frustrating delays in your working day.
For example, you might have to video call clients or your fellow employees. But with a poor connection, you could run the risk of being cut off from the call or your camera constantly lagging.
To prevent this from happening, you should first conduct a speed test before contacting your ISP. If the speed can’t be increased, then you should consider opting for a different provider. Luckily, there are plenty of broadband deals out there for you to take advantage of.
Final Thoughts
It’s clear that everyone’s working from home routine may differ. But once you get the hang of it, working in the new environment will feel natural to you. You just need to make sure that you stick to a routine, take some time out for yourself and follow the above steps!