We all know the phrase to work smarter not harder, but how many of us actually adhere to it? If you are someone that works from home, whether this is on your full-time job or on your own side hustle to make money on the side, you are going to want to work as efficiently as possible. After the novelty of working from home wears off, you might find that you don’t work as well as you used to and you get distracted by things around you. If this is the case, don’t worry because we have a host of ways that can help you to improve the way you work from home.
Have a dedicated workspace
When you work from an office space, one of the main things you have is a dedicated workspace and it’s important you have this at home too. If you are trying to work from an area of the house that is messy and cluttered it can soon affect the way you work. For example, if you work off the dining table, have to clear your kids’ toys out the way, or from the living room where people keep walking in, you can get distracted easily. Instead, find a quiet corner of the house that you can make your work area and ask others not to come in when you are busy working.
Clear up your devices
When you work from your laptop or Mac every day, you can easily clog it up with files and downloads. This can make the device sluggish and slow, hindering how efficiently you work and slowing down your progress throughout the day. There are many reasons you might have a slow Mac, but it’s important you clear up the memory and check for any viruses. This can be a relatively quick job (or might take longer if you have a lot of files) but is well worth it once it’s done. You’ll end up wondering just why you didn’t do it sooner!
Make realistic to-do lists
Whether to-do lists are your enemy or best friend, there is no denying how useful they are for improving the way you work from home. When you are making your list, try to make it realistic and don’t pack it with tiny tasks just to make yourself feel better! Start off with your bigger or more challenging tasks then move on to the smaller and easier ones. This way it’s much easier to measure your time throughout the day and also make your day easier as it goes on, rather than harder.
Make time to go outside
When you are working from home it can be easy to stay inside and not take breaks. You might eat your lunch at your desk or start work early and finish late. It’s important that you give yourself time off during the day and in the evenings to avoid burnout. Make time at lunch to take a walk around the block and get some fresh air and clock off at a reasonable hour in the evening. This might sound like taking time off can make you less productive, but in fact it will make your brain much more productive, giving it time to recharge and reset.
Set time for checking and replying to emails
When it comes to checking and replying to emails, it can waste a lot of time. Instead, set dedicated times in the day when you can reply to them. This way it doesn’t kick you off of other tasks or distract you when you are doing something.
Look into a coworking space
If you find you want a change of scenery, why not look into a coworking space? There are many free and paid spaces that you can utilise and they can offer a much needed change of pace and somewhere to head. You don’t have to do this all the time, but it can give you a refresh every once in a while.
These are just a few ways that you can improve the way that you work from home. Working from home is a great way to be flexible yet also get plenty of work done in a comfortable environment where you don’t need to worry about a long commute. When done right, you can get so much work finished and could be a lot more productive than when you are in the office. Do you work from home? If so, what are some top tips you find help you to be more motivated when doing so? Let us know in the comments below.
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