Home Office: How to Be More Productive when Working from Home
Sleeping in. Working in PJs all day. Not having to deal with traffic every day. Snacking a lot. Working from home really sounds luxurious. However, as a student of an extra occupational master’s program (Content Strategy at FH JOANNEUM) and an employee of an agency that allows home office — even since pre-corona times — I know it’s not all glam and fun.
There are quite a few obstacles that can get into the way of productivity when working from home. Friends or partners who walk into the door because they think the fact, that you’re at home, means you don’t have to work at all. The dear neighbor who thinks drilling his wall on a weekday morning is a great idea. This article about productivity that deludes yourself into thinking you’re productive, even if you’re not. Instagram, Netflix or simply the lack of motivation and self-discipline outside of your usual office space. Just to mention a few.
The good news: Being aware of those obstacles and distractions is the first step to getting them out of the way. That means you’re halfway there (Yey!). Here are five more tips for setting up the perfect home office in your space and increasing your productivity when working from home.
1. Set up a dedicated office space
It’s tempting to just sit on your couch or lay on your bed (even worse!) with your laptop on your legs when working from home, I know. To be honest, I can speak from personal experience here and that’s why I can assure you that it’s not a good idea. It may be comfortable at first, but a few hours in your back will hurt and all you’ll want to do is take a nap. And gone is the working morale.
Resist the urge to work on your couch or your bed and set up a dedicated home office space. If you don’t have a desk your dining room table is fine, too. Just try to separate work mode from private mode. By laying out my laptop, my calendar, a jar of water and some pencils I convert my dining room table into a workspace. When dinner time gets around, I simply store away my work supplies and my brain switches from work mode into private mode automatically.
2. Get yourself comfortable (but not too comfortable)
Setting up a proper home office doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to be comfortable. To me, working in the comfort of my own space is one of the biggest perks of working from home. Personally, I don’t like to work in my pajamas all day. I’m more the home office type, that works in gym clothes all day, hoping that I will exercise when I finally get around to taking a break. Doesn’t always work, but hey, at least I’m comfortable.
Don’t get me wrong, only because gym clothes serve the purpose for me, doesn’t mean they’re right for you, too. Maybe, you’re more comfortable in jeans, a jogging suit or a fancy suit. I just want to get to the point that you’ll have to work out what works best for you. And then stick with it.
3. Write a to do list every morning
You probably already know that one, but lists are a home office worker’s best friend. Jot down your tasks first thing in the morning and order them by priority. Try to limit your tasks to fit your work hours because if there’s too many tasks on your list there’s a high chance that you get overwhelmed and take a nap instead. We’ve all been there.
Instead, only list the most important tasks for that day. At the end of the day, you clearly see, what you have accomplished. Is there a better feeling than checking off your to do’s off a list? I don’t think there is.
4. Set your work hours
Another great privilege of working from home: You’re finally able to sync your work hours with your body clock. If you’re a morning person you can start your home office day pretty early and get to finish in the afternoon to switch off and enjoy some leisure time. If you’re more that night owl type, you are able to sleep in until midday and start your workday late. It doesn’t really matter. At least, if you’re lucky and don’t have any fixed meetings or appointments that day.
If you have troubles with sticking to your schedule, simply set a timer for however many hours you want to work. That way, the time is running (like a ticking bomb!) and that holds you accountable.
5. Take regular breaks
At your office, you probably take coffee or cigarette breaks from time to time or you talk to your colleagues about topics that are not related to work. However, when I’m working from home, I sometimes forget about taking regular breaks. Instead, I stare at my computer for hours and hours until I finally notice I didn’t stand up from my chair once since I sat down in the morning. At that point, my brain has mostly turned into mashed potatoes, and I can’t concentrate anymore.
If you’re like me, it helps to schedule in your breaks into your workday. I love to go outside, get some fresh air and then sit down at my desk with a clear head again. That way, you lose just a little bit of time but you gain a lot of concentration and productivity.
Congratulations! Now, that you’ve read this article (or probably only the titles) you’re all geared up for working from home. However, before you close this tab, go read this article of my colleague Markus Fritz about how to use the current COVID-19 lockdown to take some time for yourself. Happy home office!
