When you worked in the office, things were easy. You showed up to work and then a manager spent the whole day breathing down your neck, making sure that you were tapping away relentlessly at your keyboard. But once you moved into your home office, that imperative went away. You have the whole day to get your work done. You don’t have to cram it into the usual 9 to 5.
But that kind of thinking is dangerous. It encourages you to put off tasks until the evening. And that means that you can often find yourself working well into anti-social hours.
In this post, therefore, we take a look at some critical work-from-home productivity hacks that you absolutely must use to have a healthy, happy home-working life. Check them out below.
Be Rigid With Your Breaks
When you’re working from home, it can be difficult to stick to a proper timetable. Emails are coming through all the time, making you believe that you have to answer each individually, the moment that they come through.
It’s important, though, to be rigid with your breaks. Set specific start and end times and try to avoid deviating. It’s all too easy to take long two or three-hour breaks at lunchtime when you’re working from home. But eventually, you’ll have to pay the piper, usually by working later into the evening. Get your lunch out of the way in less than an hour. Then return to your highest-priority tasks when you get back to your desk.
Remember To Eat
It might sound basic, but remembering to eat at lunchtime is a big productivity hack. You won’t be able to do your best work in the afternoon if your stomach is grumbling.
Start Early
People naturally tend to work best in the morning (most people anyway). It’s a good idea, therefore, to get to your desk before 8 am. This way, you can put all your most productive hours to good use. Don’t wait until 10 or 11 am to get going. If you do this, you’re working against your body’s natural rhythm.
Use Free Tools
Free tools are a productivity godsend for anyone working from home. Things like free document signing can speed up your processes and help you complete tasks so much faster. Download all the tools you need and don’t be afraid to search for solutions. If you have a problem, there’s a good chance that somebody else has developed a way to deal with it.
Pretend That It’s A Regular Office Day
Here’s another strategy that you can use: just pretend that it’s a regular day at the office. Get up, have a shower, and get dressed. This will put your mind in “office mode” even if you don’t leave the house.
Cycle Or Walk At Lunchtime
While commutes are annoying, they entail movement. So when you’re working from home, you’re often missing out on valuable exercise, even if it is just walking from the station to your office. If this sounds like you, then try to find time to walk or cycle at lunch time before you eat.
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