Working From Home

Does working from home make increases productivity? According to a recent study from Stanford, the answer is yes. The study involved 500 employees divided into two groups, and the remote unit showed increased productivity in a full day’s work.

As it turns out, many telecommuters take up full shift (or more) compared to their colleagues working from office—and they also take fewer breaks, have less number of sick days, and usually take less time off.

But to make work from home successful one needs an ample amount of discipline. Here is a list of work from home productivity tips to help remote teams embrace their power to be more successful.

Create a Schedule and Stick to it

When working from home, you’ll have ample amount of time in your day than if you were working in a traditional office setting. You can set your own schedule and to maintain productivity, and you’ll have to.

Come up with a Routine

We usually see routine as a constraint and a creativity-killer. Nevertheless, for you to stick to a routine can be extremely positive. Without a routine, it is harder to stay productive and motivated.

Make sure to make up your mind and do not think about your relaxation-time, or not work-time. A steady morning routine will allow you to separate the professional aspect of your day from the personal.

This might sound like a cliché, but adapting a morning “heading-to-work” routine will allow you to gear up for the day. Even if your working space is only a few feet away from your bed, make the effort of following your morning routine like getting showered, getting dressed, having a cup of coffee, or whatever else you typically do to keep yourself work-ready.

These seemingly mundane tasks will help you make time to mentally prepare for the day and will keep you ready for the work that’s ahead of you.

Plan a schedule

Without the plan of a traditional workplace, you’ll have a sword hanging over your head in setting your own schedule. You should know that you’ll have more freedom, but also more responsibility.

It’s up to you to plan a schedule in the time of day when you’re most awake, productive, and pumped up to work. This allows you to get the most out of the time in a day, by absolutely killing it when your brain is most relaxed and efficiently working when you need to.

This schedule can be flexible and will sometimes change according to unforeseen obligations and emergencies—but sticking to what works well for your needs and strengths will make more productive and keep you ahead in the deadlines.

Set the Priorities of the Tasks

Without the hierarchical system of a traditional office, it can be hard to prioritize tasks and establish a smooth workflow.

Therefore, it is important that you develop self-discipline when it comes to organization skills; you’ll have to come up with something that works for you. Creating To-do lists can be helpful when you are working from home. Whatever you plan, stay in touch with your teammates, then plan your day according to your objectives.

Knowing when to take a break is just as important as knowing how to start. Once the work hours are allotted to you, make headway on your to-do list. Of course, you need to put extra efforts in finishing a task from time to time, but if you don’t monitor your energy gauge, you take the risk of blurring the line between home and work and draining out.

Lastly, working from home means sticking to some boundaries. Plan a structured schedule for the day, including breaks and lunch and make sure you stick to it. But most importantly, ensure that you disconnect at the end of the day.