As technology evolves and finds more place in our daily lives and activities, the number working at home becomes the choice of more and more people. Working from home has a lot of advantages. For instance, you save money and time because you don’t have to get up that early and travel to your workplace. In addition, you spend the day surrounded by the comfort of your home.
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However, many companies don’t see remote working as a plus for their business and especially for the productivity of their employees. One good example of that is Merissa Mayer, Yahoo’s CEO, who banned any work from home. Mayer explained her decision by saying that the office makes people more collaborative and innovative. There is some truth in that, but it depends on the type of business you are in. There are many things at home that can make you less productive – family, atmosphere, the lack of interaction… Nevertheless, there are a few things that can help you boost your productivity when working remotely.
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Follow a Schedule
Create your own schedule for the day and make sure you follow it. Set a time when you are going to start and finish work. Also, you can organize your tasks by hours so that you will keep in track with them. Time management is one of the biggest problems when you work from home. That is because you are often tempted to start work later, for instance, or to take a short nap in the middle of the workday. Following a strict schedule will definitely increase your productivity.
Have the Right Mindset
The office atmosphere has a powerful effect on the mind of employees. They associate it only with work and responsibilities and, as a result, they focus more on that. At home these associations are missing. Therefore, you need to bring the office at your house. Set up a special office space and put on your office clothes. Working in your pyjamas or in your sweatsuit is always a good idea.
Stay Strong in the Face of Distractions
Distractions will follow you no matter where you are. Even in the office your working process will suffer from time to time. However, at home the percentage of distractions is much higher. That is because there are many temptations that can distract you from your work, like your TV, a magazine, someone knocking at the door and etc. That is why you need to reduce or even eliminate these distracting factors. Again, an office area will help you do that, as well as some extra will.
Rules for Technology
To work from home means to rely mainly on technology like computers and smart mobile devices. But technology is like a double-edged weapon. Sometimes it helps and sometimes it does not. To avoid any technical problems, update and maintain your devices often. In addition, do not store anything distracting at your computer like games, for instance.
Don’t Forget to Take Breaks
Working remotely means less stress in your day. However, you will still need to take occasional breaks to recharge and refresh your mind.
The comfort of working at home does not have to come at the price of your productivity. It is not impossible to keep it a high level throughout the day. All you have to do is build a routine and to stay away from distractions and temptations.
