It’s quarantine time, you guys, and we’re all about the ‘work from home’ life, aren’t we? While the containment of the Coronavirus practically confines us in the four walls of our home, we’re left to work, eat, sleep and repeat all in the same environment. Working from home might be a blessing in disguise (I mean, I’m writing this in my pyjamas, so it’s a win for me), yet it can be a struggle for most to stay productive while lounging in bed, sipping coffee and trying to focus on work.
Just one more episode of Friends can result in it in being 2 P.M. and you haven’t even started working yet. Now, no one wants that! In the interest of saving your job and making you more productive, here are 6 ways you can ace that work from home life:
1. Set An Alarm
One of the mistakes we all make when we work from home is waking up late. We take the whole idea of not having to get dressed and go to work lightly. That is why waking up 10 minutes before work ‘officially starts’ seems like a win-win for all, doesn’t it? Well, friends, I’m here to tell you that in fact, this can be extremely unproductive. A study shows that waking up at the same time every day is advantageous for our biological clocks. In order to keep your schedule consistent and normalise your sleeping patterns, you must set an alarm. If you’re not sleeping well and have a disrupted sleeping cycle, then this will definitely impact your work.
2. Create A Routine
Setting up a schedule for your work from home days is super important. After all, you want to be able to finish up all your projects ASAP and efficiently, amirite? The only way you can do that is by creating a schedule and sticking to it. Schedule your tasks in terms of priority and then follow it to the T. Also, make sure that you don’t panic whenever you have to make some tweaks to it (it’s totally normal!) and if you’re not able to complete everything on it. In such situations, you have to adjust your tasks accordingly.
3. Limit Your Naps
Ah, naps. What I’d do to be napping all day! But in all seriousness, that 20-minute power nap turns into a 2 hour long one very quickly and dangerously. To ace working from home, make sure that you set up a standard sleep schedule and abide by it. Moreover, working in bed is not the best idea. If you’re trying to be productive, sit at your desk or dining table to avoid being tempted to lounge in bed. If you do choose to take a quick nap, then make sure you set an alarm!
4. Establish An Award System
One thing that always works for me is setting up a cool award system for when I’m not that motivated to do anything (be it studying or work!). Back in the good ol’ days of college, I used to place a small piece of chocolate after every 10 pages of revision to motivate me to get there faster! Now, at work, I make sure that after every hour or two, I unwind, sip on my favourite drink and watch a quick YouTube video.
5. Unclutter Your Environment
A messy room = a messy mind! There is a direct link to a cluttered environment and unproductivity. Take around 15 minutes every day in the morning to clean up your workspace, be it the desk or your room. Scientifically, tiding up makes you more agile and lets you conquer your day head first. Also, avoid eating where you work. For tips on how to declutter, click here.
6. Keep Your Phone Aside
If only we existed before the times of cell phones… I’d be super productive every day! It’s so easy to get distracted by social media, scrolling through Instagram, surfing Pinterest and watching the best food recipes on YouTube. Do yourself a favour and leave your phone on silent and facedown while working. If you really need to be focussed, then follow this phone hack that I use daily.
So, these were some of my favourite at-home hacks for when you need to just get down and work.
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