The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic’s onslaught of stay-at-home orders has displaced millions of workers from their usual workplace settings and forced many to quickly adapt to working from home. Thanks to the might of the internet, working from home is a simpler transition than many may imagine.
While you may be away from your high-trafficked conference rooms or three-walled cubicle, tapping into work mode from the comfort of your own home is made perfectly possible with the right methods put in place. If you’re like most people, striking the perfect balance between work and play can be difficult when working from home.
Ultimately, without the right practices driving your productivity, you may quickly find yourself wasting time rather than optimizing it. Using these 4 tips, we’ll walk you through how to refocus and train yourself to reach peak productivity while working from home.
We’re here to give you the rundown on how you can increase your work from home productivity in 4 easy steps.
1. Create a workspace
Creating a dedicated home office space that is completely free of any distractions is the first step toward harnessing your peak productivity levels. If your home is crowded with kids or roommates, having this space will grant you the peace, quiet, and separation you need to concentrate.
Do choose a space that’s as far away from high-traffic areas as possible. Ideally, the space you select will allow you to close a door, open a window, and customize the space so it’s primed for productivity.
2. Gear up with productivity tools
The last thing you need while working from home is another distraction. Maintaining laser-focus during your workday will probably be the most constant daily challenge you’ll face, but with the right productivity tools in your arsenal, you can overcome those obstacles with shining grace.
If your workday often entails running through a never-ending list of things to do, task management software may be your one-stop-shop organizational answer.
Some of our favorite project management tools include:
- Trello
- Followup
- Jira
- Workzone
- Boomerang
- Asana
If your job is mainly dependent on client or colleague correspondence, consider gearing up with the following business communication software programs:
- Slack
- Skype
- Redbooth
- Google Hangouts
- Hive
- Fuze
3. Fine-tune your tech arsenal
Do you have all the tech you need to make sure you’re actually able to do your job to the fullest? Whether you’re working on a laptop or a desktop computer, there are a number of home office staples that can instantly enhance your workstation and provide that extra boost of productivity you’re looking for.
These tech essentials include:
Headphones
If working at home’s noise levels are comparable to the levels you’d expect from a busy open-office workspace, it may be time to invest in a solid pair of noise-cancelling headphones. These genius devices allow you to drown out the hustle and bustle of the outside world while allowing you to tune into your workflow and get lost in your favorite soundscapes.
Additional Monitor
They say that two is better than one, and that couldn’t be more true in the case of the dual monitor. Having an extra screen allows you to efficiently multitask without needing to switch in and out of tabs every few seconds.
When choosing your next monitor, the first thing you’ll want to consider is the size. Monitors are generally categorized into three categories: small, medium, and large.
The most common monitors are 15-inch, 17-inch, and 19-inch monitors; however, you can find anything with a screen between 8 inches and 32 inches. To decide which size is best for you, it really depends on how far away you sit from your monitor. If you’re looking for a monitor, but you’re on a budget, you can consider a quality refurbished LCD monitor.
Keyboard and Mouse
If your home office is equipped with a laptop, you may want to consider wireless keyboard and mouse combos to properly tap into your PC’s full potential. With so many ergonomic options available on today’s market, gearing up with a keyboard and mouse combo that fits your fancy is simple. Make sure to browse online on websites like https://serp.co/best/arabic-keyboard/ to find yourself the best keyboard that suits you in order to speed up your typing and essentially enhance your productivity. Don’t forget to furnish your rig with a sweet mouse pad, too!
4. Track your time
If your days spent working from home feel shorter and you feel like your 8-hour days are escaping you, it may be time to start tracking your time.
Whether it’s timing yourself on your smartwatch or using a time-tracking tool that records how long it takes for you to complete each project on your to-do list, having a clear-cut view of where your time is going will give you the insight you need to understand exactly where your time is going and how to better capitalize on it.
