Are you one of those who works from home? For many it is an ideal job because they can take care of home, family and work at the same time without having to suffer from traffic jams, parking and, whether we like it or not, colleagues. But, how about we give you some essential tips for working from home?
This way you will improve your productivity and, at the same time, increase your performance. Shall we start?
A suitable space to work
The first thing you need to work from home is to have a space to do it. And depending on the work you carry out, this will be higher or lower.
In general, a table and a chair would be enough. But it is possible that your work requires you to be in a more isolated place to avoid distractions, or to not be disturbed.
So, try to find a place in your house that is quiet, has good lighting, is ventilated and that you keep clean and tidy.
The latter is very important because, over time, It is very possible that things will accumulate in it and in the end you will feel overwhelmed by being in that place (and see it smaller than it is).
Choose communication tools (and schedules)
If you work as a team, or coordinate other people, communication is something that must be present at all times. Above all because you have to keep them informed and, at the same time, they also keep you informed.
However, if we spent all day communicating we would not be able to work efficiently. So one of the essential tips for working from home is to establish two basic points:
Communication tools. That is, if you are going to use Google Meet, Zoom, email, WhatsApp or Telegram groups... You need to have at least two communication channels, in case one fails. And if you have weekly meetings, one more for those video calls.
The communication schedule. This is something essential. Because yes, it is very good to be aware of the email or the means of communication; but if they are used at any time in the end you will not disconnect from work; and you also won't be able to concentrate and be more productive. So it is best to indicate a few hours in the morning and afternoon to communicate, and Spend the rest of the time focusing on getting the job done.
Establish a routine
Related to the above, the fact that you work from home does not mean that you do not have a schedule. In fact, it's the best thing you can do. Of course, it is somewhat more flexible than working outside the home.
And it is important that you establish a daily routine. For example, get up at the same time every day, do a short cleaning routine, exercise, etc., have breakfast and get to work. Over time your body will get used to it and will be more willing to carry out chores.
Now, Just as there is a routine for getting up, you should also have routines for resting between meals, for stopping work, etc. Normally, when you work from home you tend to be focused on work all day; and this will only make you burn out over time, and your productivity will drop to a minimum (or zero).
Therefore, Set the time when you start working and when you are going to stop. Remember that disconnecting and having time for yourself will also help you perform more and better.
Create a task list
Spend the last half hour of the day making a list of the tasks you need to do the next day. Try to combine the heavier ones with the lighter ones. And it is that, although it is recommended that you always do the most tedious things first thing in the morningIf you combine them you will feel more productive because you will see that you are making progress with them. And believe us when we tell you that it will make you feel better.
We know that unforeseen events may occur the next day or that you may have to take care of other things. This can happen. But for this we recommend that you leave some free time for these cases.
If in the end nothing comes of it, even better, because you could finish the work sooner, or even move forward to the next day.
Yes, remember to take breaks into account, appointments you have, etc. so as not to get overwhelmed with what you have to do.
Work in blocks of hours
En este sentido, One of the techniques that gives the best results is the Pomodoro technique, which consists of working for 25 minutes straight, resting for 5 minutes and starting again. So in blocks of 4, when you can rest, instead of five minutes, twenty.
It may be difficult at first, but if you maintain this routine for about 20-30 days, eventually your body gets used to it. And not only that, but you will also feel more productive and faster when it comes to working. The only problem you may have is the fact that unforeseen events or jobs arise that cannot be adapted to this technique.
Resting is not wasting time
Many times we think that working at home is a bargain, because you can rest whenever you want, you don't have a “boss” to control you… But in reality it is not like that. AND One of the obstacles that working at home generates is not resting and always being at work.
Well, spending ten, twelve or fourteen hours working is not going to make you more productive. This is a situation that you will be able to maintain for a while. But sooner or later, it will end you. You will feel bad for not having time for yourself; you will start to think that work is a burden, and will lower your performance to a minimum. Or you just don't want to work.
To prevent this from happening, you should take daily breaks but also a few more every x month (a few days or weeks) to be able to return to work with renewed energy.
As you can see, there are many essential tips for working from home. The important thing is that you manage to reconcile work time with time for yourself without getting overwhelmed by having work, nor by not having time for yourself. Can you think of any more tips that should be taken into account?