People with home-based businesses and employees who predominantly work remotely know that working remotely is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, working from home is beneficial as you can organize your time in the way it fits you, and you get the chance to be more productive. On the other hand, work time and leisure time blend, which ironically can decrease productivity.
Thankfully, there are ways to deal with these problems, as the always-increasing number of remote employees proves. More and more people are turning to careers where they can work from home, so it seems that it’s quite possible to remain productive at home. Let’s take a look at what you need to do to boost your productivity.
Create Schedules and Routines and Stick to Them
As the main problem with working remotely is the lack of boundaries between work and life, the first thing you need to do is establish those boundaries. The best way to do this is to create a routine and a clear work schedule.
Look at when you’re most productive during the day and strive to fit your working hours into those time frames. Most people tend to be most productive in the morning, so that would be their perfect working time. However, you need to create a fixed schedule and stick to it. Also, make sure that the schedule repeats every working day.
Even though it might be tempting to visit Netflix to watch shows, or play games, you have to leave that for later, once the working hours are over.
This way, you can start to work in a similar way you would at the office, the only difference being that you’re at home.
Have a Separate Work Space With No Distractions
It’s not easy to stay productive if you’re constantly interrupted by notifications, the TV, your family, and more. That’s why you need to have a separate place where you can work and do nothing else — some sort of home office.
If you can’t do that, you can still remove most of the distractions. Put your phone on mute and ask your family not to disturb you while you’re working. You can always take quick breaks to recharge and get back to work.
If you always respect these self-imposed rules, you can finish what you have to do for the day much faster than usual.
Don’t Forget About Self-Care
You can’t be productive if you’re not feeling well. That’s why you have to worry about your physical and mental health. Working from home can be draining for both mind and body, which is why you need to make sure you exercise regularly and take enough breaks.
Besides that, you should also get enough rest when you need it, even if that means an afternoon nap. You should also go outside and walk, even if you don’t have to do anything.
Bottom Line
The key to boosting productivity when working remotely is not about employing some hacks and tricks. It’s all about setting clear boundaries, schedules, and making sure you’re healthy. Everything above that is rarely needed, which is precisely why working from home can be both beneficial and lucrative.