5 Tips To Increase Productivity Working From Home

Remote work is on the rise and comes with its own challenges. Whether employees work from another country or from home, at these times, the work is most likely to be done outside of the office.

Remote Work Productivity: Fact or Fiction?

Is working from home more productive? According to research from Stanford, the answer is yes. In a study of 500 employees divided into two groups, the remote cohort showed higher productivity equivalent to a full day’s work.

It turns out that telecommuters work a full shift (or more) compared to their peers at the office, and they also take shorter breaks, get less sick, and have less free time. But being a successful remote employee takes great discipline.

The Benefits Of Working From Home

For companies, hiring remote workers has several advantages: reduced costs, since they do not require space or resources in their physical office; higher talent recruitment, since distance is not a problem; offer customers 24/7 support, as virtual employees can operate from different time zones.

As for remote workers, they also have benefits such as increased productivity and greater professional engagement. They can often enjoy more flexible work hours and are immune to office distractions. They also save time on the road, which is better for them and for the environment.

5 Tips To Increase Productivity Working Remotely

1) Create A Schedule And Stick With It

By working from home, there is a more fluid structure to your day than if you were stationed in a traditional office environment. First, you will need to set a work schedule and follow a routine to stay productive and motivated.

Many studies show the superiority of a shorter, high-intensity workday in terms of productivity, which is why teleworking hours do not need to take place during traditional work hours.

2) Set Priorities

Without the hierarchical framework of a traditional office, it can be difficult to prioritize tasks and organize workflow. For this reason, you have to develop self-discipline and organizational skills. For example, to-do lists can be helpful, as well as keeping in touch with teammates (and supervisor), and structuring the day around goals.

It is also important to avoid distractions and squeeze all productivity out of work hours. Without scheduled meetings, coffee breaks, and impromptu chats with colleagues, teleworking is less distracting than working in an office.

3) Select The Right Tools

Working from home doesn’t have to mean placing your laptop on the edge of your coffee table. You can maximize the productivity of teleworking if you have the most appropriate space possible: an ergonomic chair, a clear work area and an agenda with the list of daily tasks.

In addition, it is necessary to choose the appropriate collaboration tools to communicate with the rest of the colleagues and with the supervisor. There is a wide range of cloud-based software specifically designed to help remote teams with communication, productivity, task management, and information sharing.

4) Define Limits

Establishing a sustainable balance between work and life is essential. Not everyone can enjoy a home office, but it is essential to reserve a corner of the home to be the workspace. This will help establish clear boundaries between work and home mode.

Being able to walk away from the workplace when a break is needed or when the day is over will allow you to leave work tasks behind, symbolically and mentally, and pick up where you left off the next morning.

5) Practice Personal Care

Last but not least, taking care of yourself when working from home is key, which often means keeping in tune with your energy levels. Teleworkers tend to take fewer sick days, often choosing to continue working even when they are not feeling well.

While this is good for companies and a testament to the dedication of certain remote workers, working in relative solitude can mean ignoring signals from your own body. For this reason, personal care is, perhaps in a more indirect way, as important as any other remote productivity advice.

How To Maintain Personal Care?

• Exercising: Regular physical activity is beneficial for everyone, not just telecommuters. When taking a break it is advisable to do some stretching.
• Leaving home: If you work from home, you may not leave it for several days, which is not good. Sunlight and fresh air are not only crucial for your health, but also for clearing your mind. Staying stuck in front of a screen all day, especially if you’re tackling a difficult task, is detrimental to productivity.
• Maintaining the “commute”: If a person is new to remote work and is having difficulty finding the extra time needed to create a healthy work-life balance, there is a need to redefine what “commute” means on a daily basis.

In addition to maintaining normal habits in terms of waking up, eating, and finishing the workday, use the time normally spent commuting to practice the recommendations mentioned above: 15 minutes of light stretching, reading, or some other intentional activity they can mentally help you clock in and out of work.