Hacks to Boost Your Daily Efficiency at Home
Working from home can be a dream for some of you, and for others, it can be challenging to switch from a structured office environment to the comfort of your own home. Learning how to work remotely is crucial if you want to be effective and efficient at your internship. Compared to working at the office, there are many distractions, less communication and less accountability at home. But it does not mean you cannot be efficient. We have prepared some tips to increase your productivity and efficiency while working remotely.
1. Set regular working hours
While doing remote work, it is tempting to give yourself flexibility in terms of working hours and breaks. Sometimes it results in spending more than 8 hours on your work. Setting regular hours of work that you need to fulfil your duties and get your work done will help increase your efficiency. You should work when you are the most productive. While setting the working hours that suit you best, you should consider the times your boss needs you to be available, inform your co-workers when they can reach you and consider the time when you are the most productive.
2. Keep work-life balance
It is important to give time for work and for yourself to mellow out. Do not extend the workday too far beyond what you planned as you risk burning yourself out. Compartmentalizing work from personal life will help you stay productive and reduce stress. If you would like to spend evenings with friends or family, communicate to your team that you will not check the emails after a given time. Then keep yourself to that commitment.
3. Plan your workflow
To work efficiently, you need to plan your work daily. Before you begin the day, you need to know what the priorities are for the next hours, how long they will take and what you would do if you had extra time. You can plan for the next day before you go to bed the day before. You can feel better and stress out less by having plans in your mind. While planning, do priority tasks first, do hard and time-consuming activities where you are the most productive and plan breaks throughout the day.
4. Break up working days
If you prepared a plan for the next day, remember to include breaks to rest, grab a healthy snack, talk with your family or co-workers and get some fresh air. Reset, get your blood flowing and get ready for the next tasks. We recommend taking a short break after 1 hour of work. If you do not remember to take breaks regularly, set an alarm to remind you to get rest and to get back to work.
5. Remember proper dress while working remotely
If you have to turn on your camera for a team meeting or conference, remember to dress up adequately. Or even if you do not have to show up on camera, dress for work rather than sitting in pyjamas the whole day. Sweatpants might be comfortable; however, you might feel sleepy, sluggish and unmotivated. Along with the proper dress, take a shower and brush your teeth!
6. Design a workstation at home
When starting a remote internship, it might be tempting to work from bed, couch or easy-chair, but it can affect your overall productivity. The best solution is to try to always work from your designed workstation. This will tell your brain that it is time for work, not for relaxation. As a result, the brain will associate the workstation with work, not with relaxation, and help you switch your energy levels accordingly. On the Internet, you can find ergonomic solutions to better position the computer screen, make space on your desk and adjust your chair to avoid affecting your eyesight, back and posture in a negative way. You will feel more organized and confident while working remotely.
7. Do not allow roommates to bother you during your working hours
As mentioned earlier, the home office will have many distractions like TV and social media, as well as family, pets, and flatmates. You need to set strict boundaries for them and encourage them to leave you alone while you're working so you can stay focused and efficient. You need to be assertive and stick to those boundaries. The best tip is to put a sign on the door that will inform your roomies that you are working now and you ask them to not bother you at those given hours.
8. Keep your workspace clean and organized
Unlike the office, there is no cleaning person that will organize and clean your desk: you need to do that for yourself! A clean and organized desk will speed up your productivity. A messy desk and a bunch of paper left will drive you away and increase procrastination. Set schedules with cleaning activities—always leave your desk organized after work and clean the workspace once a week. This way, you will not be tempted to clean during your working hours.
