By Divya Munjal

In these turbulent times, a lot of people find themselves working from home as first-timers. If you are not used to working remotely, staying focussed on your job can be difficult.

Introduction

It is not easy for everyone to adjust to the work-from-home schedule. If you work better when you can discuss ideas with your colleagues, then you can feel monotonous while working from home. But you need not worry – you can become an expert at remote working with seven easy tips shared in this blog.

As you are away from everyday interruptions of office life, you could expect yourself to be more efficient. However, it does not always work out like that. Thanks to text messages, calls, and emails, you can get distracted more frequently than ever. Although wonderful technology enables remote work, there are pitfalls to this ease of touch.

Here are some tips:

1. Make a routine and stick to it

It is essential to have a routine, as the routine will help you stay productive throughout the day. If you sleep till noon and try to make up for the missed hours in the evening, it will soon leave you burnt out. Ensure that you have set your alarm in night and wake up on time to start your day well. Does it seem difficult? Try to arrange a video call in the first half that will force you to get dressed up well in the morning itself.

2. Set up your work area

If you are fortunate enough to have a completely equipped home office at the back of your house, you can close yourself off from your home life when it is time to work. However, if you are not so fortunate, then you may be among those who are trying to operate from their messy bedroom or living room. Whatever is the scenario, it is possible to build a functional work zone where it may be easier for you to work productively from home.

In case you are not used to telecommuting and do not have an office seat or an appropriate work area, then may need to get inventive. You can convert your pressing board into a standing work area. Just choose a place where your office stuff will fit in well. Although most of the work will be done online, you will still need to maintain a daily to-do list and your planner, which will be placed near your work area.

Invest some time to set up your work zone and make sure you have all the required stuff. In a perfect world, your workspace should be left undisturbed even at the end of the day, but this may not always be possible. For instance, if you are working from your bedroom, you will likely need to tidy up your work stuff towards the end of the day.

3. Use your commuting time

As you are working from home now, you will have some extra time daily that you would have spent in commuting earlier. It could be just half an hour or a little more. You should spend this extra time on yourself. For example, you can utilize this time for physical exercise. Exercise plays a great role in lifting mood and increasing focus. A 30-minute morning walk in nature cheers you up. It sets the tone of the day and makes it more productive. If that is not possible, a home workout can also prepare you for a productive day.

4. Take regular breaks

While working from home, many employees feel that they hardly take breaks from work. Are you also from one of those employees? Sitting long hours at the table without taking any breaks will make you less efficient. You should spend five minutes off your desk after you finish a major task or when you feel your concentration dwindling. During this time, you can do some stretching exercises, check your messages, or get a drink. However, you should ensure that these breaks do not become too long. Taking your mind off the job for five minutes will help you refocus when you sit back down at your desk.

5. Eat well and stay healthy

What we eat impacts our mood and productivity. If you are in the habit of getting takeaway lunch from restaurants near the office, then preparing food at home might be an irritating chore for you. However, you can reduce your last-minute stress by planning well in time to prepare your lunch, as a nutritious lunch will give you the vitality you require for a productive day.

6. Stay social while working from home

Do you feel lonely and miss those watercooler chats with your colleagues? You need not miss them anymore, as there are numerous ways by which you can connect with your colleagues. Google Hangouts is an amazing instant messaging app. You can also make video calls over Zoom and Meet, which is a perfect way to beat your loneliness.

However, ensure that these apps do not distract you from your work. You can set aside some time each day to connect with your colleagues, but it should not hamper your work. The best time for these calls will be when you complete some major task and need some break to ward off your loneliness.

7. Get the best from your evenings

Do you find yourself working until your bedtime? If that is your routine, then you need to change it. As you started your day on time, it is important to close your day on time. Your evening belongs to you and your loved ones. After you are done with your work, spend quality time with your friends and family. You can watch a movie or have a fancy dinner with them. In your spare time, do something you love to do.

Conclusion

With these easy tips, you can make your work-from-home experience better.

Did you find these work-from-home tips useful? Do you have some other ideas which can help our readers? Please share those tips with us.