Working From Home? Follow These Tips To Create A Productive Work Area
Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended against any gatherings of 50 or over the next eight weeks to contain the coronavirus pandemic.
Many public schools, libraries, universities, companies, and sporting and cultural institutions have also shut down for the next few weeks forcing people to work from their home.
For those who are new to working from home, know that it has its benefits, which includes the flexibility of setting your schedule (this depends on your company), and it saves time and money by diminishing your weekly commute.
However, being successful in a home office requires self- discipline and, most importantly, creating the ideal workspace that can promote productivity in a non-traditional work environment. We highly advise that you do not work on your bed or couch unless you don’t have the option to do so.
Follow these tips to create a home workspace that’ll make you happier and more productive.
Choose a Dedicated Area For Your Workspace
It’s ideal to have an office space in a quiet area with some privacy, especially for those who share the house with a spouse, children, or roommates. You don’t want to work in an open area filled with distractions because your most satisfying work remarkably relies on your concentration levels. Also, a spare room with a door can reduce noise from the rest of the house if you are on the phone frequently and reduces disturbances from your virtual meetings.
Consider The Amount of Light You Want In Your Workspace
Another tip is to set up your home office in a spot with natural light, therefore perhaps consider sitting by a window. Windows and exposure to daylight can influence a person’s physical and mental well-being.
Working in a space with natural light can reduce headaches and possible eyestrain, allowing you to be more productive on a day-to-day basis and healthier in the long-term.
Manage Your Phone Usage
When you don’t have a supervisor or manager looking over your shoulder, it can be easy to get distracted during the workday, and this is especially true if you keep your phone with you in your home office.
Research has found that having smart-phones accessible reduces workers’ productivity, especially if they are already inclined to misusing their phones. You may occasionally need to use your device for work. But when it’s not in use, your home office will be a more productive space if you have a dedicated spot where you store your smart-phone, tablet, and other gadgets that could potentially distract you. An easy hack we recommend is to set a specific ringtone to those who are on your essential contacts list and place your phone on the other side of the room, so you’re not always reaching for it.
Create A Set Schedule
When working from home, it’s easy to forget about time. Before you know it, you’ve worked 14 hours for the third day in a row. People who work in a home office are more likely to overwork than those in a traditional workspace, so to ensure that you are not overworking yourself, we advise that you follow a set schedule. For instance, you can set a time (from 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM) to dedicate your best work and commit to no distractions, and you can use the alarm on your phone to have some way to track time in your home office. Following a set schedule won’t just encourage you to break up your workday effectively. It will also help you maintain regular work hours. Even though your work is at home, there still comes a time when you have it to call it a day and shut the door to your office.
We hope these tips helped get you accustomed to your new work environment.
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