The experience of working from home can be a welcome change from the daily commute to the office, but even at home there can be many challenges to face. You can become your own worst enemy if you lack discipline and a daily routine and are distracted by your family members, roommates, children, pets, and anyone else who lives in your home. By setting some ground rules and structuring your day, you can create a productive work environment to limit distractions and motivate yourself to stay on task. Here are 7 tips that can help you increase productivity when working from your home office.
1. Set up an ideal workspace
Now that you work from home, having your own specific workspace is almost a luxury. Some may have their own office space in their own homes, but many, including some of us at Kingston, have to make do with what we have, whether it’s working from a kitchen countertop or using some flat surface as a makeshift desk.
Whatever situation you are in, try to find a place in the house and turn it into a specific workplace. It could be a room or your kitchen. Maybe even your living room. The main thing is to choose a place that protects you from distractions and allows you to focus on your work.
Don’t play where you work, and don’t work where you play. A clear boundary between where you relax and where you work is key to creating an environment where you feel it’s time to work and get things done.
The goal is to keep your work and personal life separate, even if you work from home. Creating a dedicated workspace and drawing a line between work and relaxation will help you stay productive while limiting your distractions.
2. Structure and prioritize your workday
When you come into the office, you have a natural daily rhythm that helps you create a routine. All the little behind-the-scenes preparations you make to start your day help create a personalized schedule. Your morning routine before heading to the office allows you to mentally prepare for your workday.
This routine has changed since the transition to a home office. There is no longer a structure that requires you to do certain things by a certain time. Re-establishing these boundaries is critical to maintaining your mental health before you get burned out or overworked.
Try to create a schedule that clearly separates your work hours from your personal life. If you work better in the morning, try to optimize your schedule so that you always maximize your productive work hours in the morning. If you work better later in the afternoon, focus your schedule on the afternoons so you can be at your best each day.
Don’t forget to take breaks either. Especially your lunch break. It’s important to maximize productivity during work hours, but it’s equally important to take breaks to rest your body and mind. Although working from a home office might make it seem like everything is less stressful, it’s easy to get overwhelmed, which is why it’s important to continue to take all of your break time for a healthy and productive work schedule.
3. Leaving the “office” at the end of the working day
You may feel that working from home offers a better work-life balance. Since you’re already comfortable in your own home, it’s easy to get absorbed in your work and not go to the office. Keep track of time and give yourself the opportunity to wrap up the day and leave your work behind.
Knowing there’s a finish line will help you maximize your productive work hours. If you just sit there and work endlessly with no end in sight, you will most likely be overworked and burnt out without having accomplished anything. Demanding projects and upcoming deadlines will get on top of you if you don’t set boundaries.
When you’re in the office, you’re reminded when it’s time to go home as everyone packs up and heads home. When you are at home, you are not automatically reminded by colleagues that the workday is coming to an end. You don’t have to get off work at the same time every day, but setting a boundary between work time and time off will allow you to better leave your desk and relax, preparing you for the next day.
4. Using the right tools
Communication and collaboration are more important today than ever before, as everyone is working for themselves from home. Many of us use video and audio calls to stay in touch with colleagues, catch up, and hold meetings. Some essential tools like a proper keyboard and mouse, USB adapters, monitors, microphones and headphones can help you stay efficient and productive without getting hung up on the little things.
If you can use an additional screen next to your laptop, it creates more space for you to work. It allows you to have different programs and applications and multiple windows open on your screen at the same time, making everything more manageable and convenient.
Using a full-size keyboard and mouse provides more comfort when working on the computer for long periods of time. It may not seem like much, but using a full-size keyboard and mouse instead of your laptop’s keyboard and trackpad can improve your productivity by making your workflow faster and more comfortable.
Even using a headset for your video and audio calls can make a big difference. There are wireless headsets that offer Bluetooth connectivity so you don’t have to burden yourself with extra cords. You also don’t need a separate microphone, as most headsets include one. Some are integrated, while others are detachable.
Some of our favorite products for working from home include encrypted USB sticks and the Nucleum USB-C Hub. An encrypted USB stick makes it quick and easy to transfer data back and forth between devices, and it also provides exceptional security to protect your data. If you absolutely must go to the office to take files with you, consider an encrypted USB stick for secure data storage.
The Nucleum is the only hub that does them all. It allows you to use a mouse, monitor, USB sticks and even provides charging capabilities for your connected devices. Bring back the functionality with all the accessories you’ve come to love with your laptop – making it the perfect companion for creating your ideal home office workspace.
5. Communication is key
Communication is essential when it comes to working from a home office. It’s important to communicate with your employees about projects and keep them up to date on tasks and availability to make working from home smooth and easy.
The goal of working remotely is to feel connected to other employees despite the isolation. There are a variety of apps and tools available to help you stay in touch with team members, and using the appropriate ones that work for you and your team can make all the difference in keeping everyone productive in the home office.
At Kingston, we use Asana and Microsoft Teams to stay in touch and manage our projects and tasks. When it comes to communicating and facilitating work details, we use Microsoft Teams for chatting and video conferencing. To manage tasks, we use Asana, which allows us to upload and share files, assign projects and schedule appointments.
We also use Zoom for fun events like gaming nights or a happy hour. This is a great way to stay connected with our team members during off hours and make new contacts for the chance to participate in team-building fun activities.
6. Limit distractions
Working from home is undoubtedly more convenient, but that doesn’t mean it’s the ideal work environment. Distractions are one of the biggest challenges in the home office. Everything you look forward to after work is now within reach. It’s hard enough to stay focused at work, but it’s even harder at home.
It is okay to devote time to other tasks during your break, e.g. B. Do a load of laundry or whip up a quick snack, but be careful not to get too distracted with it. Avoid activities that take up too much time and attention.
Using timers or egg timers for breaks can help you avoid getting distracted and remind you when it’s time to get back to work. With no colleagues in the office with us to hold us accountable, it’s important to be mindful of avoiding distractions ourselves.
7. Socialize and encourage togetherness
Since working in a home office, we’ve lost many of the social interactions we’re familiar with that help break up the monotony of work and provide social stimulation. There’s no more small talk or the unique events that made our days seem less mundane and somehow go by faster.
Talk to your colleagues via messaging apps like Slack and Microsoft Teams, as well as video conferencing programs like Skype or Zoom to bridge the distance. Small interactions and social gatherings can do a lot to make you feel less alone and isolated. Keep in touch with your colleagues and maintain healthy social relationships with your team.
All this does not have to apply only to your colleagues. Maybe you can’t arrange a date in person, but you can arrange a virtual meeting with your friends or relatives. This can be a great way to maintain social connections and share ideas with others. Even when we are at home, it is still important to reach out to others, make connections, and share our lives with each other.