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Tips on How to Work Effectively From Home
By Genalyn Llorando - Published November 15, 2020
By Genalyn Llorando, CISBU Philippines
Today we look back at how time has passed since the COVID-19 lockdowns that halted the world in March of 2020. For young and old, rich or poor a lot of changes happened in all our lives. They say that “change” is the only constant thing here on earth and over time even our ways of working were disrupted.
Whether we work remotely for one or more days per week or full-time—by choice or because of a health emergency like the pandemic—it’s important to ensure that we are set up to be productive.
But the question is: How do we work effectively from home? I have listed some simple strategies and tips to be successful as a remote worker, in a way that could help us improve our efficiency wherever we are.
1. Set up a functional workspace. I know we don’t all have a designated home office, but it's critical to have a private, quiet space for your work. If you can, separate your work area from your personal living spaces and use it just for work and not for other activities. This will boost your motivation for work every day.
2. Keep regular work hours. You should create a regular schedule for yourself. It’s tempting to give yourself total flexibility as to when you get started, take breaks, and call it a day. But it is important that you should set yourself regular hours that keep you accountable to yourself and to your boss. It makes you more likely to get all your work done, and it makes it easier for people to get in touch with you. Also, try not to put your laptop beside your bed so that you won’t be tempted to open and answer emails late at night. Remember to have a full rest and be recharge because tomorrow is another day!
3. Your workflow should be well planned. When learning how to work from home efficiently, a perfect way to keep productivity up is to get smart about planning your work the night before. It will take a few minutes of your time to see what is urgent and what is important, as you write it down. Before you even start working, make sure you know what your priorities are for the day, know how long you think it will take you to get everything done, and what you will work on if you have extra time.
4. You dress up like you’re at work. Although we know we’ll seldom have interactions with other people all day, it is important to dress up for success. This includes showering and brushing your teeth! Taking your morning coffee and breakfast. This will tell your brain that it is work time, not relaxation time, and that will give you a lot more energy. Sweatpants and a T-shirt might be more comfortable, but you may also feel sluggish, sleepy, or unmotivated. In this event, you can try your different styles without the fear to be judge by your co-employees.
5. Set-up your boundaries. Being effective while working at home is all about setting boundaries, as we have previously discussed. This also means setting boundaries for kids, family members, pets or roommates. Try to encourage them to leave you alone while you are working so you can stay 100% focused. You can sign up a note saying “please don’t disturb” or “ongoing meeting”, just to make sure that the other members of the family are aware that you are working. You can even make it fun if you asked your kids to do the sign for you.
With all these simple strategies, shifting your work environment to your home is less challenging. You’ll find a few simple changes to your space and daily routine, can help you have a more productive workday. I hope you find what works best for you and your family by trying out some of the work-from-home tips above!
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