Working in the office usually means that you are dividing your time and attention between different tasks and meetings. But in these difficult times, when the entire team needs to work from home, your workflow has changes. Your schedule and the way you interact with your colleagues are different, so sometimes you might feel that you are not productive enough. Here are a few tips from international specialists to help you stay productive and be successful while working remotely.
1. Stick to a morning routine when you work from home
When you're working, your morning routine prepares your brain for work. You start your day with a bit of exercising, you take a shower, have a coffee, dress for work and catch up on the news, on your way to work.
Even if this routine may have changed a bit since you are working from home, you can still do most of the things you did before, like exercising, taking your morning shower, changing your clothes and drinking your coffee. This will help your brain get ready for work. You should also create a workspace - a separate room or a desk that will trigger in your brain the impulse to start working. Stay away from your bed, the couch or any other place that could become a distraction for your brain.
2. Create to-do lists and a schedule for your days
Psychologists say that you should start with the most difficult tasks and keep the easiest tasks for the end of the day. Respect your work schedule and also create a schedule for the rest of the day.
When you work remotely, your work schedule should remain the same as the one from the office, so your brain can keep up. After finishing your working hours, even if you have to stay inside, you should try to find activities to keep you and your family entertained.
3. Track your task evolution to stay motivated
When you work from home and have a task list to follow, you should also track their evolution. No matter if they are individual tasks or tasks on which you work together with your team, you should always have a clear overview of their evolution, so that you can finish all your projects in time. Start monitoring the status of your tasks and projects together with your team, using a task management and time tracking tools, such as Monday.com.
4. Improve your communication and collaboration processes
When you are working from home, you need to adapt to a different kind of team collaboration process. Some of your tasks might require you to work with just some of your colleagues, others might require a brainstorming session with the entire team. Try to integrate a new approach on your workflow and create a new communication process – have conference calls or online meetings with your colleagues, create problem-solving schedules and use online tools to streamline your work. This way you improve communication with your team and things get done in time.
5. Have some free time and take care of your spirit, too
Studies show that it is important to separate work from family time and that a clear work schedule will help you stay productive and mentally healthy. After your work is done, turn off your email notifications or any other work-related messages, that might attract you back into work. Try spending time with your family or friends, even if everybody is isolated, by video calls, try cooking, seeing a movie, etc.
Take care of your spirit, too. In your free time, try to do things that are good for your mind and spirit, either read a book or do some exercise, maybe take a virtual tour of an international museum or play with your kids.