The entire world has shifted the paradigm in its social norms and has embraced the new normal albeit with some reluctance. Staying at home, in your comfortable pajamas, and not having to face the daily rush of commuting to and from work might be a welcome relief for some, but it is a permanent reality for all of us might not be proved to be the most comforting experience. One such new normal is working from home for employees across all sectors triggered by the influence of the current pandemic.
Work from Home Tips to Improve Productivity
Follow a routine with discipline
Working from home allows you to be lenient on your daily activities and a late lunch or late-night snack would not be a far-fetched idea, but it is essential to follow a systematic schedule so as to maintain a balance in your daily life, it is easy to fall victim to lawlessness under such conditions but always remember a structured schedule, even if mundane, keeps both the mind and the body ticking.
Separate your workspace and ambiance
It would be helpful to demarcate a specific area in your house as your work podium aka workstation. This would assist in association of a physical place with work and would guide you to turn off from work mode when in a different ambiance. Fill your workstation’s silence with concentration music that helps you to focus among the thousand distractions while working from home.
Train your brain for a work-day
Scientists say that associative cognition works best in bringing out the true productivity in us. Thus, expose your brain to similar stimuli as it would if you were to physically go to work. Maintaining a regular morning routine, getting ready, getting out of your home clothes, and maybe going for a walk would all replicate sensory actions similar to going to work which would set your mind in the perfect tempo to be productive.
Work from Home Tips to Avoid A Breakdown
Establish and maintain temporal thresholds
While work from home may feel like a relaxing experience from an external perspective, but once it starts to become a regular phenomenon it might end up feeling more like a chore than a blissful session of comfortable productivity. It is essentially important to set-up measures that tell your brain when it’s over-stressed or over-worked from trying to multi-task efficiently, which is inevitable in such conditions.
Prioritize your work on the basis of urgency
Making a simple to-do list before starting your work ought to help with the anxiety and feeling of being overburdened during these tough times. It is always a good idea to chalk out your tasks in order of urgency to make sure that no time is being wasted and your energy is used optimally only on priority tasks so as to avoid the feeling of fatigue and stress. Working from home can trigger dystopian feelings of self-doubt, loss of identity, and mental and emotional stress while afternoons blend in with evenings blending into nights and the Sundays blur into Mondays. You may even delegate some of your writing work to writing my paper for me to free up your schedule. It is an impetus to keep your brain and body high-spirited.
You Are Not Alone!
Do not let the feeling of loneliness and isolation creep into your psyche. Sans the regular office environment and work hours being blurry it is easy to lose motivation and be discouraged to work at all. Indulge yourself in team-building activities, group calls, and video conferences. Discuss, plan, and execute as a team and engage yourself in productive communication to feel a part of something meaningful.
Pro-tip Work from Home is synonymous with many phone calls, emails, notifications, and busy communications. Keep your notification sounds and ringtones to something mellow and soothing, so it does not trigger anxiety or a feeling of panic every time it goes off.
Happy working!
