Working from home increases your productivity and also leads to a healthier lifestyle.
The Benefits of Working From Home
Do you agree? Probably true if you were by yourself at home, but along with having to share office space with your partner, entertain bored kids, and worry about contracting the virus, productivity might not be the most natural thing that’ll come to you. And so, it’s essential that we get super intentional about being productive with the amount of time we can commit to working and build epic time management skills to achieve it.
Here are 5 tips that’ll help you make a big impact on your productivity while working from home in NZ during this COVID-19 lockdown.
1. Dress up for work
It’s so tempting to stay in your favourite PJs to work, but dressing up for work puts you in the mindset to actually work. It also stops you from housework distractions and lets everyone, even the kids know that you are at work and are not to be disturbed.
2. Pack your lunch
The last thing you want to do amidst working and having children around is assembling lunch. Pack your lunches- your’s, your kids’ and your partner’s the night before. This way if you’re in the middle of a meeting/ important work, everyone can just grab their own lunch without disturbing you.
3. Time your work
“Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”-
Parkinson’s Law
As a student, have you realised how much of study material we could cram in our brains the night before the exam when we had the whole term to do the same (but we didn’t)? Yes, if you give yourself a day to create a business plan, you’ll take a day, if you give yourself a week, it will take a week that is a universal law.
So, Time yourself!
Spend 10 minutes before you start your work day and create slots in your day you’re going to fill up. When the slot ends, move on to the item on the next slot. Keep your eye on the time. Put in the coffee and lunch breaks as well so that you are intentional about your break and you know when to expect the break. Here’s an example-
Example
| 9:00 am – 11:00 am | Create the business plan |
| 11:00 am- 11:10 am | Get coffee |
| 11:00 am – 12:00pm | Read and answer emails |
| 12:00- 1:00 pm | Lunch |
| 1:00 pm- 3:00pm | Research on the next blog post |
4. Dose up on feeling good
Do you have to make phone calls with your team? If you don’t require to be in front of the screen, use this opportunity to move your muscles. Walk- around the house, the deck, the backyard. Get some fresh air; The correct balance of oxygen entering our bodies make our blood dance with joy, but according to Braintraining Australia, brains produce serotonin- one of the key happy hormones when we are exposed to sunlight. We are creatures who act on feelings. We feel good, happy, we work better.
5. Harness that Extra Time
Suddenly you don’t have to beat the morning rush traffic. That’s some extra time for you. Be conscious of how you spend it. Maybe you can practice some light Yoga and meditation or actually take up that hobby or enrol to that online course you’ve been meaning to do for ages. You actually have time for it now.
Stay Productive and most importantly, take care of yourself!
