5 Tips for Maximum Productivity While Working From Home
While I’ve been working from home for the last seven years, I’ve found that a lot more people were thrust into this world since last March, and they’re lost. Working from home SOUNDS excellent, but in reality, there is a lot of adjustment that has to take place for one to be productive. So here are five tips for maximum productivity while working from home.
Schedule Regular Breaks - This step is imperative when working from home. I suggest taking 15-minute breaks at least 2-3 times during your workday. Make sure you’re not just sitting at your desk all day, as that’s not healthy for your mind or body. In addition, you should attempt to stand up at least once an hour to get your blood circulating. Try setting an alarm to go off every hour so that you can stand up and stretch.
Have a Set Schedule - Please don’t go through your day aimlessly and without a schedule. There’s just no way you can be productive this way. There are so many planners out there where you can map out your day by the hour. Even better than that, you can use your Google Calendar or Sheets to create a set schedule as well. The bottom line is, know what you’re doing and when you’re going to do it.
Keep a Dedicated Workspace - Most people weren’t prepared to work from home when the pandemic started, so they didn’t necessarily have a workspace at home. I’m here to tell you that you need a dedicated workspace if you’re working from home regularly. This will help your work-life balance big time. It helps to separate the two and gives you breathing room. I’d also advise you to keep the office space out of your bedroom. Trust me when I say that it will affect your sleep even if you don’t think so.
Set Boundaries - Make sure that the people in your life know that you’re working and the time frame you’re doing so. Some seem to think that working from home means that you’re not working, which can affect your productivity if you don’t know how to say “no.” Set your work hours and stick to them.
Don’t Be Hard on Yourself - Let’s be honest here; working from home isn’t easy. The adjustment from being in the office can disrupt your productivity. However, you must be good to yourself and stay positive despite the adversity. If there’s a moment when you’re struggling, step away from work and take deep breaths. I promise there’s no such thing as perfect, and you’re going to figure it all out in time. Just stick to the tasks at hand and keep trying.
What are some things that you’ve implemented since you began working from home? Let me know in the comments!
4 Ways to Increase Productivity
We all strive to have super productive workdays, but it doesn't always go that way. Most people aren't effective because of bad work habits or working on whatever comes their way throughout the day. In addition, no structure can sometimes cause a person to lose confidence in their abilities. While the solution to becoming more productive is simple, it's not always easy. Follow these four tips on increasing productivity and becoming your best, most productive self at work.
Eliminate Distractions - I've found that this can be the hardest thing for most people to do. Whether it's Instagram or another app on your phone, it's so easy to get distracted from your daily tasks. It's important to know what your distractions are so that you can eliminate them. The funny thing is, email can be a distraction as well. Setting those admin hours is vital when it comes to focusing on the work you need to do daily. I would highly suggest turning off all notifications on all technology so that you can have total concentration. Allow yourself 15-minute breaks where you can take a peek at your notifications or brown Instagram. But don't allow yourself to go overboard.
Handle Hardest Tasks During Optimal Hours: This one is tricky because no one can tell you WHEN to do the most demanding tasks. It depends on when you are at your best. If you're a morning person, like I am, you want to start with the heavy hitters in the morning. But if you're a night owl, it's best to stagger your work and handle the delicate items in the earlier half of your day.
Stop Multitasking - Multitasking can be a productivity killer, and trust me, that's not something you want to happen. I recently read that research shows that productivity can be reduced by 40% by the mental blocks created when people switch tasks. So it's essential that you stop trying to do everything at once and instead give your full attention to one task at a time.
Make To-Do Lists the Night Before - While this may sound simple, it's one of the most important things that you can do to help you increase your productivity. So often, we spend the majority of our morning mapping out what needs to get done. Unfortunately, what this does is decrease your work time and set you back. So spend the last 20-30 minutes of your workday writing down what needs to get done the following day in order of importance. That way, you can hit the ground running the moment you get in the office.
These four productivity tips have helped me so much over the past year. If you're someone who struggles with feeling like they're getting anything done daily, implementing these tips will make everything a little easier.
Comment below and let me know what works for you or what you're planning on doing to help increase your productivity.
6 Signs of Business Burnout
6 signs that you’re suffering from business burnout.
If you’re an entrepreneur you know burnout can happen at any moment. The key to avoiding burnout is to take the necessary steps in your business to avoid it all-together. If you look at the definition of burnout, it will tell you that it’s a type of work-related stress — a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that also involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity. Here are 6 signs of business burnout that you need to be aware of.
Emotional Exhaustion - constantly feeling like you’re tired and lacking the energy that you need to get your work done.
Physical Symptoms - are you getting random headaches or having stomach issues due to stress?
Irritable - you become frustrated with the people that you work with, and also become very impatient with clients or customers.
Lack of Performance - the tasks that you do daily are likely becoming affected. Your creativity and ability to concentrate are likely suffering as well.
Insomnia - not being able to sleep and overall changing of sleep habits are one of the biggest signs of burnout.
Lacking Satisfaction - things that you would normally be excited about aren’t meeting your expectations. Nothing is ever good enough, and you’re no longer proud of the work or your achievements.
Just because you’re experiencing burnout, that doesn’t mean you can’t recover or bounce back from it. You need to make adjustments to your work environment for the change to happen though. Finding the proper help and learning to delegate is often one of the hardest things for a business owner to do, but it is necessary to avoid continual burnout.
It’s imperative to evaluate your options. Learning to set goals in order of importance is also a huge helper. Write down what must get done in that day, and also what can wait until the next. This will help you to work in order of importance and not get so frazzled by executing as things come to you.
If you’re tired of the mundane tasks, find someone who doesn’t mind. Every one of my clients has an issue with being inside of their inbox and having to respond day after day. So what did I do? Eliminate that task for them, which then makes it easier for them to be the talent of their company and eliminate stress. When all else fails, seek support and never be afraid to ask for help.