How to Increase Your Productivity While Working From Home

It may seem impossible to ignore housework and other distractions without much interruption. However, the best way to cope with this new challenge is to make important changes in your work habits.

If you have been working from home since the lockdowns began, you probably find it difficult to focus in this new setup. Increasing your productivity while working at home is possible so long as you apply the right approaches. Check out the list below and see what works best for you in getting more work done.

1. Organize your workplace

One of the best perks of working from home is the fact that you can personalise your workspace in any way you see fit. You can pick a quiet place around the house and set up your home office there. Make sure your files are within reach and your desk isn't littered with unnecessary items. Opt for a more minimalist workspace by keeping your files in drawers and leaving only your laptop or desktop a notebook and a few pens on the desk.

2. Add a bit of green

Placing a few indoor plants around your workspace provides countless benefits. Not only do they improve air quality, they are also known to reduce eye strain and prevent the onset of stress. These benefits may lead to greater productivity and improve the quality of your work. You can get started with a few succulents or cacti. Eventually, your collection may grow to include Japanese peace lilies, oxalis house plants or pygmy date palms. It may get a little costly along the way, but you’ll be surrounded by greenery that will help keep you revitalized throughout a hectic work week.

3. Stay connected with colleagues

The fact that you are in a relaxed environment makes it easier for procrastination to set in. To stay productive, you need to treat your home workspace as you would your real office. The closest you can get to that is by keeping in constant communication with your supervisor or co-workers. For this, it’s important to have your communication devices ready in case you need to pitch an idea to the entire team. With every virtual interaction, you can actually get more done compared to when you are just sitting idly by.

4. Explore tech hacks

You can take this time working from home to learn simple time-saving tricks using certain apps. If you need to write down a lengthy narrative report, for example, you can use a keyboard dictation app like Speechnotes. If you need technical help without having to explain the problem in detail, you can use a screenshot feature. This feature can save you a lot of time since it’s very easy to use. Still, if you are having difficulty with it and resort to queries like where are screenshots saved on a Mac, you won’t have to look far for walkthroughs and tutorials.

There are numerous other ways you can increase your productivity while you are working from home, so keep exploring to find the best ones that work well for you.