In this article, we will discuss how to work from home successfully so you can manage your time at work and have more time to live.
The world is changing. What used to be spending hours at your desk, is now hours at your kitchen island. With this newly found, great freedom comes great responsibility. While working from home has its perks, finding your new normal and your new routine is not as easy as it sounds. Keep reading to figure out how to work from home successfully.
How to work from home successfully
Separating Work from Home
If possible, have a clear, designated space where can be heads down and focused on work. There is a concept about having dedicated spaces. This concept says that when you’re in a certain room or spot, you associate that with doing a certain action. For example, when you’re in bed, you’re sleeping, when you’re on the couch, you’re watching TV or being social with your partner, and when you’re in the kitchen, you’re eating or cooking. Having these dedicated spaces reinforces in your mind the activity you’re supposed to be doing. So if possible, have a dedicated room or space to do work. This will allow you to begin distinguishing work from home.
The next this you should do to separate work from home is hiding your phone during the workday. Stop texting your friends, and focus on the task at hand. Humans cannot multitask and it has been shown that multitasking significantly decreases your productivity. Phone are a huge distraction that can not only cost you time, but quality work. If you really struggle with using your phone, invest in one of the phone lock boxes. It literally forces you to not be able to access your phone. This will instantly give you time back, and an excuse to call your friends after work so you can disconnect.
Another thing you can do is create clear distinctions between your work and your life. It may sound crazy, but I really suggest that you don’t do laundry or other chores during your working hours. Okay, yes you can throw a load of laundry in to optimize for time, but don’t clean the house when you should be finishing a project. Act like you are in the offie when you are home We will talk about this more below.
Time Boxing
It all starts with having the right routine. Having more flexibility is great, but one can easily lose track of time with many distractions all around. I mean who doesn’t want to sit on the couch and watch an episode or two of their favorite show on lunch break?
My personal favorite way to control my routine is with time boxing. Whether you’re using Google Calendar or Outlook, clearly separating out your day is an easy step you can take in the beginning of the week, or end of previous week, to map out your life. If you aren’t someone who loves Google Calendar and is more of a pen to paper person, there are plenty of free printouts you can find to manage your calendar on pen and paper.
Routines can vary drastically from person to person, but I would start by planning out your working hours. Where I see a lot of people go wrong with time boxing is they don’t account for breaks, lunch, or even taking your dog for a quick walk. While these additional add-ins may seem monotonous, taking breaks is an essential step that allows you to come back to work refreshed. Studies do show that those that take regular breaks out perform those who do not.
Create designated blocks on your calendar for heads down deep work. The average person can only do about 3 hours of deep work a day, but if you are intentional with your time, you will be leaps and bounds ahead of your colleagues who are just bouncing from Zoom to Zoom. You have to be intentional with your calendar. You need to schedule the time for deep work, otherwise, it will never happen.
If you have a noisy home, invest in some airpods or high quality noise canceling devices so that you can really get in the zone and focus during your deep work time.
As part of your time boxing, I also recommend having dedicated times to answer emails and slacks. Put yourself on do not disturb in Slack. If you’re worried that you’ll miss something urgent, simply set your status to “DND If Urgent Please Call.”
These simple changes with time boxing can make you infinitely more effective at working from home.
Staying Energized
So you finally got your schedule down pat, but how do you make sure you stay energized when your cozy bed and t.v. is literally within walking distance?
The first way is by taking care of yourself. Make sure you regularly workout or at the very least moving your body. I make sure I am moving throughout the day. You can do this by taking a walk while you are on a call. Going to the gym before our after work. The best part is that there are plenty of ways you can stay active with YouTube. There are plenty of yoga, pilates, and boxing classes available for you to take.
I also recommend taking a multivitamin and increasing your protein intake. I’m not a personal trainer or fitness expert by any means, but I will be honest and say that everyday at around 2 o’clock I used to hit a wall and immediately want to go lay in bed. Now with a few simple changes, that does not happen! I focus on eating meals around protein and yes, I do take the viral Mary Ruths Multivitamin.
In addition to taking care of your body, you also need to avoid Zoom fatigue. This is not just applicable to people working from home, but also to people going to the office as well. You need to limit your time on Zoom or at the very least have meetings end 5 mins earlier than one would expect. For example, If a meeting is scheduled for 30 minutes, make it 25. There are default settings in google and outlook to make this an automatic change. I highly encourage you to be smart with your meetings. Ensuring that you focus on high priority impactful meetings will not only save you a lot of time, but also keep you energized.
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End of Day Routine
So with time boxing, you now have a beautiful calendar, when the clock strikes 6, you know it’s time to log off, but what’s one supposed to do? When it comes to the end of the day, it’s easy for the lines between work and home to blur. I personally have fallen victim to working into the late hours of the night. I mean you can watch tv and work at the same time. This where having a clear end of day activity is essential.
When it’s the end of your work day, do a transition routine. For me, that’s having a warning on my calendar 30 minutes before the end of the work day. In that time, I review my schedule for the next day(s) and ensure that it is optimized for my success the next day. When I feel ready to conquer the next day, I close my laptop.
After I close my laptop, I feed my dog and take him outside for about 30 minutes or so. That action clearly transforms the day and signals to my mind that it’s time to be done working.
Conclusion
Contrary to what many believe, in order to ultimately be successful at working from home, you need to take breaks and not work 24/7. In this world, It’s really easy to fall into the rat race mentality, but take it from someone who’s been there, it’s a scam. People think that work is their identity, and they don’t understand that we’re not built to be machines. If you follow our tips and stick to being focused, you will succeed. Thanks for reading our article on how to work from home successfully.
Looking for other tips on how to improve your life? Read my article on how to save $100k fast that comes with a free guide. Until next time.
