Tips to stay productive while Working from Home | Elamaran Selvam

COVID-19 has urged almost everyone to work from home and stick to our routines. For most of us, it is a new reality, but we are getting used to it. Work from Home(WFH) has tons of comfort and benefits as well on the other side, you need to stay motivated and be productive for the whole day. To help you, here are 5 tips to keep yourself accountable and stay productive while Working from Home.

1. Create a routine to start your Work

    If you remember those days when we were working from the office, we wake up early in the morning to get ready and commute for at least 15 - 30 minutes to the office, this helps your brain get ready for the day. But now, we almost skip all those routine and directly start working.

Well, how to signal your brain that you have started working? You can trigger your "start of the day" by exercising, reading newspapers, or just by preparing a coffee. This you have to do as a routine before you start your workday so that you are physically and mentally ready to kickstart your day.

2. Create To-do list

    Many of us feel that we are working a lot, and also our task seems to be never-ending. A simple To-do list can do wonders keeping you both organized, motivated, and increase your productivity. Before starting a day, figure out what are the tasks you are going to complete by the end of the day and allocate each of them an approximate time.

As you create your list, think about big, long-term goals, like finishing a project, as well as small goals, like completing tasks that lead to that big goal. Completing small tasks lets you know, you are making progress,  which gives you positive energy and stay motivated throughout your day. By this, you never feel that you are running out of tasks and stay focused on your next move.

3. Schedule everything

    Working remotely makes 'N' number of opportunities for distractions (mostly from a mobile phone) and other unplanned activities. Working from home doesn't mean you have to work for the entire day; you have to schedule your day for work and nonwork activities (it is more important that you take regular breaks to refresh yourself mentally, physically, and emotionally).

When you create your schedule, keep in mind for all your routine office work and personal ones as well. How much ever importance you give to your office work should be equally given to your personal care as well; if you are interested in gardening, allocate a particular time for watering your plants. It is always good that your friends, family, and colleagues know about your schedule and set boundaries that working remotely does not mean you are free all the time.

4.  Collaborate with your colleagues 

    Working from home seems to be like a solo warrior, but it usually involves interacting with each other. Whether it's meeting with your team, getting task allocation, making decisions, or giving and receiving feedback, try to collaborate a lot with your team. When you don't know about how to proceed something, raise your hands, lets others know that you are stuck.

Whatever you struggle today, has already a solution by someone, you just have to learn from them. Try to not repeat it again. The more you collaborate with your colleagues, the less you try to be alone in this period.

5. Followup

    We all know that end of the day, there will always be something which we could not complete. Nothing to worry about it, but you have to carefully note down in your action items for the next day. While planning for the next day, first you to cover your unresolved action items from the previous day and to take up limited tasks for completing the day.

These tips are not just for working from home, we can even try to implement in our personal as well to achieve our personal goals. Try to follow these tips for at least 2 weeks in a straight and you might feel the difference in the increased level of your productivity. 

Take a look: How people become more successful in whatever they do.