Over the last year, you’ve probably gotten pretty used to the idea of WFH (working from home). The idea of remote work isn’t new, but as the world has adjusted to the reality of the pandemic, it has become a more and more common occurrence.
For many people, it has been a blessing to work from the comfort of their own homes, but for others, the transition hasn’t been so easy. While it can be nice to wear sweats to business meetings or take a hot bath on your lunch break, it can sometimes feel difficult to be productive in the same space you live in.
That’s why we’ve put together a few tips on how to be more productive in your work-from-home jobs! These are just a few simple tips that might help you shake your WFH blues, and help you get the job done when you need to.
Create Your Workspace
One of the most important factors to WHF success is separating your work and home life, despite the fact that they now share the same place. That’s why, if you haven’t already, you might want to designate a singular spot in your home for your work.
Your spot should only be used for work, and it should remain as distraction-free as possible. For that reason, try to avoid working on your bed, sofa, or kitchen table, if possible. Instead, find a space with a supportive chair, empty workspace, and minimal activity around you.
Your Home Office
Anybody who has been working remotely for a long time will probably have a home office setup of their own. If not, however, here are a few items you should definitely not be working without.
- A “Work” Desk: While it seems obvious, having a specific, WFH desk can help you stay on track and in focus throughout the workday. Here, you can keep all your work-related files, notes, and reminders separate from the rest of your home. Having a well-organized, clean desk can help you get the boost you need to finish that last report before the weekend!
- A Place To Sit: If you’re considering investing in a home office space, a good, ergonomic chair is worth looking for. When you spend hours a day at your desk, you should at least have good posture. Try to find something that fits in your space, and is comfortable with good all-around support. Depending on the chair you invest in, this can be the most important part of your office!
- Peace of Mind: Sometimes it feels impossible to find somewhere quiet in your house, and that’s ok! If you have workspace set up, but you just can’t get the peace you need, consider investing in some noise-canceling headphones. Having these headphones can help you improve productivity, and tune out distractions easily, and are incredibly helpful for stay-at-home jobs!
Learn From the Pros
If you’ve had trouble adjusting to working from home full time, you might want to pause for a moment and do some internet digging. Freelancers and contract workers have been working from home for a while now, and a lot of them have a good idea of how to manage their time and energy well.
The world of blogging is vast, and practically any topic you can imagine is in someone’s blog, somewhere. Searching on blogs for advice can also be very helpful in getting the “real” experience of someone.
Not every blog meant for stay-at-home moms is going to be useful to you, but it’s worth taking some time to read about the successes and failures of other people in your same situation. Incredibly productive people have made money from home for years, and in a new era of online jobs, these are the people you might want to turn to for advice.
Redefine Your Work
Our final tip in this list can actually be applied to all parts of your life, beyond working from home!
This last year hasn’t been easy for anyone, and most of us are still learning how to be productive in new spaces with new schedules. If you’ve been struggling, you’re not alone. Obviously, we would all like to return to our old routines, and the work rhythms we felt most comfortable in, but for the foreseeable future, that doesn’t seem likely. That’s why it might be worth your time to redefine the idea of productivity entirely.
Instead of stressing about how to measure productivity at home, or wondering if you’re actually working enough, take a minute to just pause, and recollect yourself. You don’t have to try and “catch up,” to your old ways of productivity; that’s just not realistic.
When you redefine productivity, you can take into account all of the new stresses and struggles of working an online job. Take 20 minutes and think about what has made you feel unproductive since WFH, and try to find a common theme in your answers. Most of the time, you’ll find that you haven’t started doing less work, you just don’t have the same resources and space as you did previously.
This can help tremendously with your productivity, as it helps you understand where you are using your time, energy, and organization. Then, you can isolate areas that you feel like you’re struggling in, and improve on them!
Changing your mentality might not magically make WFH better, but it can help you make the best of your difficult situation.
High Brew
Whether you’re starting a blog, earning money as a social media guru, or working a part-time data entry job on the weekends, you should be ready to meet the day’s adventures! At High Brew, we make coffee for the go-getters, the “doers”, and everyone out there chasing their passion.
Try starting your WFH day with one of our delicious cold brews, made from premium Colombian coffee beans. We take pride in making a smooth, naturally caffeinated drink for everyone, and we’re excited to share it with everyone!
