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Many of us fantasize from our cubicles about working at home. No more dreaded Monday mornings or commutes or co-workers stealing your milk. But when we finally reach paradise and set up our laptop waiting to type, you realize it’s impossible to concentrate.
So how do you achieve the perfect home office work balance? Here are five tips to help you.
1. Create a Daily Work Schedule Including Real Breaks
If you work for one company, create a structure so you don’t have to answer work calls in your downtime. Make a to-do-list the night before so you don’t waste your workday planning what to do. Solidifying your schedule the day before will also make it feel more official so when you wake up, you know it’s time to get started.
One of the best working from home tips is to delegate time-outs for yourself. When you have work home employment, it’s difficult to switch between work and leisure time if your company is in a different time-zone.
It’s also harder to take time off when your house is your workspace as you feel guilty. But rather than stealing a few minutes to scroll Instagram or watch a funny YouTube clip, take an hour or two to get away from your desk. Go for a walk outside or set-up a lunch date with a friend to recharge.
2. Pretend Like You’re Going to the Office
One of the most important working from home tips is to pretend you’re going to the office so you can tap into work-mode. It will make you more productive and it will be easier to distinguish the line between leisure and work.
To stay productive, do all the things you’d do to prepare for an office-day such as making coffee and changing into nice clothes instead of pajamas. You should also set up a dedicated work-space area rather than staying curled up on your couch all day. It could be a certain table in your living room or your local coffee shop so you can get into the right frame of mind.
Another trick is to structure your day like the office to stay on task. Decide what you will do over the course of the day by using an online calendar or set reminders so you know when to switch gears and begin new tasks. Also, creating a deadline will improve your focus and result in a far more fruitful session.
3. Delegate Harder Tasks for When You’re Most Productive
In the work world’s animal kingdom we have early birds and night owls. Our motivation isn’t always consistent and there are parts of the day where our focus wavers. When you’re working from a home office, it’s important to understand when your motivation flags so you can maximize the more productive periods.
For example, save your harder tasks like meetings for when you’re in the right headspace and use slower parts of the day to do the easier tasks.
4. Make It Harder for Yourself to Access Social Media
One of the essential tips for working from home is to be mindful of the time you spend on social media. Unlike the office, there is no boss breathing down your neck to ensure your meeting all of your goals.
To counteract wasting time on social media, remove any impulse from your browser shortcuts. You can also try working on a private browser, like Chrome’s Incognito mode, so you stay signed out of your social media accounts and each web search create doesn’t autocomplete what you’re typing and derail your train of thought.
But if you need to use social media for work or want a quick break, allocate yourself 10 minutes to indulge in reading a get cash now review or to reply to your friend’s messages before diving back into work.
5. Stay Busy
The saying goes “Of you want something done, ask a busy person to do it” which also rings true for working at home. Out of all the work from home tips, this one proves that the busier you are, the more you’ll do.
People work better when they’re busy because they learn how to manage their time efficiently. If they’re raising a family, doing chores and working-full time, then they have an allocated slot to get all their work done otherwise everything will plummet into chaos.
Another useful trick is to use laundry as a work timer. Use the time to start and finish something from your to-do list before changing the load. When you commit to doing one assignment during the wash cycle, you will be more focused and work smarter instead of doing only one task over the course of the day.
You can also do the same with your favorite album. Try to work the length of a 12-track album with no disruptions and award yourself with a break once it’s finished. Also, pick the music fit for the task.
Upbeat music may be great for getting ready but may not be suitable for work. Instead, choose instrumental tracks like classical music or a video game soundtrack as they are designed to help you focus.
Which of These Home Office Work Tips Will Do You use?
Lucky for us, there are plenty of home office work tips to keep us focused and on track. Having the luxury of a work-from-home job is amazing as long as we can find the line between work and play whilst producing high-quality work.
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