Every now and then a day of working from home, of course you roll through it ultra relaxed with your laptop at the kitchen table. In your bathrobe. With the cat on your lap. And a fresh Heineken 0.0 within reach to wash down yesterday’s leftover pizza. Well, that non-commitment is now a bit from people. Chief Rutte will make us have to work en masse from home in the coming weeks in the fight against the coronavirus, so it is of great (national) importance that you handle your new work situation in a responsible manner. So how do you actually do that, working from home productively? These 10 tips will help you on your way to working smart from home.
Get up on time every day and preferably as early as possible
If you tend to lie down for an hour (or two, or three…) on your working day at home, don’t do this! Routine is extremely important for your productivity and energy level, so always try around the same time out of bed to step. Whether or not you have to commute for an hour. If you train your body to this, it will become increasingly easier to stand. And yes, that also applies to the weekend.
Don’t forget to have breakfast
Because a good breakfast gives you the necessary energy to work concentrated and well at home. This sounds logical, but for many people this habit falls by the wayside if you suddenly have to work from home for a day. So take the time for a good breakfast. That laptop can also be used half an hour later.
Develop routine
It may seem insignificant, but how the composition of your day looks like and what tasks you start the day with has a major influence. So start with small routines to stay on track for the rest of the day.
Do the most important tasks first
Are you a morning person and therefore productive before noon? Then use your first working hours to tick off the most important to do’s: writing, creative thinking, designing or solving problems. Your concentration drops during the day, so it’s smart to schedule the less important tasks, or the tasks that you can do on autopilot, later in the day.
Work in blocks of a maximum of 1 to 2 hours
It is unrealistic to think that you can maintain your concentration throughout the day. Especially in creative professions. Still, there is a danger of buffing all day long, which will not benefit the quality of your work. So divide your day smartly and plan in blocks of 1 or 2 hours. Take a short break between blocks. Try to set yourself a goal for each block and achieve it.
Schedule breaks
Between working hours you can log in to Twitter and facebookwhat Youtube videos see or do some household chores. Within some companies they also call this moment ‘Google time’. This leaves no excuses to interrupt your concentration during ‘working hours’. After all, that’s what you planned your breaks for.
plan sports
For those who work from home, the hours are not fixed and it is therefore easy to organize your day slightly differently than usual. A victim of work is often sports. While this ensures a clear mind and energy! Therefore choose a fixed time of the day for your sports session (or during the week) and stick to that moment. Do you like to exercise in the morning after the first two hours of work? Then it can certainly help you to put on your sports clothes.
Take care of lunch
Prepare for lunch. Is the refridgerator empty? Then you first have to decide what you would like to eat, where you are going to get it and then actually do it. By the time you get back home and are ready to start, too much time has been lost. So think about this in the days before you get started at home.
Change your environment
Change of food makes food. It therefore does not hurt to look for another “quiet place” to work. Normally you can go to a local coffee shop for that, but unfortunately that is not an option in these corona times. What you can do is look for an alternative workplace in your own home. Swap your home office (however comfortable it is) for the kitchen table for an hour. Or go out into the garden with your laptop for half an hour if the weather permits. This way you keep the days varied, and every now and then a new environment stimulates creativity enormously. But whatever you do, don’t look for crowded places outside the door, since large groups of people spread risk of the coronavirus increase.
Stop on time
Are you no longer satisfied with the results or are you tired? Then try to stop in time, so that you can start the next day with a fresh head. The danger of working from home is that you work too long. Therefore, do not make the days too long, and stick to the predetermined hours.
Finally, a tip if you are obliged to stay at home for a longer period of time because of the corona outbreak: bring structure to your days. This will help you by far the most to stay productive, energized and motivated. Of course it can happen that something comes in between. So try to see your work blocks as individual pieces that you can easily fill in with other agreements, or move them forward. The key often lies in planning the day well.
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