Given the present situation in Singapore, most of us are once again working from home—and more workplaces will follow suit if your employment responsibilities allow for it. While the appeal of working from home is obvious, productivity may be reduced by the lure of napping or binging on Netflix. Use these work-from-home productivity tips to stay focused and keep your employer pleased.
1. Shower and Change Into New Clothes When You Get Up
While you can just use your laptop in bed while lounging in a nightgown or pyjamas, this might affect your progress more than you think. It’s a psychological issue where your mind and body are not in the right space, mentally speaking.
It’s also a good idea to keep your workspace and leisure areas separate. As a result, you should work in a separate location – preferably in another room where you won’t be tempted to nap or watch TV.
2. Set Your Aircon At A Cooler Temperature For Better Concentration
Mark Zuckerberg keeps the Facebook meeting rooms at 17°C! For a lot of people, that’s a bit on the chilly side, but he does it to help employees stay alert and focused.
You may not want to go as cold as Facebook’s office, but sweating beneath one’s shirt is no fun, and it’s easy to become restless and lose focus when the heat is so intense. We Singaporeans are naturally drawn to aircon as a result of our desire to escape the daily heat and humidity.
“You should also make sure to have your aircon unit serviced regularly,” according to a source at MHI Aircon, “because it will run more efficiently and save energy if it is clean and working properly.”
If you don’t have air conditioning in your house, make sure there’s plenty of fresh air and ventilation to keep it from feeling stuffy.
3. Keep to a Schedule
How frequently do you lose track of time while working from home?
When your attention is completely focused on work, it’s quite easy to forget how much time has passed.
This is a bad habit to get into. It’s fine to be a workaholic during business hours; you don’t have to go overboard.
Ask staff to respect your working hours and make sure you do the same. Set routines that bookend the day, such as drinking a cup of coffee in the morning when you open your computer or going for a walk after you’ve closed it. Feel free to use the “away” function on your social media, WhatsApp, and email.
4. Have a Productivity Playlist
When working, you’ll want a soothing playlist instead of one that distracts you. For most people, songs without lyrics are best so that your attention isn’t focused on the words. Classical music and LoFi music are good, and you can look for instrumental versions of Studio Ghibli music as well, such as this one.
5. Make Sure Your Workspace is Clean
If Marie Kondo has taught us anything, it’s that clutter does not spark joy. Among the disorganized items will be paperwork, which is likely to include essential documents that you’ll need at some point. When you are stressed because you must look for those documents in a chaotic environment, you won’t be productive. The same thing goes for your computer desktop. If it’s neat and organized, things will be easy to find.
When your workspace is clutter-free, you’ll be able to think more clearly because there are less distractions. Make certain everything is neat, so you don’t have to go through stacks of paperwork and stationery to get what you need.
Working from home isn’t a vacation. We still need to do our daily work tasks to achieve success. If you’ve been feeling sluggish in your home office, try employing some of these strategies and you’ll be amazed by the difference in your productivity.
