Because of the worldwide problem of combating Covid-19, we have all been forced to isolate ourselves and work from home. It has been 3 years since the declaration of the State of Emergency and for many, having a routine has not been easy to establish. Before this, we had never been forced to stay at home for so long and, normally, we are still finding it difficult to adapt.
Many people can be tempted to stay in bed, watch TV or a series, ask to write my paper online, or even oversleep. When there is no established routine for working from home, it is quite difficult to be productive. The mind and body require training so that they can assimilate how a space normally used to rest and disconnect from obligations, now merges with responsibilities, work performance, and the fulfillment of professional goals.
Being productive, organized, and having a clear work path even from home is possible if you sort your tasks and goals through Kanban method and take the time to build it. Working remotely is not something new many companies position it as an added value or benefit for their employees. What is new, however, is to do it for periods of so many days and in uninterrupted phases.
To help you work optimally, today’s article will give you some very practical tools and recommendations so that you can establish a routine and have the necessary tools to facilitate the development of your activities.
Table of Contents
Get up with a work attitude
Although it may sound uninspiring to some, getting up with a positive work attitude is a tool that will help you start your day in the best way and not waste a single minute. It’s the first step to establishing a routine. You will need to set an alarm to wake you up and get you going, establish a shower schedule (if you do it in the morning), and a time to make your bed. This last task is the most important of those mentioned because the mind associates the start of a day once the bed is made. It is one of the most mentioned habits by several studies on productivity issues.
Change your clothes
Although many studies recommend dressing as if you were going out of the house, the truth is that one of the main advantages of working at home is the possibility of dressing as you please. It empowers you to manage your time, as well as generating a sense of relaxation and satisfaction by not feeling obligated to meet a social standard. The goal is for you to feel comfortable with yourself.
The important thing is that you take off your pajamas, this way your mind will make an automatic change and understand that you have made the transition between the time to rest and the time to start being productive.
Establish your workspace- Ways to Work from Home
One of the most common mistakes is that, when you are not obliged to go to a workstation, you start your work from bed. The ideal is to find and establish a space in your home in the mind associated with the passing of the days as the place destined to work. If possible, make it outside your bedroom, it will allow you to receive a different type of light and more appropriate for work, improve your posture and avoid premature fatigue.
Understandably, many people keep their desks inside the bedroom. It doesn’t matter if you work in this space, just avoid working in bed at all costs. It will impair your posture, cause you to get into the productivity routine later, and even impair the proper ventilation of the computer, causing it to overheat.
Take a recharging nap
There are scientifically proven benefits that taking a short nap during the afternoon increases productivity and boosts work motivation. The key is not to exceed 30 minutes, after this time, the body goes into a more intense state of relaxation, and regaining vitality and energy after a long nap will be more difficult and will even make you wake up with a headache, bad mood or more tired than you were before.
A long nap is an intermediate point that is neither the right one to rest fully nor the right one to recharge energy and continue working. If you learn to manage it correctly and train your body and mind to have self-discipline when you get up after those 15 or 20 minutes, it will be a very useful tool to recharge energy.
Take a break
Working for more than 3 hours straight is a challenge for the human body and mind. It is proven that the concentration of people in adulthood can reach a maximum period between 45 minutes – 1 hour, in situations of high training, the concentration can be a little higher, but the average of the working population is around this period.
Get up, walk around (even if you have little space available), stretch, take advantage of the moment to go to the toilet, have a glass of water or coffee, this will help you change the chip of what you are doing and allow you to recharge and you can enter again in concentration mode more easily. The most important break is lunch, it will allow you to disconnect 100% from the activity and, if done correctly, will increase your energy level once you get back to work.
Eat healthily and hydrate constantly
Aligned with the previous recommendation and within the breaks, you take, try to eat healthy snacks and hydrate with plenty of water. This will help your body and mind work properly and consume the energy needed to perform the tasks of the day.
But be careful, being at home is a very important challenge because you have access at any time to the refrigerator, which allows you to take out food to satisfy your cravings at any time. To avoid having health problems or gaining weight during this time, you must structure your diet and try to make it as balanced and free of excesses as possible. Excess fat and carbohydrates will make digestion more difficult and cause you to feel sleepy in the hours following consumption, affecting your workday.
Determine your work end time
Even if you are not physically bound to a certain start and end time, it is important to set a time for your workday. Many times, since there is no need to commute, the line between continuing to work or finishing the day’s activities becomes blurred, leading to overwork and exhaustion. Try to separate work and personal time and learn to respect your schedule.
Other tools that can be useful when working from home are: organizing your tasks in a drive, listen to some music that favors concentration, as long as it is adapted to the type of work you are developing. Organize your day in blocks and cross out the tasks you are overcoming daily, this will motivate you and prepare you for your next challenge.