How to Make the Most of Working from Home
before the crib, you gotta clear the guard's gate/ elevators like frank's on scarface
-rick ross, rich is gangsta
A couple tips to keep WFH from turning into PTO.
The dope thing about working from home is that you have full control over your working environment. But the distractions do abound. There’s Netflix, laundry and my personal favorite: the urge to cook elaborate meals for breakfast and lunch. If these temptations go unchecked, WFH can begin to feel more like PTO. Here’s a few tips to keep your productivity up while working from home.
Set up your corner office. Whether its at the kitchen island, or a dedicated desk space in a spare bedroom, define your workspace. I personally have my laptop and charger, a coaster for my glass of water, a houseplant or flower bud and a notebook nearby. I can’t work in clutter and my home presents enough distractions on its own, so a sparsely decorated tablespace is important for me. Be mindful of what will be in view once your turn on your camera for those video conferences.
Manage your schedule. Maybe it's just me but my ability to concentrate in meetings with others dwindles significantly if we are not meeting in person. I honor that by rescheduling any meetings I have the authority to cancel. If it's a critical meeting, I prefer to have them mid morning, before lunch, so my afternoon can be free of interruptions. Consider what works best for you and move things around as appropriate.
Get clear on your one thing. During any given week, I self identify my top 3 priorities for that week. I then use this list to inform my priority for the day. I set my priorities by asking myself what is critical that only I can do - meaning I can’t delegate it. Having this clarity of what is essential allows me to focus so I’m not distracted by context switching throughout the day. I tend to prioritize things that require a lot of concentration [like data analysis, as an example] then dive right in at the top of the morning. By midday, I evaluate my progress and pivot as necessary.
Make time for exercise. I take considerably fewer steps when I work from home vs when I’m at the office. I make up for this by scheduling some time for me to walk outside after lunch, or by prioritizing exercise before I start the work day.
Hide your phone. I have learned to leave my phone in another room, on silent when I work from home. There is some social pressure in the office to not be perceived as the slacker who is on her phone all day, but that is absent at my home office. But truly, I’ve found that I can work for longer stretches of time when my phone is not in view. Instagram can wait.
43% of U.S. employees work remotely some or all of the time, and many studies have shown remote workers are more productive and profitable than in-house employees. Hopefully the tips above give you a head start on optimizing your time working from home.