4 Tips for Working Efficiently From Home
Working from home has become the new normal. For some, it’s a dream to be able to work comfortably from your own home with your family, pets, and other loved ones. But for others, it’s a challenge to get into the groove of working and getting things done. As someone who has worked from home for the past 5 years or so, here are some tips that I’ve found help me plug-in and plow through work even if I don’t change out of my jammies.
Photo by Mikey Harris @mikeyharris on Unsplash
1. Set a schedule.
This is the number one thing that I had to do and stick to improve my work efficiency. When I first started working from home, I’d often sleep well past the morning and work at odd hours throughout the day and night. By setting a schedule and sticking to it:
Your clients, coworkers, and family will have clear expectations about your availability.
You can organize your work and personal time better so that you aren’t over or under working.
You will build up a routine that makes it easier for your brain to snap in and out of work mode.
Setting a schedule will also help you with my second tip.
2. Let family and other household members know that you are working.
When I first started working from home, my family interpreted this as, "Kiah is available because she's at home." They started asking me for favors in the middle of the day that they otherwise wouldn't have asked if I was away working in an office. Although I love my family and was happy to do some things for them, I ultimately had to set a boundary and let them know my work schedule and when my windows of availability were during the day. Once I stuck to my own schedule this issue went away and I'm no longer being pulled away from my work.
3. Set up a workspace.
If you were previously not working from home, or you only have a laptop to work from, you might not have a dedicated workspace. It might take some reorganizing, but try to find a corner of your home where you can sit and work continuously. Doing this is another trick to help get you in and out of work mode. If it's difficult to dedicate a single space to work, then I encourage you to at least create a work-free zone in your home. This could be the tv room or bedroom, whichever place you relax in most. Sometimes you're going to literally want to walk away from your work for a break, if you turn your whole house into your office, it might start to feel stifling.
4. Keep your workspace tidy and free of distractions.
You might be surprised how well you're able to distract yourself and find excuses to walk away from your work. It might take some time to get used to working from home as you establish your new routine. Help yourself out by tidying up your home before sitting down for the day. Cleaning seems to be my go-to distraction as I've found myself dusting the top shelves of my bookcase and loading up the dishwasher to get away from my desk. This is only a problem if it's eating into your work time and causing you to fall behind on tasks. I'm not going to say that it's wrong to quickly check the going price for turnips in Animal Crossing, but if you then decide to terraform your whole farm, then you can see how a small distraction can become a time suck. On a busy day, it's best to take care of these things before you start work or save them for when you're done.
Bonus tip: Remember to take breaks.
Lunch breaks, snack breaks, and cuddle breaks are all part of my day. I don't have them strictly built into my schedule, but I take them naturally as needed. I usually prefer to work through a task and then take a break once it's complete. Having snacks on hand that are easy to prepare is important to me. This can range from a bowl of ice cream or some brownies that I've baked the night before. For the past couple of months, I've been living with my sister who is also working from home and we often take a lunch and snack break together where we might watch half an episode of something on Netflix or chat about the day. Cali, my feline roommate, functions on her own schedule and regularly wakes up around 3 pm to play and cuddle. These are the perks of working from home. You can take advantage of them while still maintaining efficiency at work.
