Working from home is great… Until your neighbour starts banging away at the wall and then the kids start being naughty. If you can manage your own time and choose your own hours it’s a dream, however, it can be incredibly hard if you don’t plan your morning ahead of time. Here are some working from home tips for success.
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The early bird catches the worm
Have you ever tried getting work done before everyone else is awake? With fewer distractions and a clearer mindset, you will be wondering why you’ve been putting off working at 5 AM for so long.
Waking up earlier and getting those tedious jobs done, allows an earlier finish, resulting in more time later on with family and friends. As a bonus, you can enjoy the sunrise with a Latte in one hand and a computer in the other.
Should I dedicate mornings to the difficult tasks?
Prioritising the difficult, tedious or tasks you don’t particularly like, early on in the morning will allow you to focus on jobs you prefer and like in the afternoon. This will result in the rest of your day is more enjoyable. Working like this also prepares you for a more stress-free life after work.
You can get a tonne done in the early morning hours.
Why is it important to separate your work space from your bedroom?
Workspace should be separate from your bedroom, or any other areas where you relax. When you work from home, it’s easy to curl up in bed with a laptop and pretend that you’re “working” ✌️.
To improve your efficiency, build a separate home office/desk just for work. This ensures that you can disconnect, for a healthy work-life balance.
Should I plan my day the night before?
Planning your day the night before can lower stress, resulting in an easier next morning. This allows for you to get started as soon as you wake up, without procrastinating. The last thing I do before finishing the day is to write a to-do list for the next morning. I write things down and then forget until I look back at the notes.
Diving into the to-do list, before the rest of your family have woken up can be key to a more fulfilling life. I always get the difficult and tedious tasks out of the way first.
I plan my day ahead to reduce surprises, so everything is as fluent as possible. Communicating with your partner or whoever is living in the same house as you are also a great way to work.
I and my partner share a calendar each day, so we are both aware of upcoming tasks. This is important to us as we are both working from home and have shared responsibilities; parenting is one of them. Here are some jobs that stay at home dads and mums can do. Sometimes when we are very busy, we even book breaks to prevent burnout.
Why is it important to keep hydrated at work?
Keeping hydrated during your day helps increase metabolism and focus on the jobs at hand. Dehydration can lead to headaches, decreased memory and can even reduce job productivity. It’s a great habit to keep a drinking bottle on your desk each day, just remember to keep filling it up.
According to mayoclinic, we need to be drinking;
- About 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids a day for men
- About 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day for women
Take off those pyjamas
Dress the part, remind yourself you are in work mode. That means comfortable work clothes — not pyjamas.
When working from home, routines can sometimes go out of the window. Getting dressed can help you to establish a routine when you’re working from home. With this in mind, having your own dedicated “work clothes” can add routine and professionalism back into your day.
Should I take regular breaks when working from home?
Taking a break now and again improves focus and concentration. At work taking a break is sometimes the highlight of the day, especially if you always head to the kitchen with colleagues you like.
Replacing this interaction may be hard but that doesn’t mean you should cancel that break time. Make sure you schedule time away from your computer, for your own mental health, and possibly eyesight. I personally like disconnecting with a good book.
After a break, work can resume with more energy and motivation. Working without taking one or more breaks only leads to mental and physical fatigue. It can even lead to burnout in the long run.
My best work and ideas, come just after break time.
How can I cancel noise when working from home?
Working from home may expose you to sounds that become irritating or eventually unbearable. The sound of traffic and street noise may start to annoy you. Even the ticking of a clock can eventually distract you from what you need to be doing.
If you have children, it’s also a good idea to set some ground rules, so they know not to keep asking you to play games with them, while your head is down working. Here are some tips on how to get work done with a toddler by your side.
Remember: You have to adapt yourself to the environment, other people have to live in the house as well.
Noise-cancelling headphones or earbuds
Noise-cancelling headphones are excellent at removing sound almost entirely. Combined with music or an audiobook, they work even better.
Noise-cancelling earbuds are also great and super practical – Most earbuds can be kept in your pocket!
Should you be moving around or working remotely on trains, busses or your local coffee shop. Noise-cancelling headphones or earbuds should be on your packing list for remote working.
Noise cancellation makes it possible to listen to audio content without raising the volume excessively. It can also help a passenger sleep in a noisy vehicle.
In Conclusion
You can always make more money, once the time is spent, you don’t get it back.
Great scheduling, time management and prioritisation while looking after yourself, can make your work-life balance more enjoyable.
If you are not most productive during the morning, it’s important to recognise when you are, so you can plan your schedule around that.
Now Take off those Pj’s and get to work!
