For many, the COVID-19 pandemic is the first time they’ve had to work from home for long stretches of time. Those who are used to working from home might find it easy to stay focused. But for those new to the work-from-home routine, staying on track might not be so simple.
Here are some tips you can follow so you can get your work done while enjoying the perks of working in your pjs.
Block off time. Go into your calendar and schedule out time for yourself. If you need to catch up on emails, for example, set a time for that: say 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Next, depending on what your workflow is, schedule research or lead-gen time, and so on. If you’re disciplined with your schedule, you’ll find it easier to stay on track instead of trying to do multiple things at once and getting sidetracked.
Dress professionally. All jokes aside, working in your pjs could hurt your productivity. If you’re the type of person that needs to feel like they’re in a work environment in order to take the work seriously, get dressed up like you would for the office. This will help you get in the appropriate mindset.
Set accountability measures for yourself. This can be in the form of deadlines or to-do lists you can reference, or you can reach out to your colleagues and tell them you’ll have a project done by a certain day and time. By communicating your deadline to someone else, you’re ensuring that you not only have to meet your own accountability measures, but someone else’s as well.
Take breaks. This one might sound counterproductive, but if you’re sitting in front of your computer for hours at a time without any breaks, you’re going to burn yourself out. In order to stay energized and focused, get up every hour or so for about 10 minutes. Get some water, do some stretching, take a quick walk, etc. This should also be something you apply when you’re in the office.
Working from home doesn’t have to be difficult. It’s all about scheduling out your time, being purposeful with your actions and ensuring you give yourself the time to breathe and re-energize.
