Working from home has many benefits. It offers greater flexibility, peace and quiet far away from the bustling office — not to mention unlimited access to tea and coffee. And while many workers may benefit from time alone spent working remotely, it is also safe to say working from home offers up a plethora of distractions that aren’t usually available in-office. Whether you work the odd day from home or run your own business full time from your own premises, we can all benefit from setting up a more structured work plan to make the most of workdays spent at home.
How Changing Your Workplace Can Improve Your Productivity
The experts at IT Support take you through some of the habits you should adopt now, to make 2018 your most productive year yet.
Take care of tech
Upgrade Your Workshop For Greater Productivity
Surrounded by a range of digital devices can make it all too tempting to use them during work hours. Which is understandable, turning on the television or radio for a little background noise can be more comforting than sitting in silence; a far cry from the white noise that comes with a busy office full of talking colleagues. But let’s face it, television shows and radio hours are likely to draw focus away from the task at hand. To avoid this trap, connect all your devices to a single power strip that is hard to reach, this way you will think twice next time you find yourself reaching for the remote. Subdued music is a much better alternative to more absorbing media, why not set up a dedicated work playlist to use throughout the day. In fact many studies suggest music and its mood boosting qualities can have a positive affect on productivity.
The People And The Tech: The Way To Cut Time & Money
Of course, the television isn’t the only distracting piece of technology at home. Working from a laptop or computer can also be dangerous for your productivity, putting the Internet at your fingertips. Luckily, there are plenty of apps — like SelfControl, Freedom and StayFocused — that allow you to block those websites that are most likely to cause you to stray from work.
Eat your frogs
Learning to Delegate Authority
It can be hard to focus on your checklist for the day when your household chores have yet to be done. The time between rising from bed and breakfast offers a great window of time to get all of those frustrating bits out the way before your workday starts. With the bed made, laundry done and your home tidy you are much more likely to start your day in a positive mood void of unnecessary worries.
Cut communication
4 Tips to Increase Remote Workers’ Accountability
This tip, of course, depends on your business and line of work but for big projects or creative task you may find it helpful to carve out times of the day where you aren’t accessible by others. Time spent away from your email account and mobile can offer you peaceful periods where you can truly get your head down. Just make sure that you inform employees or clients beforehand.
Think on it…through exercise
Edging Closer To The Dotted Line
One of the biggest benefits of working from home is that you don’t have to worry about a commute. Without the slog of travel, you have even more time before and after work to take care of yourself — which is another great way to stay positive and keep motivated when you are back at your desk.
Trends and Technology That Are Making Remote Work a Reality
Make the most of your free early morning with a spot of exercise. If an early morning gym session is not your style even low impact exercise like yoga can be a great way to energise your body and release a wave of endorphins to carry you through your day.
Five Tips for Managing Remote Teams Better
Staying active during the day is incredibly important for those glued to their desk. Even a walk around the block during your lunch hour or break can help you stay active and alert, and help you stave off back pains that so often accompany office workers.
Want to allow your employees the ability to work from home? You may need to upgrade your tech to make sure you can collaborate easily outside the workplace.
