How do you stay productivewhen working from home?

With flexible working on the rise, more and more employees are choosing to clock in from the comfort of their own homes. How do you make sure you’re working productively?

Create a workspace

The problem with working from home versus being in the office is you no longer have a desk provided for you.

Working on the sofa won’t give you the right mentality – make sure to create your own workstation and pay attention to things like posture, because this desk needs to be comfortable for long hours.

Getwork-readyIt’s not enough to roll out of bed and get started – a good attitude to work starts with treating it like a day in the office.

It will make you more productive to get up, get coffee, shower and dress, and change your mentality from “at home” to “at work”.

Outline your tasksMaking to-do lists isn’t an exclusively working-from-home tip – you should always have a clear list of priorities and time frames in which to get things done.

Apps like Asana or Wunderlist make it easy to assign tasks, set importance and dates and check things off. If you tend to put things off, you can set deadlines with your supervisor.

CommunicateWorking from home can be isolating, and make you feel like you’re no longer part of a team.

It can also highlight tensions and make the communication you do have seem strained. Make sure you keep in contact through Instant Messaging, video conferencing and online collaboration.

Have workhours

Flexible working tends to mean workers lose track of time – they don’t focus 9-5 and then aren’t able to let go at the end of the day.

To keep yourself focused, set yourself regular work hours. Make it clear you’re on the job at that time and don’t even check email outside of that time – checking email is one of the biggest time wasters.

Take a breakNow that you’ve got your working hours set, make sure that when it comes to break you do actually take a break.

Get up, move around, eat away from the computer, have a conversation – but for the sake of your health and sanity, make sure it is a real break.

Know yourselfFlexible working often encourages us to put off things that are hard, take breaks, go slow over projects we don’t enjoy.

Don’t let yourself lose hold of what you’re doing – browsing the internet can get you off task, so even if you’re only making small steps make sure you’re moving forward.

Get some quietBeing at home is great – you can catch up on the laundry, spend time with the kids…

If this is your approach to working from home, it’s time to stop.

To get your best work done you need to minimise distractions and keep things quiet. Let your family know that during work hours you’re not available.

Step away from the screen

There are some fantastic ways to stay in touch online – IM, social collaboration, etc. – but don’t let this be your only communication.

You need to make sure you have conversations with co-workers over the phone and even pop into the office occasionally if possible.

Finish your working day

The biggest danger when it comes to flexible working? Never signing off.

Make sure that you stick to set hours, take tech-free breaks, and then let go of the work at the end of the day.

The majority of people get to go home at the end of the day. When work is in your home, it’s important to set defined times when you’re going to work, and when the time passes, stop. If you don’t rest at the end of the day, you can throw off your work-life balance.

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What are your tips for more productive flexible working?

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