Are you a remote worker or freelancer? Then these 10 tips to help you be more productive throughout the day are for you.
1. Stick to your schedule
Scheduling can help you stay on track, especially if you know exactly what you need to do to be productive for a certain amount of time. The great thing about planning your day is that you get to choose the schedule that works best for you.
Also, having a single, consistent schedule helps you build good habits and set a boundary between your professional and personal life.
However, it’s important to set aside time for short breaks in your plan, so you can be even more productive.
2. Don’t work in your pajamas
Perhaps most employees dream of working from home in their pajamas. However, this can have a negative impact on your productivity. Getting dressed for work is a kind of psychological cue to get ready for work. So dressing nicely (but not necessarily black pants and a shirt) is a good idea. It’s a good idea even if you don’t have any visitors.
3. Set boundaries
Setting clear work boundaries can be harder than just sticking to a schedule. However, it is often necessary to avoid burnout. So at the very least, try to establish boundaries between your workplace and the rest of your home by telling those who live with you what your working hours are and making sure your friends and family know when you are at work and when you are home.
4. Create ambient noise
It may seem like ambient noise can be distracting, but that’s not always the case. Noise can help you stay creative, focused, and ignore the many other distractions that surround you.
We’re talking about the sounds of coffee shops and cafeterias where work is going on, the soothing sounds of rain, a campfire, or the rustling of trees. While you can go to a coffee shop to work, the sounds of a campfire and rain seem to be more difficult. However, you can find recordings of these sounds, for example, on You Tube, and then you can recreate such ambient noise right from your computer.
5. Maintain your health
Staying healthy is as important to productivity as your laptop or computer. After all, your body is the tool you use to get your work done every day. Pay attention to your diet and incorporate workouts into your schedule so you don’t sit around all day without physical activity. If you can’t get outside or to the gym to work out, you can do simple physical exercises at home.
6. Get some fresh air
It’s important to get out of the house to breathe fresh air at least once a day. You can have lunch with a colleague at a restaurant near your office, visit a coffee shop near your home, or just go for a walk. Taking breaks helps you to avoid long, monotonous stretches of work, and thus increases productivity. And when you return from a break, you can look at everything you’ve done with fresh eyes and a new perspective.
If you can’t go outside, at least get some plants for your home office. Having plants in your workspace can increase productivity by up to 15 percent!
7. Find a hobby
A hobby can help you maintain your sanity, as it allows you to take a break from work and enjoy recreational activities from time to time. And if your hobby is an activity, you will also benefit your physical health.
However, it doesn’t have to be an activity, you can also join online communities. The main thing is to get away from work: invite friends to pottery lessons, wine tastings, or other interesting activities not related to work.
8. Prioritize your tasks
Once you start working, it’s important to prioritize your tasks. This way, you’ll know exactly what needs to be done and when. Review all tasks: both urgent and important tasks, because they rarely coincide. And if you focus on urgent tasks, you’re likely to neglect important ones.
9. Ignore time distractors
There are so many interesting things on the Internet that you can easily spend half of your work time scrolling through your Instagram feed without even realizing it. But there are a few things you can do to avoid distractions:
- Put your phone away and only then start working
- Set a specific time to check your email and don’t check it first thing in the morning to get high-level tasks done first.
- Monitor your time with Yaware.TimeTracker. This way, you’ll see your productivity and activity levels, which will motivate you to work hard. You’ll also see how much time you spent on resource drainers, so you can eliminate them in the future.
