How to be efficient while working from home?

Are you working from home? This buzzword is actually a cause of worry for many. Ask from the people who actually do that. Of course, the perks are super awesome but the cons of this working concept range from decrease in work efficiency to degradation of overall health.

In my previous post, I highlighted how to stay healthy while working from home and today I am going to share some ways I adopted to make myself more efficient at work.

1. Keep your desk clutter free  
   

Number one and most important way to be efficient while you work from home is to have a separate working space which shouldn’t be near the place you hang out. Mine is just beside my bed but I make sure I never use my bed while working. This is important for when you start working at a place where you usually rest, your mind tricks you to rest instead of work.

Now that was a thing which everyone suggests. What is even more important than having a separate work space is to keep it clutter free. Cleaning is the last thing I want to do in a day but when my desk was piled up with books & diaries I didn’t need, accessories I wasn’t using, I ended up getting frustrated.

It took me a long time to discover that the frustration wasn’t because of too much work but was because of too much clutter. This describes the importance of keeping your desk clean and with minimum stuff lying around it.

2. Make your work area look good

   

This is something I did just a few days back. Having shifted into an entirely new room, the place I work at is completely plain. No decorations. Nothing at all. What kind of feelings I had while working at such a place? I just wanted to leave my work, go and do something else.

Then I worked on putting up some posters and nice stuff around the desk which made me feel calmer. Also, ever since I worked on decorating my work area, I feel the urge to work more and am happier while working.

So, if you’re working from home, I would suggest you to pay attention to the décor around your work area. It can uplift your mood and spirit to work.

3. Take frequent breaks (Real Breaks)  

Again, a very common point but also a one which is seldom followed properly. You must take breaks while working especially when your work is a sitting job. But what most of the people usually do in this case is switch from their workstation to their cell phone to check updates on social media. That’s a folly.

By breaks, it means standing up and moving away from your desk. Walk around your house or make a cup of coffee for yourself. What I do is go downstairs and stare at my bookshelf which makes me feel magically good. And it is a perfect break for me.

Find out what kind of break works for you but make sure that you’re moving away from your desk during that break and also some kind of physical activity is involved in such a break.

4. Make a to-do list 

A common point, once again, but often misunderstood and done wrongly. Having a to-do list relieves your mind of unnecessary burden. If you’ve a list of what you need to do, you won’t need to remember all of it and also, there would be less chances of forgetting that. Now, people use awesome apps like Wunderlist etc for this purpose. But have you ever wondered how effective it is?

Writing work on paper and then cutting it off once it is done has psychological effects. Your brain feels good after cutting off each task. This doesn’t happen when you’re using an app for this purpose.

I prefer to keep a journal where I document the stuff I need to do and then update it at night with what’s done, what needs to be worked upon and so on. Try doing this and I bet you will notice the change in yourself and your working efficiency.

5. Pile up healthy snacks 

I have never worked in a proper office environment and I don’t know what those people do when they get food cravings while working. I am the person who keeps feeling like eating all the time when I work. But this is something unpractical considering my fitness goals.

Health is very important aspect of your life and it needs special attention while you’re working from home. That’s why I would advise you to get some healthy snacks for yourself which you can grab when the food cravings hit. Though I am still trying to find more healthy snacks, I currently stock nuts and fruits.

Also, drink plenty of water. More than you think you can. Water cleans off your body from inside and keeps you healthy and in my case, calm.

This is how I keep myself efficient while working from home and I am sure this can help you out too. Do try out these things and let me know if they worked for you.