Remote work is on the rise. But despite how sweet working from home may seem for the uninitiated, remote work carries unique challenges. To help your team stay focused and efficient during this work-from-home phase while combating stress and maintaining work-life balance, here are five ways to help you work more effectively from home.
Since your workstation is where you’ll need to both spend a lot of time and make that time count, it needs to be comfortable, streamlined, and efficient. Don’t store more than what’s necessary. Your screen should be eye-level and your back straight and supported with a comfortable ergonomic chair. If you don’t enjoy sitting down for extended periods, a standing desk might be more your speed. Switching between standing and sitting will be good for your back and keep you alert.
The second most popular way employees stay productive at home is having set work hours. Encourage employees to maintain the same schedule they did when they went into the office. Following a routine will help your workers feel more structured and efficient, and it will help keep their attention focused.
Encourage employees to write down what they wish to accomplish each day, so they are not jumping from assignment to assignment. Now that you and your team are working remotely, communication is critical. Set daily or weekly meetings where you and your team discuss and prioritize projects, including deadlines, so you can stay on track.
Working in the comfort of your home may get you easily distracted with many disturbances such as text messages, phone calls, social media and family members. Steps that your workers can take to stay focused include silencing their phones, working in an office-like space rather than a bed or couch, and staying away from areas of their home that could otherwise tempt them to direct their attention elsewhere.
The most effective way for remote employees to stay productive, according to a survey, was to take breaks. The research found that office workers took shorter breaks than remote workers, though studies show that longer breaks increase productivity. Encourage your workers to get up every so often during the workday, especially when they’re particularly drained or distracted, to grab a healthy snack, walk around their home, call a friend, etc. Many people find success using the Pomodoro Technique, which follows this method:
- Choose a task.
- Work on it for 25 minutes.
- Put a checkmark on a sheet of paper after the 25 minutes are up.
- Take a five-minute break.
- After every four Pomodoro sprints, take an extended break.
- Continue this throughout the day until your workday is over.
This technique can help your employees decompress and come back more focused.
Being an effective worker is as simple as consciously following the five tips above. Take control, and you will be able to thrive in any circumstance.
