Regardless of how good someone is at their job or how much they love it, everyone has days where we find it difficult to stay productive. Since most of us holding down a job are working remotely from home, staying productive can be especially challenging if your workspace lacks the qualities of an office setting or if there are little ways you can destress. Luckily at TailoredSpace, we know a thing or two about office space, so let’s take a look at how to make the most of your own.
1. Plan Your Day
Most people approach their workday headfirst, however it pays to be planned. A simple step that involves sitting still for 10-15 minutes and laying out the tasks for the day before the day starts can help with tackling even the busiest of days. Just because you are mostly at home doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a routine.
2. Organize Your Email
An email is the new cubicle. Keeping the inbox clean is just as important as keeping the desk clean. No one wants to spend hours staring at their inbox in a dazed manner and then looking for that very urgent email that needs to be answered immediately. Instead, spend some time organizing the email based on various filters and folders that will keep the inbox in order and shave important minutes off from the workday.
Related: Suburban Office Spaces – The #1 Choice After COVID-19
3. Block Distractions Like Mobile Notifications
Don’t underestimate the power of small distractions. Small distractions like notifications can cause a profoundly negative impact on daily productivity. It takes a second to get someone distracted from the task at hand and start focusing on other unimportant tasks such as replying to messages or scrolling through Instagram. Most people do it unintentionally through procrastination and end up wasting precious time over such tasks.
Working from home can make it incredibly difficult to ignore your phone. Consider coworking spaces to keep you organized and productive. When we are around others, we tend to be more accountable for knocking out our daily goals — no one looks at their phone all day when they are surrounded by fellow professionals in a coworking space!
4. Work Regular Hours When Working Remotely
When expected to work from home as if in the office, it can be extremely tempting to get sidetracked on some other task or activity since one can feel like they have all the time in the world when working remotely. This mentality can be a trap as it makes you become less motivated to work and therefore become less beneficial as a worker. The best way to prevent laziness is to operate within your typical work hours as they were in the office, that way your schedule is more rigid and less likely to fall behind on work.
As the majority of the workforce moves to remote offices, we have had to adapt to the changes. See how we can develop home offices spaces at TailoredSpace.
5. Get Off to a Strong Start
Most people are at their productive bests during the start of the day or whenever they start a task. In order to stay productive for the entirety of the day, it’s important to have a solid start. A good way to do so is to focus and work hard during the first few hours in order to be ahead for the rest of the day as this also helps offset some slack hours.
6. Take Breaks Throughout the Day
A monotonous routine is one of the main villains of productivity. As much as people propagate hard and tireless work, it’s actually a deterrent. Small but meaningful breaks throughout the day help keep the mind fresh and the body active as opposed to continuously slogging away at work. Keep in mind you are much more likely to break for longer when you are working from home, possibly putting you out of the mood for working.
Want to find more information on developing offices spaces? Visit our blog to read our takes on the subject.
7. Time Chunking
Time chunking is the process of categorizing tasks. Instead of clubbing repetitive tasks together, switch them up with more engaging tasks. Time chunking allows for a more organized approach to working and the shift in rhythm allows for a more productive workday.
8. Manage Your Time on Projects
It’s easy to get carried away while working on a particular task. The drawback of this is that other tasks take a backseat and could potentially pile up until they can’t be completed in the given time. Setting deadlines for tasks on a daily basis allows for a more efficient work schedule as well as keeps personal accountability at work.
9. Listen to Music
Regardless of how much one enjoys their work, there will be moments when has trouble engaging in their work without something to motivate them. In order to avoid becoming bored or stagnant, it’s always a good idea to listen to the music of your choice. Not only does it keep you active mentally but it also allows you to develop a flow motivated by the music and help get you in the zone.
10. Prioritize
Being productive is all about approaching work from a strategic perspective. Creating a to-do list isn’t enough, there needs to be a method to it all. By prioritizing important tasks and completing them first allows for a faster approach to work as well as gives the sense of accomplishment that induces motivation.
Related: New Trends for Office Spaces in 2020
11. Be Courteous and Prepared When on Video Calls
Since we can no longer rely on the traditional face-to-face interactions when collaborating on projects, video calls have become the new method of interacting with co-workers. These can be tricky and unpredictable since people have less control over their environment (and internet) at home than they would in an office setting where everyone is working. It should be everyone’s goal to minimize disruption when in a meeting, whether that means isolating yourself from noise or making sure your internet connection is reliable.
12. Say “NO” Strategically
Since work is often a collaborative environment, many employees tend to put the team ahead of themselves. While this is a good quality to have, it does end up negatively affecting their own work. If you want to be more productive at work, you need to learn how to say “no” sometimes. Evaluate the urgency of your work and the teammate’s work and if your’s is more pressing, don’t hesitate to say “no.”
Ready to get started or just want to ask some questions? Contact us at TailoredSpace.
13. Just Say “No” to Meetings
There are some meetings that, in retrospect, should’ve been nothing more than an email. While most meetings are useful, there are some that are utterly useless. Before planning a meeting or attending one, always analyze whether or not a meeting is needed. If not, consider skipping it by providing a more time-conscious alternative.
14. Hold Standing Meetings
In general, meetings can be time-consuming and the alternative for this is to hold a standing meeting. Standing meetings last around 10 minutes and are very to the point. These meetings are held in the beginning of the day in order to ensure that everyone is on the same page and that no one is wasting time in meaningless formalities. For remote working, this could just mean brief check-ins on video calls.
15. Track Your Activities (Time tracking apps)
What’s better than hard evidence to understand your weaknesses and strengths? Time tracking apps are a great way of understanding how you spend your time and how you can improve your productivity levels. There are plenty of time tracking apps available that allow you to monitor your productivity levels as well as help you understand how you spend your time.
Related: The Future of Office Leasing Post COVID-19
16. Do the Hardest Part First
Business magnates like Jeff Bezos swear by optimizing their time around when they have the most brain power. For most of us, brain power is highest in the morning when we are fresh off of a good night’s sleep. Morning is usually the best time to plan the most stressful or demanding events for the best chance of success.
17. Eat Better
Eating well is essential for performing in the office. Packing plenty of food and snacks to last you through the day is a good start, but make sure it is packed with energizing nutrients. Foods like avocado, granola, and yogurt will keep you perked up and ready to go all day long. There’s nothing worse than being hungry and tired at work, so plan your snacks ahead of time!
18. Meditate
Meditation has become so popular because it is a proven method for boosting productivity. Offices in progressive companies have encouraged and even blocked off time during the day for their people to recenter and reorganize their thoughts with meditation. The hectic day-to-day in any office can make a scatterbrain out of anyone. Meditation brings us back into focus. It can take as little as five minutes of meditation practice per day to increase your productivity in the office.
19. Dress for Success
Dressing for success is the old adage that always holds true. When we dress our best, we feel our best. When we feel our best we are more charming, productive, and are generally better at our jobs! Update your wardrobe with some staple pieces to up your game in the office and impress your coworkers as well as any clients you may have.
20. Exit the Office
Getting out of the office once or twice a day is a great opportunity to stretch your legs and get your mind off things so you can come back refreshed and ready. Taking a quick walk to get your heart pumping and getting some fresh air can do wonders for your problem solving capabilities. Consider getting out during lunch or once in the morning and afternoon.
The Bottom Line
By implementing all these steps, it’s possible to improve productivity levels quite markedly and make work life a lot more fruitful and peaceful. While it can be tough to work under such stressful and inconvenient conditions like we are now, that doesn’t mean we can’t bring our best selves to work every day. Learn more about how TailoredSpace office spaces can adapt to your team’s needs and boost productivity with innovative setups tailored to your businesses’ specific needs.
Ready to take the next step forward for you and your team? Get started with us at TailoredSpace and see how we can help you adapt to the change.
