First of all, WOW. The last few weeks have been crazy, right? I know there are a lot of people out there struggling at the moment with everything that’s going on in the world so I just want to start by sending virtual hugs and well-wishes to you all!
Alongside trying to source our next roll of toilet paper and learning not to touch our faces, one of the big challenges a lot of us are tackling in these strange times is having to work from home. For some, being able to work from the comfort of your own home might seem like a DREAM come true especially when that means zero commute time, easy access to the fridge and the possibility of PJs all day, every day! However, whilst working from home definitely has its perks, jumping straight from a structured office day to working remotely can be super challenging for your productivity and work-life balance.
To help you start your fresh new week of working from home in the most productive way I’ve gathered up my top 5 tips to help you plan your working day plus a FREE printable daily planner to help put your plan into action!
1. Plan it out
If there’s one thing you take away from this post it should be to make a written TIME PLAN and stick to it. Working from home means you are in charge of your own time. This might sound really appealing but it requires much more discipline and motivation than what you might be used to. Without a boss looking over your shoulder or the structure of an office day it can be easy to sleep in past your usual alarm and start late, procrastinate, fall victim to a myriad of distractions or even overwork.
At the start of each day, or ideally the night before, set aside time to plan for the day ahead so you’ve got a clear structure and reminder of what you need to get done. Your time plan can also help to clearly define your work day to avoid the melting of your work and home life boundaries
Your time plan should look similar to your normal working day at the office with a clear start and end time plus your usual breaks scheduled in. Use half an hour blocks of time to schedule in a rough plan of what you hope to get done in the day, making sure to leave a bit of spare time for any urgent tasks that might pop up during the day.
2. Focus on your TOP 3 goals
Being isolated from your boss and co-workers not only means lack of structure, but lack of motivation. It can be easy to procrastinate, forget tasks or just not do your best work when you don’t have anyone to share your accomplishments with throughout the day or keep you on track.
Be your own cheerleader at home by choosing your top 3 goals for the day, writing them down and celebrating them once you’ve accomplished them. There’s nothing better than that satisfying feeling off checking a big goal off your list and taking a moment to recognise your accomplishment. If that feeling isn’t enough for you, create your own reward system for each goal you knock over— treat yourself to another coffee, take a quick break or have that snack you’ve been craving.
3. Be realistic about your time
It’s tempting to think of our time working at home as a good opportunity to catch up on all of those tasks that you never get done in the office like cleaning out your inbox or filing. You’ve got no co-workers to distract you, your commute time is now a minute from bed to the desk and there’s no inefficient in-person meetings to attend.
However, it’s important to remember that even though it might FEEL like you have heaps of extra time, working from home is always going to be slower than working in the office, especially when this is new for you. Technology is going to play up, your family or pets are going to interrupt and you’re adapting to working in a brand new environment.
Being REALISTIC about your time will help avoid that awful feeling of failure when you haven’t even made it halfway through your list of tasks by the end of the day. My general rule was to allow double the length of time it would usually take me to complete a task in the office. If it takes less time, then fantastic! You can squeeze in another task!
Limiting your to-do list to the tasks that you NEED to get done rather than WANT to get done will also mean that despite any distractions or tech issues, you’ll have still been productive. This list shouldn’t be longer than a half page or 10 items max. If it doesn’t fit, then it’s a task for tomorrow’s to-do list.
4. Schedule in the fun stuff
Whilst it definitely takes some getting used to, the extra flexibility can also be one of the best parts about working from home.
If you’re working from home it can be easy to just start work and carry on working until the end of the day when there’s no one there to remind you to take a break. But this means missing out on what can make working from home really rewarding!
At minimum, your schedule for the day should always include your usual lunch break. But instead of just sitting and eating at your desk, embrace this time by doing something that you wouldn’t normally get to do at the office. This could be spending time with your family or pet, heading out of the house for a walk, cooking a nice home-cooked lunch in your own kitchen or even catching up on that episode of your fav TV show you’ve been desperate to watch.
It’s impossible to eliminate all of the distractions at home, especially if you have a family in the next room, so the trick is to embrace them as a natural part of the day. Schedule in small breaks throughout the day so you can catch up with your family or housemates or pop on that load of washing that needs to be done. If you’re someone that forgets to take a break, set an alarm.
Scheduling in something that you enjoy directly after work like a workout or a virtual catch up with a friend or family member can also be a great incentive to finish on time and not keep working into the evening.
5. Make use of the extra commute time
Now that you no longer have to commute each way to work you’ve suddenly discovered you’ve scored all of this extra time before and after work! It can be tempting to use this time to snooze your alarm a few more times than usual or dawdle through your usual morning routine before settling in and starting work at your usual time.
Before you head down that track though, think about all of those things you’ve dreamed you would rather be doing than sitting mindlessly on the bus or stuck in traffic on your daily commute. These bonus hours are the perfect opportunity for you to do all of those things that you wouldn’t otherwise have the time to do. The possibilities are endless from spending dedicated time reading up on the latest news in the area you work in, learning a new skill, fitting in some exercise to spending extra time with your family.
It doesn’t really matter how exactly you use that time but what’s important is that you recognise the value of those extra hours and factor them into your time plan for the day.
