As days go by, the more people are working from home to delay the spread of COVID-19. As a Realtor, I often work many hours from home on a daily basis, depending on my schedule for the week. I confess, working from home is not my preferred method of doing my job. But in times like this, we need to do everything we can to keep a safe social distance.
You may be reading this and find yourself working from home for the first time in your career. I thought it would be helpful to share ways in which I’m more productive. My hope is that it helps you over the next couple weeks while we all do our part to keep this virus away from the most vulnerable.
This should be a no-brainer, but you need to get in the mindset of work if you are going to be productive. The best way to do that working from home is to get out your pajamas and get dressed for the day. You don’t have to go all glam, but put some jeans and a bra on! Wearing professional looking clothing will start you off on the right foot for the day.
Getting dressed also sends a message to the rest of your family that you are in work mode. It’s likely that your partner or children might also be home during this time. If you are still in pajamas or yoga pants, it will be more difficult to expect them to understand you are working. So go get dressed and do it first thing!
Not all of us have the luxury of having a home office, or even a desk if you live in an apartment. (Remember my closet office??) Having a designated work area other than the sofa or your bed, will get you in the habit of being productive.
Find a spot in your home like the dining table, for example. Set up and “go to work” there for the day. When you’re done, pack everything up and “come home” so to speak.
If you are like me and are prone to distraction, drown out the noise, by using a program like Brain.fm. I use Brain.fm every single day on “Focus” mode and it’s been a GAME CHANGER in my productivity.
Your family (or pets in my case) might not be accustomed to you working from home. It’s important to set the expectations for them that when you are at the dining room table “at work” you need to focus.
When I get home from work, Rosie (my dog) immediately wants to play or go on a walk. If I’m home during the day, she’s constantly wanting to go outside and she barks at other animals or people she knows. That is a huge distraction for me. So lately, when working from home, I’ve been keeping her in her crate or gated in the office with me. This way she knows it’s not play time.
For children, especially those in school, this can be really tough. Scholastic is offering free online learning tools for kids so they can keep learning while at home. Check out this article here.
If your job requires video conferencing, get on at least 15 mins early so you can see how you look on screen. Get familiar with the program or software if it’s new to you before your scheduled call.
This is so important for the productivity of others on the call: Remember to use the mute button so you aren’t distracting other colleagues! You wouldn’t want the sound of traffic, the TV, pets or other family members broadcasted to your colleagues on the call. Hopefully they share the same courtesy for you too!
This is something that helps me tremendously with being productive. Find an accountability buddy to help keep you on track. This can be a co-worker or even a friend who is also working from home. (I do not recommend asking your partner or spouse to be your accountability buddy!)
If finding an accountability buddy is impossible, use a timer to help stay on task. *Do not use your phone as a timer!! Give yourself 55 minutes to complete a task. When the time is up, take a 5 minute break to scroll on social media or get a snack. Setting time parameters will help with staying on task and help you work toward that goal of a break.
What are YOUR tips for staying productive while working from home?? I’d love to know! Leave them in the comments.
Hope you are staying healthy and doing your part to prevent the spread of germs.
