How to be an efficient employee when working at home

1. How to be efficient when working from home

2. BEING EFFICIENT If you’re one of those people who would like to overcome work from home challenges, here are some tips to make yourself productive and beat your worst enemy – which in this case is yourself.

3. 1. Keep your work documented digitally

4. DOCUMENTATION • Documentation is not just for project details and approvals, its also the best way to keep yourself in check on the history of your work, especially if you’ll need it again repetitively or after a few years. • It is always a good habit to list all your tasks in one document with a column that indicates its status or a checkbox. By enlisting the tasks, you can keep track of the progress and remind yourself how far or how close you are to finishing it! 

5. DOCUMENT FORMAT • When creating documents, it is best to keep a digital copy with backup and in a format that won’t easily be tampered by your kids or your cat! • Use PDF format to ensure its security • You can do this by saving it to PDF but if this option is not available, you can always go to DeftPDF.comto convert it online for free. • You can also create a PDF form for your task lists with interactive checkboxes!

6. 2. Keep your working hours

7. SCHEDULE • Setting up some consistent working hours can make your mind focus and give more productive results.  • If you’re also working in collaboration with other colleagues, getting a consistent schedule will also help them since it will be easier to contact you during that period. 

8. Three factors • Who are affected by your work schedule? • What time are you best productive? And • When are your outputs due?

9. 3. Limit your breaks

10. TAKING BREAKS • Getting breaks should also be disciplined as you will only tend to extend your work hours more if you keep the breaks in between. • Remove yourself from your work station so you won’t get burnt out. • Commit to it but don’t forget to tell your colleagues about your schedule!

11. 4. Set up your work zone

12. HOME OFFICE • When the environment is too relaxed, the brain may also be too relaxed as well. • Make your brain alert by setting up your own home office and setting up the mood for concentration. • It doesn’t have to be a whole room; it could simply be an organized desk with tools you often need for the office.

13. WORK ENVIRONMENT • Make sure that when you do “enter” your work zone, all of your family members at home will also respect this and allow you to dedicate this area as a “work-only zone.” • keep it clean and organized so you won’t have a hard time finding the tools that you need for work.

14. 5. Collaborate and communicate

15. COMMUNICATION • Get in touch with your co-workers and keep a tab on all the things you need to do together or what affects them the most. • Sometimes, keeping in touch with people also helps in productivity, especially if you’re going nuts on a dead-end problem. • It’s easier to communicate now with online tools available anyway. You can do skype, email, SMS, calls or even video calls.

16. 6. Prepare for work as if you’re going to the office

17. PREPARE • Having a work-from-home set up will only require you to travel from your bed to your computer in a second and you don’t even have to get out of your pajamas • Working in pajamas will only leave you sluggish • Take a shower, dress as if you’re going out and have your morning coffee ready! • If you’re on the night shift, do exactly the same and prep yourself to “go to the office” so your brain will also be alert by the time you start.

18. 7. Go for a social media hiatus

19. REMOVE DISTRACTIONS • Unless you’re working as a marketing expert, it’s best to log off, uninstall and remove short cuts to any form of social media while working. These distractions will eat up your time in no time if you know what I mean!

20. 8. Keep your own background noise

21. ADD ENABLERS • Experiment on different noises and keep whatever it is that helps you become efficient. • These noises are those that enable your brain to be active or creative • It could be the TV in the background, some music, your kids or even your dog.

22. 9. Don’t be a master chef

23. MEAL PLANS • When you’re working at home, there is the need to cook your own meals and it’s really tempting to overdo it. • Cooking really nice meals can also take a lot of toll on your hours so before you start your day, make sure to prep your meals ahead! • Some people prep their meals the day before to keep the schedule intact.

24. 10. Make it a habit

25. GET USED TO IT! • Lastly, turning your schedule into a habit will help you endure the daily grind at home. • Long term work from home status can be dragging, especially if you’re the outgoing type. • Like cigars, turning workflow and structures into a habit will help you get hooked on your best performance. • When you master it all, you may also become the best version of yourself as well!

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