Working from Home: the Essential Productivity Guide

“I can’t imagine how people are able to work from home and actually get things done.” That’s what my dad told me just the other day. “How do you do it?” he added after. And that got me thinking… For over a year, I’ve worked from home as most of you may have due to the ongoing threat of the Coronavirus pandemic. And although remote work once felt like a foreign concept to me, it definitely doesn’t feel foreign anymore. In fact, it feels as natural as breathing. 

While thinking about how to answer my dad’s question, I thought about the expression: Don’t work hard - work smart. Have you ever heard that before? Well, that’s been the ticket to my working-from-home success. 

Most of you have already had to find a way to balance home life with work as a result of the pandemic, but how many of you have actually managed to find a routine that keeps you productive?

Money & Time Saved: My Own Calculation

Based on my own experience and estimates, working from home has allowed me to work 35% less than I normally would during a regular office week, subsequently making room for me to produce 58% more work, while saving 28% of my energies, efforts, and time. Let’s break this down a little.

By working remotely, I cut about a large portion of the time I would’ve spent on commuting to work and back or chatting with colleagues in the break room (considering I work in the highly dense population of London, UK). At the same, I also save a large chunk of money that I would have spent on transport, for example, or grabbing lunch from the local shops or restaurants.

The work commute and the lengthy chats with colleagues are all regular office practices that actually disrupt workflow. And although that isn’t necessarily a negative thing, it is somewhat of a distraction that affects the rate at which I tackle my own workload. 

Working from home has a natural advantage in this regard, because you’re able to eliminate those everyday disruptions that would have decreased your productivity. 

Remote work isn’t an exact science, but treating it with a kind of scientific attitude will give you a greater chance to succeed at it. 

Take a look at this guide to help you maximise your productive output in your remote working environment. It’s what I’ve tried to stick to throughout my experience, and it’s the only way I’ve been able to explain to my parents that I haven’t been sitting at home in my PJs for over a year.   

1. Plan Ahead

It can be as simple as writing a to-do list each morning, but planning ahead is incredibly important if you’re to approach your remote working routine with smart objectives. 

Figure out how much time it will take you to realistically complete each of your tasks and assign exact time frames in which to complete them.

You could even set mini deadlines for yourself with a reward system where you redeem something like a 20 minute break if you meet your deadline early.  Tim Ferriss extensively discusses the topic of Parkinson's Law in his book The Four-Hour Work Week, which I highly recommend you give a read.

Planning ahead and learning what you’re capable of doing in set amounts of time will help you optimise your workflow by knowing where to shift your attention on what day without any office disruptions. 

2. Prioritise Deep Work

Now that you’ve planned ahead, it’s essential to take note of when your level of concentration will be at its highest. If you concentrate better in the mornings as opposed to afternoons, set aside three to four hours each morning to only work on the tasks that require the most brainwork. 

Deep work refers to those work tasks that challenge you the most, requires the highest amount of brain power to concentrate, and often take the longest to complete. If you perform these kinds of tasks in a time frame where you know your level of focus is at its peak, then you’ll complete them in a more efficient and potentially faster manner.

Don’t leave these tasks at the end of your to-do list, because you’ll be less inclined to complete them the longer you take to get to them. 

By approaching your deep work tasks in this way, you’ll undoubtedly be working smarter - not harder.

3. Set High-Quality Breaks

Working from home can be incredibly rewarding, but some of you may struggle to switch off and step away from the computer when the ‘work day’ is over. By struggling to do this, you run the risk of heading towards burnout. 

Just because you’ve eliminated office distractions, doesn’t mean that you should overwork at home. Instead, you should set high-quality breaks in between your deep work and regular work sessions.  

This entails mandatorily stepping away from the computer and doing something that stimulates other parts of your brain such as: taking your pet for a walk, exercising, or even trying your hand at a new recipe in the kitchen. 

A high-quality break means taking a true breather by doing something entirely outside of work that will bring you joy or relaxation. This kind of break will lift up your spirits each day by keeping you in a pleasant mood that will aid your professionalism and steer you away from burnout.

4. Breathing Right

Wellness is something we often forget to pay attention to when we’re stuck at home facing the same four walls each day. But it definitely contributes to the way you sustain your remote productivity. 

If you’re not sleeping enough, for example, or not eating well, you face a slippery slope where your internal lack of health will negatively impact your work ethic. But if you look after your body (and your mind), you’ll achieve a sense of wellness that will enable you to maintain a strong work ethic.

Here are a few things you could try to enhance your wellness:

• Drink lots of water each day to stay hydrated.

• Take high-quality breaks to clear your mind. You could even perform breathing exercises to help minimise your stress.

• Eat well and try to exercise at least twice a week.

• Try to sleep at least 7 to 8 hours every night.

• Spend some time outside. Staring at the same walls each day can be debilitating, but fresh air is a quick fix for an energy burst.     

5. Shut Down On Time

Treat your remote working days like you would any ordinary day at the office where there is a time to go to work, and also a time to leave. Sometimes working from home can blur those lines, but it’s important to not give more of your energies and efforts than what you’re being paid to give.

Once your work day ends, log out of your organisation’s network. Don’t fall into the trap of working overtime, because you feel obliged to do so somehow. Only work according to the hours stipulated in your contract and the compensation you’ll receive. 

Key Takeaway 

In order to work from home successfully, you’ll need to take these guidelines seriously and stick to your routine as diligently as you can. 

By following simple steps such as planning ahead and making time for quality breaks, you’ll ensure that you work in a more intentional way that won’t require you work harder - only smarter. 

Ultimately, your attitude will determine whether your remote working environment is as productive and prosperous as you’d like it to be. 

Seek the balance between working from home and living at home, so you don’t blur any lines and maintain a productive output that maximises all the advantages that remote working offers.