Most of us work remotely in pajamas, with the opportunity to sleep, a fee schedule, and no need to push twice a day in crowded transport. Sounds great in theory, but what about in practice? We will tell you how to adapt to this type of work, not lose motivation to go to the kitchen, and stay productive.
Set a clear schedule
And stick with it. List tasks for the week, prioritize them, scatter them by day of the week, and set approximate deadlines. The more detailed the schedule, the better. Set a time for lunch to rest and not burn out. Now you don’t have to stick to the standard nine to five. Feel your biorhythms to get the most out of your work from home and stay productive. If your time is morning, nothing prevents you from getting up early, completing important tasks, and postponing routine tasks until the afternoon. The main thing is to stick to the plan, and then it will be easier to get to work.
Change your pajamas to jeans.
Even if you don’t plan on seeing anyone or going out, make sure you don’t spend all day in your pajamas. After you open the closet, your brain knows that you get dressed and leave the house. It will start working. This is a strong trigger, just like sportswear, which immediately sets you up for a run. Leave the suit and tie for the entire office. Just swap out your comfortable indoor clothes for jeans and a shirt, and you will instantly feel more collected. Don’t forget your usual morning routine – shower, hair, makeup, 20 push-ups, or a plank. If you are used to starting the day with exercises, do not transfer it to later, hoping to do exercises in between coffee and Skype with colleagues. Act as if the office is just suddenly closer – a kitchen distance away.
Combat distractions
The situation is familiar to everyone: “a minute on Instagram,” too long a coffee break, a morning Facebook feed, and putting things off for later. Dealing with procrastination at home can be more difficult than at the office: no one will see that you are watching YouTube videos instead of preparing an annual report. Take advantage of these working tricks: turn off social media notifications and background sounds – music or TV shows, if they interfere with concentration. Ask your family not to distract you until lunchtime and not ask them to wash the floors “if you are already at home.” Try to track when you feel the urge to be distracted: it might be worth breaking your workday into more convenient blocks. Use the “tomato” method – work for 25 minutes and take short breaks of 5 minutes between sessions.
Communicate with colleagues and superiors
If you are not a freelancer but part of a remote team, communicating with colleagues is important for your workday, especially when working on shared projects. Sometimes it may not be easy – some of the questions are easier to discuss out loud, and they may forget to tell you about something (but we hope not).
Fortunately, there are instant messengers with work chats: Slack, Google Hangouts, and other ways to stay connected. Use Skype, BlueJeans, or Zoom for video calls with colleagues, important discussions, or even team building.
Consider nutrition
A kitchen within walking distance is a temptation. Consider not spending all day with tea and cookies and constantly looking in the refrigerator. At home, you decide what food you have on your plate and how many meals you have. Prepare your diet for a week in advance and prepare full lunches and dinners. Snacks can also be prepared before chopping the apples or freezing the smoothie ingredients in individual bags.
To control the number of approaches to the refrigerator, you can try setting the alarm or setting a reminder in your smartphone that it’s time to take a break (for lunch or a snack). Take a break from work during lunch to avoid accidentally eating more than you would like. The break should be a break.
Organize your workspace
A soft sofa only seems to be the most comfortable place to work. It is difficult to concentrate on it find a comfortable position. It is harmful to the back and neck. Set aside clear space to create boundaries between work and home. Sit down at the table remove all unnecessary and distracting from it. Look for inspiration on Pinterest – there are many examples of workplace design, which increase motivation and give an incentive to work efficiently.
Don’t work day and night.
This can be tricky, especially for those who check work emails and chats even after leaving the office. It is even more difficult to overcome workaholism in self-isolation – there is no clear distinction between home and work.
No matter how hard it was, there is only one piece of advice: clear boundaries. Setting the alarm at the end of the day and going out for a walk or doing ten squats – this ritual will help fix the end of the work.
