How to Stay Productive While Working from Home during the Pandemic
Like many, I never liked the idea of working from home. I always believed office environment not only drive efficiencies but also help maintaining the discipline in oneself to achieve the professional goals. After more than a two decades of professional life, this belief shifted when the only choice I had was to work from home when the pandemic hit in March 2020.
I must say, the perspective I gained in last few months has been totally opposite to the perception I had before. I have not only noticed improvements in the quality and level of work I have been doing for years, but also a great change in my overall health, finances and most importantly a major shift in my attitude towards life. Although I am nowhere near to Isaac Newton’s creativity yet. But this new change has been encouraging me to learn and putting things into action that I have been thinking from last 5–7 years. Writing a blog is also one of those!
No doubt, I have been putting some efforts every single day to achieve this level of productivity.
As we know “You must pay for everything in this world one way and another. There is nothing free except the Grace of God. You cannot earn that or deserve it” Charles Portis
Keeping this in mind, here are my easy and practical tips that can help you to become more productive while working from home.
A to-do list is a start!
I have always been a fan of to-do lists. I love to write my goals on weekly and daily basis. I follow and review them everyday, but I am also adaptable in a sense to replace a task with a more important or an urgent one if I need to. In the first few days, I thoroughly reviewed and amended my pre-pandemic schedule and replaced it with the activities that are possible to do while working from home. For example, I replaced my morning office coffee takeaways with eating a healthy breakfast, and going for a short walk on lunch breaks, or reading an article while doing laundry and eating lunch at the same time. Sticking to the routine with some multitasking helping me to achieve more than ever. I basically doubled my daily to-do list with actions to make the best use of my time.
As we know “A plan without action is just a wish!”
Set-up your desk like an office pro
Your environment somehow impacts your psychology and the actions you take. I make sure my desk has stuff that one needs while working in an office and have no internet speed issues where my desk is. These small things help me not to get distracted and waste time in finding and fixing the things while I am working. If you have just one room and that is your bedroom as well, make sure your back is facing the bed instead of you facing or sitting next to it. I prefer looking at greenery through my desk’s window when I can, because it relaxes my eyes and mind in between. Try to have a vision board or some sticky notes reminding you of your goals and achievements, they are like a daily dose of inspiration as your work is.
Work on your physical and mental health
Staying positive in uncertain times is not that easy, but it is not impossible either, if we are conscious of our thoughts and taking actions on regular basis to change our present or future at least. Every day get up in time, exercise or meditate, listen positive affirmations, contemplate, plan or journal. Limit your exposure to distracting and distressing media content. These mindful activities have not only enhanced my ability to stay focussed for longer periods of time, but I also feel more energetic and lighter throughout the day.
Mindful eating
In the first few weeks, I developed a habit of having 5–6 meals during the day. Even though I eat very healthy but eating every now and then can still divert your attention from work. I changed this habit by keeping some nuts or bananas on my desk every morning, so I do not need to get up especially to munch while working. I stick to my meal routines as we do while working in the office. I still prepare my lunches for at least 3 days in advance on Sunday night. Avoid eating unhealthy, greasy, and heavy meals everyday. Healthy food not only keep your body and mind energised throughout the day but also improves your sleep and mood.
“You are what you eat”
Educate yourself
Use this time to learn new skills you did not had the time for. If you are saving 1–2 hours everyday by not travelling to and from work, then why not to utilise those saved hours in learning something valuable. In last 2–3 months, I signed up for a few discounted online courses to learn the skills that I have been using in my work projects. This is not only helping me to achieve the best outcomes in my current role but also setting me up for the future. In last couple of months, I have been getting my hands-on learning data science, advanced analytics, writing blogs and how to make passive income. There are many online platforms that offer free and discounted courses i.e. YouTube, Udemy are one of those. Some courses are even cheaper than buying a lunch!
The point here I am making is; productivity is not only about working long-long hours to achieve the results. It is more about creativity and quality where outcomes are achieved with the ease of mind in a more efficient way which further allows you to harness existing and welcome new opportunities.
Try to take a holistic approach to change your life that is where I found my work-life balance sweet spot!
