How To Stay Productive When Working From Home
Working solo certainly has its perks, but it definitely has its downfalls too. Seeing as most of us will be working from home for the foreseeable future, we're sharing our top tips to keeping our productivity on track.
Initially, the idea of working from home was fantastic. No more hour-long commutes into downtown. Cups of tea on tap. Getting to hang out with pets ALL DAY. After nearly two weeks of working remotely, the novelty has worn off. If you're also working from home, keep reading for some of our top tips on staying productive.
Resist the snooze button. You don't have to wake up at the crack of dawn, but waking up at a consistent time every day establishes a morning routine and sets you up for a productive day right away.
Don't turn on the TV. No, not even for background noise. You can tell yourself that you won't even watch it, but before you know it, you'll have an inbox overflowing with unread emails because you ended up rewatching an entire season of The Office. If you really need some background noise, open up Spotify (might we suggest our very own '90s Throwback Jams playlist?) or put on a podcast.
Get dressed. Don't worry, we're not saying you have to get suited and booted. Just don't hang around in pyjamas all day. At the very least, have a shower and change into loungewear or day pyjamas. You'll feel more productive for it, trust us.
Set up your workspace. As tempting as it is work from your bed or couch, it's not good for productivity! Set yourself up in a space where you feel the most productive. We like this article from TC Energy on five ways to set up an ergonomically-friendly home office, even if you don't have a dedicated office room.
Eat properly. Working from home means you have a full kitchen at your disposal, so make the most of it! Before you know it, you'll be back in the office, eating a boring sandwich and a bruised banana, wishing you could just whip up a frittata or some pesto pasta. Crack out those unused cookbooks, take some time away from your computer and enjoy your meal! Which leads us nicely into our next tip...
Take breaks and remember to move. Take regular screen breaks. Stand up and stretch your legs. Make yourself a cup of coffee. Just don't stare at your laptop non-stop for eight hours. Why not do a little workout or light stretching? Check out Yoga with Adriene if you're looking for an easy way to get some exercise into your day.
Stay in touch with your co-workers. You see your office mates every day and it can be lonely to suddenly have no one around you for support and light office banter. The CCC team have been keeping in touch with team-building activities (more on this in a later blog!) and regular 'Quaranteam Meetings'. Try Zoom for free video conferencing and Slack for group messaging and GIF-sharing.
How are you staying productive while working from home? Share your tips with us on Twitter and we'll retweet some of our favourites!