Working from home can be amazing. You don't have to wear a tie. Or a shirt. You don't have to commute or drive, and more importantly, you don't have to put up with Sharon from accounting.
All these describe a very comfortable situation. And that's exactly what working from home provides; comfort. But comfort isn't always a good thing. How does one remain productive in a circumstance of great ease?
I've worked from home for most of my career, and there are so many days that I had to work late into the night. Why? Simple, I slept in till noon and surfed the web till four. By five I figured that I hadn't gotten anything done and that I had to work till very late if I had any hope of finishing the day's work.
So it is great to work from home, but it is also important to create a productive environment. An environment where you can reach optimum productivity while enjoying all of the comforts that working from home provides.
If you're in such a stitch, you're at the right place. Here are a few tips that you can put to work to help create a productive and comfortable work environment.
Your Workspace And Living Space Should Be Two Different Spaces
One of the reasons why you rarely get any work done at home is because there are too many distractions. A pet needs feeding, the television is blaring, there are kids running about, and a thousand other things are taking place.
Having a dedicated workspace solves this problem easily. An insulated work environment will help you focus on your job, and will help you get done with tasks quicker.
Physical boundaries are also important for the simple fact that they help create mental boundaries between your work and home lives. The fact that you work from home doesn't mean that your mind should always be tuned to your home, and a dedicated workspace helps with that.
Ergonomics Is Very Important
At my office job, I sit for hours without end, and this gave me a lot of back problems. But what could I do? There were no couches, and there was no way to walk while standing.
However, when I started working from home, I had the chance to start from scratch. I knew that working for hours while sitting wasn't for me, so I decided to get a height-adjustable desk. This helped me work while standing and while sitting. As I didn't have to deal with a nagging pain in my back, it made more productive.
After seeing how much the standing desk had changed my work life, I decided to get a desk bike. I was spending too much time on aerobics, and I wondered if I could keep fit while working. The desk bike showed me that it was in fact possible.
The point of my experiences is that you should find what works for you. For example getting a workstation to save a lot of space. You have the chance to completely redesign your office space— take it. Make sure your comfort is prioritized and watch your level of productivity skyrocket. Of course these come with a discipline demand. I know you don’t want to lag behind, so manning up to this should not be a big problem.
Stay Clean
It is important to keep your home and your work area clean. The best way to do this is to dedicate an hour or two of every day to cleaning. That way, you know when you settle down to work, you have no other things to attend to.
A cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind. If you want to be productive, you must learn how to make your work environment stay clean.
Go Green
Studies have shown that exposure to greenery and nature can increase productivity in workers. You don't have to import a small jungle into your work environment to achieve this. You only need a vase or two of sweet-smelling flowers and you're off to go.
If you have a garden, you can make sure the window of your work environment is facing it. Having a view of green scenery can also help increase productivity.
Let There Be Light
Making sure as much natural light as possible gets into your workspace can help decrease headaches and eye fatigue, some studies have found. It can also help increase work productivity at the same time.
Asides that, natural light provides a boost in vitamin D. This helps you feel happier and gives you an energy boost to get the day off to a splendid start.