Working from Home is a simple concept that is giving us all the opportunity to work outside of our typical office environment. Due to the circumstances caused by Covid-19, thousands of workers find themselves working from home, some of them for the very first time. Yes, it is a challenge but remember that going remotely is not all about the tools & policies – it’s how to approach and adjust to the situation to stay focused, productive and not become distracted in the home environment. 

So what is productivity? Quoting popular business portals, productivity is “A measure of the efficiency of a person, machine, factory, system, etc., in converting inputs into useful outputs. Productivity is computed by dividing average output per period by the total costs incurred or resources (capital, energy, material, personnel) consumed in that period”- in plain, it’s the actual time that we spend on the right work. Productivity is a combination of many factors like focus, time management motivation and creativity. Maintaining this while working from home might be a challenge, but there are many ways to keep your mind focused.

Adopt your mindset to “work first“ mode:

It’s very easy to lose productivity and focus when no longer working from the office so adapting mindset & having a routine that is very similar to a regular day at work is very important. 

Focusing the day around work will help get the job done, so be sure to keep a more structured daily schedule. Remember that a big part of this is to create the perfect conditions to support focus and create the system that it works best. It definitely helps if there is a dedicated space available for working from home.

Prioritise – “Eat the Frog!”

Make sure to set key priorities daily, look at current projects, set goals for the day. Mark Twain once said, “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” The basic idea behind this phrase is that do the worst task first thing in the morning, and then the rest of them will be a piece of cake. Also, recent research shows that for most of the people, willpower is the highest in the morning so tackling the biggest task early will help set the tone of the day.

Pomodoro Method

Another great technique that might help with time management when working from home is the “Pomodoro Technique” developed by Francesco Cirillo. This method is very simple – after every 25 minutes of work take a 5-minute break. This method will help to train the brain to stay focused and stay on top of the deadlines. The regular breaks will keep the mind fresh and boost motivation and creativity – take them seriously & see them as an award. 

There are plenty of alternative methods out there that can help improve focus & productivity, the key point is to find the right method that suits the right individual in order to develop from it and manage the day as best possible.