Home office: work effectively

Stay calm & motivated — 7 tips for you to become home office person

It doesn’t matter if you were forced by the circumstances or whether it was your decision — working from home is amazing and tough at the same time. On the one hand, it gives much more freedom, and saves time, on the other, it can disturb the balance between life “at work” and “after work”.

But it doesn’t always have to be hard.

Properly developed practices and habits translate into much greater efficiency.
So here are some tips that can help you find the balance.
If you want to better organize your workday because your home office is still difficult and you strive for better concentration and greater efficiency, sit back and go to the next paragraph.

Right plan & clear priorities

Planning is not boring or overrated, it allows you to win over time. Starting a new week, try to set goals that you need to accomplish in the coming days, no matter what will happen.

During the day, when “new topics” appear, add them to your list and do not forget to set priorities. Not every action is as important and complicated as the other. Create a hierarchy to make sure you manage to do all key tasks. It sounds cliche, but in fact we forget about it a lot. Dealing with the tasks of the highest importance gives us psychological comfort and allows us to end the day with satisfaction and peace of mind.

The Asana application helps me a lot in the organization of everyday work, thanks to which I manage to quickly control the “mess”. The idea behind this tool is fabulously simple: I write down tasks to be done, set a deadline and a priority. I can share tasks with other team members, assign them, exchange information in the comments. The Asana constantly reminds me of what else I should do and praises when I clear my list of tasks within a certain time frame. Maybe it will also be a helpful tool for you, I really recommend it.

Learn how to set boundaries

Set your working hours. Try to work a certain time (from – to) or not more than a certain number of hours a day. Remember that to stay effective, fresh and motivated you need to… rest. Allow yourself to relax, change the rhythm of the day, remember that the right amount of sleep, taking care of “charging the battery” will allow you to keep your balance and not lose the motivation to take everyday activities.

It’s easy to say, harder to do, especially when your to-do list grows. Assertiveness can help you most in this case. Don’t take on every task, don’t answer e-mails and phone calls around the clock, don’t feel guilty about going offline. Working remotely does not mean you need to be available 24 hours a day. You have to find a way to stay balanced, it will avoid boredom and burnout. Of course, in practice it is not that simple anymore, but we must not forget about it.

Work away from the bedroom

Home office is also not easy for technical and organizational reasons. However, it’s really important to create your own workplace – not in the bedroom and, if possible, not in the kitchen either. To stay calm and have the right attitude to act, you need to separate the workplace from the rest area.

It is important that you feel comfortable while working and perceive the intended place as yours. After all, it is your microworld, available only to you, providing you with maintenance, development and contact with the environment. Take care of the details – maybe it is your precious mug, a comfortable chair, adequate lighting, a dog snoring under the desk, favorite items or plants – it does not matter as long as you feel in this space like nowhere else.

Try to act as if you are really in the office. Believe me, the next day in the same stained tracksuit (pyjamas?) will not be positive to your effectiveness. Always be ready to switch on your webcam 😉   Proper work hygiene is also hidden in these details.

Home & office vs home office

Working from home gives many opportunities, but it can also be distracting. What can you do about it? How to avoid frustration? How to focus your attention only on work, not to think about the aura outside the window and ignore household chores?

My suggestion: work at intervals. What does it mean? Concentrate hard on your tasks, do nothing more for 2-3 hours, then take a break: change position, go for a short walk with the dog, empty the dishwasher, do a few exercises – in a word: put on something else, change the surroundings, the position, or the view. Then go back to work motivated, not distracted.

If you share an apartment with other members of your household, set boundaries that they cannot cross. It is very important that you together define the rules that you must follow. In fact, it will help you avoid conflicts and allow you to work more efficiently.

Concentration and motivation

Try to focus on a specific task, and when you finish it, move on to the next one. Such organization of work will help you achieve much better efficiency. Constantly “jumping” between tasks can cause complete disorganization. At some point you will not be sure what you are working on and what is really important.

Avoid anything that can easily distract you and get you out of the rhythm – do not check “what is happening on Facebook”, do not take a short break “just to reply to a message”, so do not look for excuses to take care of something else than work. Remember that when you are done you will be able to focus on other activities, and the sooner you complete your work, the sooner it will be.

Therefore, do not postpone tasks for later, be diligent and committed, and do not stop looking for new motivators. When your work gives you satisfaction, you won’t have to force yourself to do more. Please keep it in mind.

Learn to delegate

Remember — you are not perfect. You can’t do everything in the shortest possible time, as best as you can. It is impossible for you to be for everyone whenever they need your support. Stop judge yourself and learn how to delegate tasks.

The sooner you free yourself of the inner urge to be the best, the easier it will be to achieve what is possible, avoiding great disappointments and tremendous tiredness. Do not demand from yourself what is impossible, but do everything to constantly develop yourself. At your own pace.

The key is communication

Remember that you are not alone, you are part of the team. Home office does not mean that you cannot count on support, advice or help. Don’t forget about the people you work with. Bet on communication – keep in touch with the team. Trust me, it will help you avoid a lot of trouble and misunderstandings.

Meet your colleagues regularly. Working away from the rest doesn’t mean you lose team spirit. New technologies offer many possibilities, and a live webcam often avoids conflicts. Remember that talking about difficulties, mutual motivation for further actions, joint problem solving will make your work not only more effective, but also more complete.

Home office: summary

I hope you found a tip that suits your needs. Each of us perceives work differently, has our own preferences and habits, but each of us also faces difficulties. Undoubtedly, remote work requires a lot of self-discipline, appropriate organization and planning skills. However, as the current reality shows, sometimes home office may be the only option available, so it is worth making it as effective as possible. Who knows, maybe we will like it so much over time that it will become an alternative to the possibilities we have had so far?

Or maybe you would like to work with us? Check available job offers.🙂