Once merely an option, remote working has become an integral part of business operations because of the pandemic. In fact, Gartner notes that when the pandemic struck, 88% of organizations encouraged or required employees to work from home. While this setup has been largely beneficial to companies, the experience hasn’t exactly been the best for some remote workers.
After all, homes are generally not as conducive to productivity as offices are. There can also be more distractions at home, making it difficult for remote workers to concentrate on their tasks. On top of these, remote workers have to create new routines in order to balance their current work-life configuration.
Everything can be too much to handle simultaneously, so if you’re having trouble managing your time because remote working has thrown your life off-kilter, doing the following can help you refocus and reorganize.
1. Create a short to-do list
Stick to a short, clear, and doable to-do list. Writing down too many tasks will only overwhelm you, so just include those that you can realistically do within the day.
Put the most urgent, most important task on your list first, then tackle it immediately. This will allow you to devote optimal focus and energy to the task that needs them most. Completing a huge task will also give you a sense of accomplishment, and this elation will carry over to your other tasks, fueling your productivity.
2. Determine your peak hours
Some people work best in the morning after gaining energy from a full night’s sleep. Others thrive in the dead of night when the world is quiet. You may belong in either of those categories, or your peak productivity hours may be different.
The important thing is to schedule your most challenging tasks during the time of day — or night — you’re most productive. Doing so ensures that you’re in the best condition to solve problems, analyze information, or think creatively.
3. Track your time
Write down the time it takes you to complete your daily tasks. This will not only help you see which tasks take the most part of your day, but it will also tell you whether your current pace will allow you to meet deadlines. What’s more, this will help you spot and put an end to time-wasters, such as browsing the web and scrolling through social media.
If you’re using Chrome, here are some of the best time tracker extensions you can install on your browser.
4. Don’t multitask
While it gives the illusion of doing more in less time, research conclusively shows that multitasking hurts productivity. This is because the brain naturally lacks the capacity to perform two or more complicated tasks successfully. Our gray matter also needs to refocus whenever we switch from one task to another, or when we perform two or more tasks in rapid succession.
To improve your productivity and lower the risks of human error, concentrate on one task at a time. This is especially important if you’re dealing with a complex task that requires your entire brain power.
5. Take some time off work
Good time management means being able to allocate time to all the important things in your life. However, we tend to forget this and throw ourselves into our work, neglecting our personal goals.
It’s important to take a step back from work to avoid getting burned out. You’re a human being, and you can’t expect yourself to perform at peak productivity every day. When you start feeling exhausted or demotivated, take time off to recharge. Better yet, calendar your leaves.
Make sure that your personal life also thrives while you’re working from home. Do things that will relieve you of work-related stress, such as learning to play an instrument or watching a movie you’ve always wanted to see. This way, when you return to work, you’ll have a refreshed mind and a more positive outlook.
Working from home poses several challenges to your workforce as well as to your business. Midwest Data Iowa can take some burden off your shoulders by managing your entire IT infrastructure for you. Count on us to provide proactive managed IT services, robust cybersecurity, reliable backups, and other integral business technology solutions.