How to Stay Productive When Working from Home

With a growing number of people now working from home, it’s fair to say that this can be a challenge for many. While working in the office presents its own distractions (a co-worker who stops by to chit-chat, for example), working from home means your usual routine is disrupted and you have to get used to a different structure.

This can be distracting for a lot of people and can mess with their productivity levels. Staying productive – and motivated – throughout the day is imperative when working remotely so, at Biz Hub, we’re taking a look at how you and your staff can achieve this.

Create a Workspace That Reflects Your Needs

The most important thing you should do if you find yourself working from home is to have a dedicated space for your work. Separating business tasks from personal ones goes a long way to ensure that you get into the right mindset and don’t become easily distracted. Not everyone can have their own home office but this doesn’t mean they can’t have a workspace that fits their needs.

For example, have a small desk or table with your work computer, documents and anything else you need to do your job and only use it for work, not for leisure. This way, you associate the space with work time and will find it easier to get into work mode and not let your mind wander.

But, if you like to change things up a little, why not bring the laptop to the sofa and work from there? Or maybe try the dining table or the kitchen isle. Or even the garden if the weather allows it. You don’t have to work from the same place every day if you’re getting tired of it.

The beauty of working from home is that you can create a workspace that reflects your work requirements without consulting anyone else or having to compromise – if you work better with music, have at it! If you prefer silence, then not having co-workers around may be beneficial for your productivity.

Set Boundaries with Others in the Home

When you don’t live by yourself, working from home can become slightly more complicated. Whether you have a family or live with roommates, it can be easy to get distracted, especially if people interrupt your work or make noise around you.

It’s crucial that you set up boundaries, especially if you don’t have a home office, so make sure that everyone knows not to disturb you during certain hours.

Take Regular Breaks

Because you’re not in the usual work environment with your co-workers, you may forget to actually take a break from work. It’s easy to get lost in everything that has to be done and not realise that you should stretch your legs or take your lunch hour.

Staying productive doesn’t mean keeping your head down for eight hours without a breather; on the contrary, taking your eyes off the screen and stretching your legs or back every once in a while, can do wonders for your motivation and productivity.

Create the Best Schedule for You

If you don’t have set hours – or have some flexibility around them – you can choose to start and finish work at the times that are most convenient for you. You don’t have the commute to worry about either so, if you’re more productive in the morning, get up early and get a head start on your work for the day.

Take some time for yourself before starting the day, however, since moving from bed to desk without anything else in-between can be jarring.

If discipline is a concern for you, why not keep up the same schedule you did while working in the office? Get up, get dressed as if to leave the house and clock in at the usual time.

Avoid Social Media

Another thing to keep in mind is that you should work as if you were at the office. This means that you shouldn’t be on social media during work hours, unless you’re taking a break or having lunch. Social media can be a time sink and a huge distraction, so it’s better to log out of every platform instead of succumbing to the temptation of checking Facebook “just for two minutes”.

Feeling isolated is not good for your mental health either, especially as you can’t go out for a meal after work or take your kids to the movies at the moment. Lack of socialisation can lead many people to feel less motivated and, therefore, to be less productive.

So, keep in touch with your co-workers during the day and make time to video chat with friends once work is over.

How Can Biz Hub Help?

It’s important that businesses are flexible and can adapt to changing circumstances, so that they can grow and thrive. So, considering the global pandemic, as well as the lockdown measures imposed by the government, businesses have had to improvise and adapt their way of working to be able to remain successful.

It can be challenging to wrap your head around all the changes and the way businesses and supply chains are being affected, but you’re not alone in this.

Biz Hub can help!

We have a large number of serviced offices at your disposal, so we’re capable of offering short-term leases and temporary office accommodation for those who really need it.

But we also have virtual services for those who must work from home. Ava, our virtual office services, will be your dedicated receptionist and will answer the phone, provide you with a professional address for your business and even field sales calls, allowing you to focus on your business instead of getting lost in a sea of admin.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Biz Hub team today to learn more about how we can help your business during these trying times. So, send us your enquiry, give us a call on 0800 012 9088 or email us at info@biz-hub.co.uk.