Creating A Productive Day in the Remote Workplace

Working remotely definitely has its upsides, like not having to wake up at an ungodly hour to beat the traffic or getting stuck in your morning and evening commute. Being able to work from the comfort of your own home is certainly a luxury, but it also comes with its challenges. Some of the biggest struggles people who work from home often experience are a lack of motivation and productivity, distractions, loneliness, and being unable to unplug from work. If you’re looking for ways to make your at-home workday as productive as possible, here are some simple tips you can incorporate to make your remote work life more consistent, productive, and healthy.

Start Your Day Early

People new to the work-from-home life bask in the ability to get some extra hours of sleep in and wake up right before they have to clock in. However, waking up to emails and tasks can lead to feeling groggy and frazzled, which can greatly affect how you feel for the rest of the day. Even if you don’t have a set starting time to get your work done, waking up at an earlier and regular time can provide you with a lot of benefits. Research suggests that people who get up earlier enjoy a better quality of sleep, which leads to improved mood and concentration. If you go to bed and set your alarm at the same time every day, this could really help your work performance and how you feel throughout the day. 

Invest In Your Office Space

You may be tempted to do all your work from your bed or your couch, but this is actually a very bad practice in the long run for both your mental and physical health. Given that these spaces are associated with rest and relaxation and work is associated with alertness, you may end up feeling restless and get continuously bad quality of sleep which will, in turn, affect various aspects of your life. Investing in your workspace can help you distinguish and draw a deeper line between work and relaxation, whether it’s by turning an entire room into an office or by simply designating a corner of your room with a desk and a chair. Given how much time you’ll be spending sitting at them as well, choosing a good quality and comfortable chair and desk can significantly help boost your mood and productivity.

Set Your Work Hours

A problem many remote workers encounter is the inability to stop working throughout the day. Whether it’s dealing with messages in the middle of the night or continuously working on a project from morning to evening, having no concrete timeframe within the day to work can cause serious burnout. Giving yourself a set amount of hours in a day and following that strictly and routinely can give you more control over how much work you can get done in a day and forces you to stop working at a specific hour. You can start out by following the traditional 9 to 5 schedule then move it around to see what works for you.

Maintain Work-Life Balance

Because remote work can blur the lines between work and relaxation so much, it’s important to create boundaries and stick to them firmly. It’s easy to get lost in your job and dedicate nearly all hours of the day to it, but prioritizing your personal life, relationships, and hobbies can benefit your quality of work as you’re allowing yourself to rest and get inspired. Having a planner is a great way to keep track of both work and personal responsibilities, and having a physical side-by-side notation of your weekly plans and routines can help you better manage your time and productivity.

Final Note

While working from home certainly has its perks, there are many ways it can also negatively affect our lives if we don’t take some time to set our priorities straight and organize our workdays. By setting routines and habits and sticking to them, we can easily cultivate a healthy, sustainable atmosphere of productivity. 

Guest Post By: Hannah Cooper