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No matter what type of job you have, you likely have a home office you use for work, hobbies, or projects. Even if you spend your days in a company office, there may be times you want to telecommute and enjoy the comfort of your home.
But how can you be ensure productivity while working from home? First, make sure you have coverage like Florida homeowners insurance to protect your home – including your office.
Then set yourself up for productivity. We all know that, in terms of productivity, an office inside a company’s building cannot be compared with the writing desk that you have in your home.
However, there are a couple of things that you can do in order to ensure super productivity while working from your home office!
1. Set Up for Productivity
The first step towards super productivity is the proper set-up of your home office. You can’t just pick a room in your house and make it your office. A little bit of thought is required if you want to have an office that makes you productive.
For example, set up your office in a quiet area of your house, where there’s little to no traffic. Then, proceed to paint the space with a suitable color – your favorite one or green, as it is said that it boosts productivity.
Last but not least, set up your office just like you’d want your dream working space to be and look like. Add plants, accessories, or any other peaceful things.
2. Make Yourself Comfortable – with a Limit
When talking about comfort within the workplace, we don’t refer to things that could cause very sweet naps – of course not. Instead, we refer to those things that make your office comfortable enough that you won’t feel like straining your eyes or having backaches.
For comfort, you can choose a proper office chair, with an ergonomic design or, if you’re looking for something new, try a standing desk. Some studies show that the latter can improve productivity.
When it comes to eye strain, make sure to have an anti-glare screen on your computer or a pair of glasses specially designed for computer work.
3. It Is Essential to Declutter
Like it or not, you will have to declutter your home office quite often – and without any mercy, so to speak. You may find a use for those paper files, coffee cups, books, documents, and so on, but, until you do, it is recommended that you keep them in order.
This is because clutter is known to work against productivity. Just imagine being confronted with a stack of files on your desk every single day! You will lose your appetite for work before you even start working!
You cannot be super productive if you’re surrounded by clutter and, in worst cases, you can’t find the things you need while working!
4. Eye Breaks
We cannot put into words how important eye breaks are for both your health and productivity. If you spend eight hours a day continuously looking at your computer screen or a pile of documents, you’ll be anything but super productive.
Your eyes get tired easily and, instead of you figuring this out, your mind will lose its focus and make mistakes. Therefore, it is recommended that every 20 minutes, you take a break from work, look at something that is 20 yards away, and do so for roughly 20 seconds – also known as the 20-20-20 rule.
5. Keep Your Work Habits
Most of the time, when working from their home office, people think they can postpone or skip their usual work habits. In short, they don’t even bother changing their clothes or taking a shower in the morning when they are working from home.
The results? Well, first of all, if you go straight to your office from your bed, then you’ll have little to no drive for work. After all, you didn’t even wash your face, to begin with!
If the plan for your in-home workday is to simply grab a cup of coffee and then start working, then you won’t achieve super productivity. Make sure to stick to your work habits, dress like someone who’s going to work, and – basically – treat your home office as your work office!
6. Work Properly and with Purpose
On the other hand, some people also think that they shouldn’t give their best – in terms of work and tasks – while working from home. After all, they’re in the comfort of their home and they shouldn’t work too hard, right? Wrong.
When working from home, you have to make sure that any information that you may need is available to you – especially when you have a company office with the files and documents that you need for various tasks.
Come up with a list of everything that you need to do while you work from your home office. Then, make sure that you have access to the tools and means required to do your work properly!
7. Don’t Let Yourself Distracted
Distraction is a productivity killer – you should know this very well! On top of that, you should also know that most of the time, the people around you are responsible for you being distracted.
Therefore, it is about time that you get tough with those people that distract you, especially if you plan to work from home more often. This means that your family must understand that you are not having a day off, that you must steer clear of social media, and that you shouldn’t keep your schedule open – for visits or anything similar.
As mentioned above, one of the best ways to be super productive in your home office is to treat this scenario just like any other day within the company’s offices.
The Bottom Line
Naturally, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t take advantage of the benefits that come with a home office. After all, those benefits can, in fact, make you even more productive if you know how to use them well!
For example, if you can come up with your own schedule, then you have the chance to use your most active hours as your working hours and, as a result, enjoy super productivity!
In short, being super productive in a home office is not hard – you just have to learn a few tricks to manage your work from the comfort of your home!
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This content is sponsored by Shahina Parvin.
Photo: Shutterstock