Notes to save time and be efficient while working from home
In this pandemic, with many of us working remotely from our homes doing desk jobs, it has become tough to manage time, and getting distracted is easy as there is no one “looking” at your desktop other than you. This can lead to extended work hours.
Here are a few simple tips that have helped me to reduce distractions and manage my own time while working from home. However, this is applicable to anyone who wants to manage time and be efficient.
Have a goal for the day,
Before you start your work, having a predetermined goal for the day helps a lot. If you have to finish multiple things, always prioritize the tasks based on the most important to the least important. This will help you in estimating the time you will need to finish your tasks.
It is important to not keep more than two critical tasks on the list. Having many critical tasks can cause panic and you may end up having an unproductive day.
And have a deadline for each goal.
Having understood the priority of each task, it is important to also understand the complexity and estimate the required time for each task. With this, you can determine how long your workday is going to be and if there is a need to readjust your goals.
Avoid long, unwanted discussions during work hours.
Working remotely comes with its own set of problems and proper communication with the team is one of them. It's not the same when compared to the ease of being at the office with your colleagues.
However, one of the most famous ‘time waster’ is long meetings which could have simply been an email.
Try to avoid such discussions as much as you can. This will reduce stress and save time. Try to keep communications short and precise.
Ration your time because it's yours and take care of it since it’s very limited.
Keep that phone away!
Just keep it away! There is nothing more distracting than the chime you hear when you get a notification from a social media account or a friend just forwarding you a meme. If you can't keep it away for work reasons, at least try to keep it on DnD mode during your work hours. Most modern mobile devices support it. You could also snooze and later view all notifications in a batch by using apps like Daywise.
Buy a tiny music player if you are someone who enjoys music while working.
If you like working while listening to music but do not want to play it out loud, you could buy a dedicated music player and have some ambient sounds or a few tracks. Use the music player instead of your mobile phone for music/radio. This will also save you some battery on your mobile phone and keep you away from it.
Limited choice = minimum decision making = maximum utilization.
Start early and end early.
This is something that most of us are failing to do, I have personally not been able to do this for a long time now. However, starting early doesn't mean you sit in front of your desktop. It could be as simple as mentally preparing yourself for the day, setting up your goals for the day, and planning for it. This helps a lot and prepares you mentally for the day ahead.
Take a break.
Take short and well-deserved breaks! Working for long hours without breaks can have a negative impact on your health and productivity.
But avoid social media during work hours (including breaks!)
Do not use any kind of social media during your work hours. Clicking on that one YouTube link will cost you an entire hour or maybe more. Why? because of what follows after the video ends and the recommendations that you see. Avoid it entirely and stay focused.
Workout during the day.
Workout is good for you. It releases stress and refreshes your mind to achieve that goal. You can do this during work hours as well. Take a short break and go for a walk or do a couple of reps of Jumping Jacks. It's healthy and is much better than watching that YouTube video!
Here are a few benefits of cardio.
Eat healthy, hydrate, and get an ample amount of sleep.
Last but not the least, keep yourself hydrated, plan a proper diet and bedtime schedule.
Waking up with a groggy mind is not going to help you achieve your goals and will have a negative effect throughout the day. Get ample amount of sleep.
That's all for now. I will add items to this list if I find something else that has helped me. Do leave your comments if this has helped you.
