How to be Productive While Working Remotely

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The COVID19 pandemic has certainly changed the way businesses operate and how they view work and proves to be our best INTEGRITY tester.  While working from home can be exciting at to the very thought, chaos can rein a brutal reality awaking the consciousness of the remote worker.  Let’s face it, working in your personal space comes with its challenges; distractions will disrupt your productivity, sleeping in late instead of getting up and getting dressed for work, having no physical separation between work and leisure time and there is the need to binge on Netflix and the laundry list goes on.   On the flip side, you could be accomplishing more at home than you would at work.

Tips for being Productive while Working Remotely

No doubt COVID19 has catapulted us into a new work order for most, and this era demands us to have a defined work schedule that we must stick with if we are to be productive working from home.  This new work order demands that you adjust to your new situation during the coronavirus outbreak.  Here are some tips to help you adjust and be more productive:

• Integrity testing: Avoid sleeping in late, be seated at your workstation ready to work at your contracted time.
• Confine your workspace to a specific and stress-free area in your home; where there is minimum traffic, one where no one will interrupt your work allowing you to concentrate.
• If your work environment becomes noisy; a barking dog, loud music from the neighbours’ try listening to some soothing music through ear plugs. Studies have shown that a delicate blend of soft music combined with soothing nature sounds helps you concentrate and lowers heart rate and blood pressure.
• Set strict physical boundaries around your workspace by advising your household not venture within that space. If strict boundaries are not set or are ignored this could mean your productivity and concentration levels my drop.
• Be disciplined enough not to use your company’s time to complete that laundry or personal errands. You are to maintain the same hours you log in at the office.
• When the workday has concluded put away all work tools; electronic devices, sewing machines, electrical tools etc, as doing so will help you feel more relaxed and recharged.
• During work time be unavailable to family and friends and discourage them from making visits. Do not allow their random “drop-ins” to interrupt your work causing you to lose focus and lag on deadlines.
• Ensure whatever telecommunication platform (Zoom, Microsoft Teams etc.) is being used by your company – you have it installed, tested and ready for those live video teleconferencing calls.

COVID19 will be lingering around until we find its executor (a cure), until then we have to cohabitate with this new work order and only the persons with the strongest integrity and work ethics will survive.