Working from home has a lot of benefits, but some people find the adjustment difficult. It’s hard to stay focused and productive when there are so many distractions around and without the structure of an office, many people find that they are a lot less organized. But it’s important that you have systems in place to keep on top of things and keep your work life separate from your personal life if you want to be productive. These are some of the most important organization tips when working from home.
Image Source – Pixabay CCO License
Set Working Hours
Flexibility is one of the best bits of working remotely, but for a lot of people, this often means working fewer hours. It can mean getting up later and working later into the evenings as well, which isn’t ideal because you get less free time. If you really want to be productive and you don’t want to be rushing to get things done in the evening because you wasted too much time during the day, you should set working hours and make sure that you aren’t working too much. Working the same hours each day helps to create more structure and makes it a lot easier to plan your days. You don’t necessarily have to work 9 to 5 because that isn’t the most productive time for everybody, but you should set yourself regular work hours.
Organize Your Computer
When you use the same computer for work and personal use, things can quickly get messy. Work files get mixed up with your personal stuff and it’s easy to lose important documents, so you need to get your files organized. Check out the list of the best duplicate file finder software to help you delete unnecessary files and get things in order. You also need clearly labeled folders for everything so you can find what you need right away.
Plan Your Meals
A lot of people fall into bad eating habits when working from home, so it’s important that you plan your meals and find time to make good food. One of the best ways to make sure that you are eating well is to prep all of your meals ahead of time at the weekend. This means that during the week, when you are busy with work, you have plenty of healthy meals on hand and you don’t resort to snacking on junk food all day.
Screen Personal Calls
A lot of people fail to understand that just because you are at home, that doesn’t mean that you are free to chat. Working from home is still work and during your set working hours, you should act as you would when you are in the office, which means no personal calls. It might seem harsh but you should screen personal calls and don’t answer them, and let friends and family know when you are free and when you are working.
If you make these simple changes to your routine and work habits, you will be a lot more organized while working from home and you will find that you are way more productive.