Do you struggle to concentrate when working from home (home office) and get less done than in the office? Did the coronavirus situation in 2020 push your company into remote working? Or was it a perk you longed for and fought for yourself, and now you are struggling to find a way to work from home efficiently and at the right times? Efficient and healthy home working is an increasingly common and important question. Some people manage it better, others worse. Good habits will help everyone move forward a little.
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Working from home is not for everyone
Working from home is not for everyone, but everyone can find something in it for themselves. Not sure exactly what the term means? Read this article first. One of the big advantages of working from home is that you save a huge amount of time commuting, you do not get stuck chatting with a colleague every time you go for a coffee, and often you do not even have to think about what you are wearing or how you look. You save time and money and can plan your work schedule around the rest of your life.
On the other hand, you may miss contact with colleagues, and at home there are probably a thousand things that will distract you. Children, pets, your partner, unwashed laundry, mess, and nobody sees you scrolling through Instagram for the tenth time in an hour…
However, all these disadvantages can be tackled effectively. A separate space, working from home only a few days a week, occasional work in coworking spaces, a clear plan for the day and household rules. Build our tips into your daily life and you may well fall in love with working from home.
15 rituals for efficient home working
These 15 rituals can help you be efficient. You will love some of them and find that others are not for you. Try them all and discover what suits you.
1. Dress as if for the office
For some people, the appeal of working from home may be the idea of working from bed in your pyjamas all day. But if you take a shower in the morning, get ready, get dressed and sit down at a desk, you will perform much better. You do not have to put on a suit or court shoes straight away, but at least separate your home work outfit from what you sleep in. You will also appreciate it when you get an unexpected video call.
2. A cold shower
While we are on the subject of showering, try turning down the temperature. An ice-cold shower is one of the best ways to wake up and offers a number of health benefits. At first you will hate it, but gradually you will get used to it and in the end you will love the feeling.
Read about other morning rituals you can add and how they can help your performance and mood.
3. Do not eat at your desk
When you get up in the morning and get ready for work, it is tempting to sit straight down at the computer. But do not forget a good breakfast and have it calmly, before you start working. If you want to finish your coffee while working, or occasionally need to eat lunch in front of the screen, the world will not end. But do not let it become a daily habit. Even taking in more digital news and information is not good for the work that follows. Ideally, your mind should rest while you eat.
4. Plain water
Drink, drink, drink. But drink plain, unflavoured, still water. You can add fresh fruit or vegetables for a subtle flavour, but nothing more. Staying hydrated will protect you from headaches, tiredness and feeling hungry.
Prepare a carafe or bottle for work so that you have plenty to hand. That way you will not keep getting up from the computer and you will be able to concentrate on your work.
5. Concentrate, but do not forget breaks
Nobody can concentrate for 8 hours straight, so it can help to include regular breaks. For example, plan blocks of 60 minutes followed by a 5-minute break. You can time the blocks with a timer on your phone, special apps or an ordinary kitchen timer. You can also track the total time you spend working in the same way.
When you work, really work. Turn off social media, shut yourself in a quiet room and close any browser tabs that are not related to work. It may be hard at first, but you have to push through it and get used to it. In the office, with your boss behind you, you would not be staring at your phone with your feet on the desk either. Social media and dozens of unnecessary tabs are among the most common distractions at work.
During a break you can do anything: make a coffee, go to the toilet, read the news or chat. But it is a good idea to stretch and stand up for a while. Do not make the break too long, or you will lose concentration. Another interesting model is the Pomodoro technique, in which you alternate short work blocks and breaks in fairly quick succession. A smartwatch or a timer will help you stick to it.
6. A clear head is essential
Of course, we want to stay informed, and it is tempting to check the news and social media at every opportunity. But we must not let it swallow us up. Sometimes it is important to let your brain switch off and not burden it with world events or the perfect lives on Instagram. Close your eyes, meditate or simply think about nothing. At lunch, instead of reading, try focusing only on your food and yourself, and you will see that you feel much more rested after the break.
Tip: Are you afraid of missing out on something if you put your phone down? Read about FOMO syndrome and what it can cause.
7. Make a daily plan
A daily plan will help you be productive and give you a good feeling about the work you have done. Every morning, sit down and write down what you need to do. Each time you tick off a task as done, you will be proud of yourself and get a fresh boost of energy.
But do not overdo the number of tasks! If you plan too much and then do not manage to get everything done, you will feel bad. It is better to write down, say, 3 tasks you want to complete each day and have a few bonus tasks in reserve that you can add if you finish early.
Plan for the week, for the next day or every morning. Find a system that suits you, but above all go through your tasks at the end of the day and give yourself feedback. You will get an idea of how productive you are and how much work to plan for the next day. When you complete all your tasks, you can reward yourself in your free time, with a clear head, by watching a motivational film, for example. It will be great inspiration for sticking with good habits.
8. Use a planner
You can of course write tasks on a scrap of paper or in Word, but having everything organised in one place is much more efficient and feels more significant. Your planner can be either a traditional one or an electronic one. Both have their advantages.
In an electronic planner you can add various links and connect it to email and other channels. A traditional paper planner, however, can be clearer, you cannot delete anything from it by mistake, and when you write something by hand, you visualise and remember it better.
So-called bullet journal planners are very popular today. These are planners adapted or created exactly to your ideas and needs. Do you need an overview of every day, but also an overview of the month and the year? Do you write nothing in your planner on some days, while on others one page is not enough? A bullet journal can contain various tables, several types of calendar or simply blank pages.
Tip: Many freelancers and employees who work from home use Gmail and its extensions such as Google Keep or Gmelius, which, when used properly, significantly increase efficiency and help keep track of tasks.
9. The right environment for working from home
A suitable working environment can mean many things. Some people need a separate room, others are fine with a desk, and others are happy with the kitchen table. Wherever your workplace is, you should keep it clean and tidy so that nothing distracts you while you work.
As well as the right environment, the right way of sitting will also help you be more efficient. Whenever you remember, engage your pelvis, get a good-quality chair and strengthen your back. If you plan to work from home long term, it might be worth considering setting up a smart home office.
10. Separate your responsibilities
Separate your work responsibilities from your household ones. While you are working, do not focus on the unwashed laundry or the untidy kitchen. If mess annoys you while you work, get rid of it after working hours so that you have a more pleasant workflow the next day. But do not keep leaving your work, or 8 hours could turn into 12.
It is a good idea to have a to-do list for household chores too. Do you keep thinking during work that you must not forget to do the washing or order something online? Write it in a special section of your planner and it does not have to bother you until the end of the working day.
11. Don’t forget to relax
You need to relax both in your normal work routine and when working from home. When working from home, people often feel that they are not really working that much and don’t need to rest. But working from home is still work, and it is often even more demanding because you are somehow more on your own. So don’t forget to rest, even actively. Running, yoga, a walk or perhaps your favourite sauna will help stretch your body and refresh your mind.
12. Prepare your meals in advance
You get up in the morning, you’re not rushing to work, so you decide to make yourself a nice breakfast. You make avocado on bread, eggs, a good coffee and, finally, you squeeze some orange juice. For lunch you prepare a fresh salad with dressing and toast a baguette to go with it. And during the day you have a few snacks. We also eat with our eyes, so you slice the fruit and arrange it beautifully, you decorate the bread…
And you spend 4 hours in the kitchen during the day. An hour and a half of that before you even start work. Does this sound familiar? If you enjoy cooking, you don’t even realise how much time you spend in the kitchen. Prepare healthy meals several days in advance and, at the right moment, simply reach for a container in the fridge. You’ll save an incredible amount of time and keep track of how much food you actually eat.
If you want to boost your concentration, there are many options besides coffee, from guarana and special pills such as Mindflow to controversial kratom. Definitely experiment and combine them. Don’t rely on coffee alone, and be sure to include green tea or plain water with lemon as well.
13. Let your family and friends know you’re working
When you work from home, the people closest to you often feel that they can call on you at any time. The children keep knocking on the door, your wife needs you to watch the sauce, a friend needs you to look after her daughter for an hour… It’s not their fault, they just need it explained that when you are working, you are not available. Just like when you’re at the office.
14. Find the time when you’re productive
Set working hours that suit you. Do you know you’re most productive in the morning? It may be worth getting up early and working from six until half past two. On the other hand, does it take you a while to concentrate in the morning? If your job allows it, it may be better not to force it and to start work at ten instead.
Try out several versions and settle into a routine that suits you, your work and your household. But stick to that routine. You’ll learn to manage your time, and your loved ones will know when not to disturb you. Many people struggle all their lives because they work at times when their body and mind are not productive. When you work from home, you often have the chance to choose your own optimal working hours. Make the most of this opportunity!
15. Eight hours and done
This doesn’t mean that after 8 hours of work you should shut your computer in the middle of an unfinished task or meeting, come what may. But try to keep your working day to the length of your contracted hours. Working from home often tempts you not only to finish early but also to work far longer than you should. A fixed routine, a plan, focusing on your work and not drifting off to other tasks will help you maintain your work-life balance, meaning a healthy relationship between your work and personal life, even when working from home.
Many of these tips are really just ways to keep the same routine as when you go to the office. Some of them could be classed as biohacks, while others are simply a logical solution to constantly recurring conflicts. Whether with yourself, with your self-control or with your family.
Working from home is certainly not for everyone, but sometimes we can’t avoid it. Then all we can do is find what suits us and try to make the best of the situation.
Don’t be put off by the number of tips and suggestions that can help. Add one new habit every few days and see for yourself whether it’s right for you. And perhaps after a few weeks, with the right approach, you’ll find that this type of work suits you perfectly.
