5 Ways to Manage Productivity While Working From Home
Lora LCVA • July 22, 2021
5 Ways to Manage Productivity While Working From Home
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way many of us work, with a much higher proportion of us working from home. Even now as we (hopefully) come to the end of this time, many people will not be making a full return to the office, due to the increased popularity of hybrid working; a combination of working from and the office.
For many managing productivity can prove difficult when working from home, people may feel distracted, unmotivated, stressed and anxious when working from home. However, there are ways to keep on top of these feelings and stay productive when working from home.
1. Create a Functional Workspace
Creating optimal working conditions is essential in facilitating productivity. As appealing as working from a bed or sofa may sound having a dedicated quiet space, perhaps in another room can help create a psychological distinction between work and leisure.
The room should have a good amount of natural light, personally I find it helpful to be near a window as it gives me something to look at while I work. Working by a window may also have a positive effect on health and productivity. Lights act as our biggest cue for our internal body clocks, meaning to stay in sync with the external environment we need natural light. This allows our body to perform essential functions such as sleep at the best possible time. Other benefits include improved mood, attention span, less strain on the eyes and headaches associated with looking at computer screens for prolonged periods.
In this space clutter should be kept to a minimum, sticking with just the essentials for your working day, which may include a pens, a note pad for ideas, some snacks and a planner.
2. Plan, plan, plan
Creating a plan is a great way to manage stress and ensuring you complete tasks on time through knowing what exactly you need to do and when you need to do it.
This plan could be a weekly plan and/or a daily plan due to the unexpected nature of many modern job roles. Creating a plan prior to the day ahead will allow you to manage tasks and be ready to work on time knowing exactly what you are aiming to achieve. Planning to leave enough time to eat and get ready before working will also enable you to better ease yourself into the day and feel comfortable - in a professional mindset before your working day.
If your job gives you flexibility in when you work it is also a good idea to plan to work when you are at your most productive, some people are more productive earlier in the morning, where as some hit their productivity peak in the afternoon.
Planning breaks away from the screen is also important in order to destress and to give your eyes a rest after looking at a screen. Planning when to take these breaks will give you structure and something to work towards.
We'd also like to take a moment to announce that we are launching a brand new resource...Project Plan. Coming this August, it will be the perfect planning and organising tool you need for business! If you're interested in purchasing this, please register your interested here and we will contact you soon with more details!
3. Limit Distractions
Although working from home provides many benefits in terms of flexibility, no dreaded commute, and an overall better work life balance, working from home can also come with many distractions such as household responsibilities, your phone and social media apps.
Although social media is now a part of many jobs, it is important to not lose too much time to social media due to its addictive nature perpetuated without the boundaries set within an office. Therefore, to be the most productive you may need to set these boundaries yourself, for some people this may mean turning off notifications, logging out of personal social media accounts, or putting your phone in another room (if a phone is not required for your job).
You may also need to set boundaries within your household. This could mean asking others not to disturb you during working hours to be more productive. This could also mean ensuring you have time to take care of any household chores or responsibilities around your working hours.
4. Stay Connected
However, when working remotely, staying connected to colleagues is essential for productivity in order to ask quick clarifying questions you may ask in an office, providing explanations and training and holding remote team meetings which are essential in setting and meeting objectives as well as boosting team motivation.
Staying connected while working from home may require an intra organisational emailing system as well as cloud service such as one drive, in order to share current projects and information with colleagues. A group messaging service such as WhatsApp is a great way to ask those quick clarifying questions, or contact co-workers outside of working hours.
Zoom can be used for training purposes, catch ups and group meetings, but additionally is a great tool for building essential rapport with colleagues, making them feel comfortable in the team and therefore having more motivation and work productivity.
Read our previous log posts and learn how to work Zoom here and how to set up break out rooms in Zoom here.
5. A soundtrack to your day
Choosing music that matches the type of task you are working on can boost productivity. The iso principle is a technique used by therapists to alter the mood of a patient. This principle states that you should match music to how you are feeling, and then gradually alter to songs until they match your desired mood state.
This has been applied to productivity and would suggest that you should ease yourself into motivational music which will facilitate a productive state for the day. Other research has found that faster music can increase productivity, so why not jam out to some dance music while you work?
👇 The Key Takeaways:
- A functional workspace should be separate from where you relax, have lots of natural light and be tidy with everything you need for the day.
- To manage stress and get everything done, create structure through a plan for the day / week ahead, wake up with plenty of time, take regular breaks and if possible work when you’re most productive.
- Limit distractions and set boundaries for yourself. If you’re distracted by social media consider turning off notifications or keeping your phone in another room. Make sure household responsibilities are completed around work and communicate boundaries with other members of the household.
- Stay connected to colleagues and perform essential team functions and boost morale through communication and sharing services such as, email, cloud services, WhatsApp and Zoom.
- Use music to increase productivity and motivation through matching music to your desired mood.
Spring is such a lovely season – flowers are blooming, the days get longer, and everyone starts to get excited for the warm weather! But spring is also the perfect time for refreshing and renewal in our homes and lives – and with LCVA, you can refresh your business too! In this blog, we’ll explore how working with us can help you spring into productivity, streamline your workflow, and prepare your business for a successful year ahead. This season is an ideal time to streamline, organise and reset your business branding, strategies, or even just have a good old clean out of your inbox – and we can help with that! Spring Cleaning Your Business In a lot of ways, businesses are like homes! They can benefit from the same decluttering process – just as you might clear out some old clothes from your wardrobe or weed your garden – you can organise your digital space or clear out your OneDrive folders in an effort to run your business more smoothly. But we know all of this organisation is time-consuming - many entrepreneurs find themselves buried under a mountain of administrative tasks that take away from the important work of growing their business. We can help clear away that "clutter" by offering services such as organising your digital files and managing your inbox. Here are some specific ways LCVA can help with your spring business cleaning: Organising Emails: We can manage your inbox, sort through emails, set up folders, and filing away correspondence so you’re not constantly overwhelmed with communication. By supporting you in these areas, we can ensure your days run smoothly. Managing Calendars, Projects & Tasks: LCVA can take over administrative tasks like scheduling meetings, setting reminders, or updating project management systems, giving you more time to focus on important business matters. Clearing Out Old Data: If your OneDrive or Dropbox are cluttered with outdated information, we can help clean that up, ensuring your files are up to date and easy to access. Spring cleaning isn’t just about clearing your physical space; it’s about creating room for the growth and success you want in your business. With our help, you’ll be able to focus on what really matters! Rejuvenating Your Workflow for Maximum Efficiency Spring isn’t just a time to tidy up—it’s an opportunity to rejuvenate. Just like your home gets a deep clean, your business workflows can also benefit from a thorough refresh. Are you spending too much time on administrative work? Are there tasks that feel repetitive and slow down your productivity? If so, it's time to rethink. We can step in and take over the tasks that slow down your day-to-day operations. By offloading these responsibilities, you can focus on more strategic aspects of your business! Here’s how LCVA can help rejuvenate your workflow: Customer Service: With the help of LCVA, you can delegate customer service tasks, whether it’s responding to inquiries, conducting market or business research, or ordering products. This frees you up to work on more creative or strategic initiatives. Social Media & Content Creation: Managing your online presence is crucial, but it’s also time-consuming. We can support you with content creation, scheduling social media posts, and managing engagement across platforms. By rejuvenating your workflow and letting us manage the day-to-day tasks, you’ll create more space for innovation and business growth. A Time for Renewal and Fresh Strategies Easter represents a time of renewal, fresh starts, and growth. It’s a time to reflect on where you are and where you want to go—and your business can benefit from this same mindset! With spring in the air, now is the perfect time to refresh your business strategies! This season isn’t just about clearing out old habits and processes; it’s also about embracing new opportunities and ideas. We can help you revamp your marketing strategy, plan for new product launches, or refresh your brand’s message. Here are a few ways LCVA can help you prepare for growth this season: Marketing Campaigns: Whether it’s creating product promotion or launching a new service, we can help you execute your marketing campaigns. We can handle the behind-the-scenes work—writing content, designing promotional materials, and tracking results. Website Updates & Content Creation: Keeping your website fresh and up to date is essential, and we can support you in this area too. From blog writing to updating your offerings, we can ensure your website reflects your current business goals. Customer Engagement: We can also assist with customer outreach, sending personalised emails or letters, and gathering feedback. This engagement helps foster loyalty and sets the foundation for long-term success. Just as Spring symbolises new beginnings, your business can benefit from a renewed approach to marketing, customer outreach, and strategic planning. Let us help you embrace these opportunities and move your business forward! Preparing for the Busy Summer Season While we’re in the heart of spring, it’s important to remember that summer is just around the corner. For many businesses, the summer months are a peak season for sales, growth, and activity. So, now is the time to get ahead of the game and prepare for the busy months ahead! By outsourcing tasks to us, you can focus on revenue-generating activities and avoid burnout when the summer rush begins. You’ll set your business up for success and avoid the stress of juggling too many responsibilities during the summer months. Conclusion So, are you ready to spring into action? By working with us, you can ensure your business is organised, efficient, and ready to thrive. With the right support, this spring could mark the beginning of your most successful year yet - let’s work together to give your business the fresh start it deserves! If you want to find out more about how we can help you, email us at info@lcvaservices.com or DM on social media now!
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