If you work from home, it’s easy to let your personal life overlap into your work life. SO. EASY..
But let’s face the cold hard facts- if you are not productive, you won’t make money. Here are some tips on how to organise yourself and use your time more efficiently!
1-Organise your work-space
Get rid of the clutter. Throw away all those annoying pens etc that don’t work.Get an in and out tray. Stock up on stationery. Have your phone charger close by. Having everything you need to hand to saves time.Try if possible to separate your work-space from your living space. Put things away when you are done with them. It’ll save you time when you need them again. Keep your office stocked with supplies, otherwise you’ll have to interrupt your day to go get something you need and waste valuable time.
2-Make sure your space inspires you
You’ll work better if your surroundings are calming/ inspiring/ energising. Get some crystals/ plant/ a framed picture/ motivational quote if that’s your jam! Put on some background music- I work better with a bit of early 00’s hip-hop on to get my brain working.
3-Stay Healthy
Don’t forget to do some occupational health on yourself and make sure that you have a good chair at the right height and a decent work desk. Remember to do some shoulder rolls and stretches for good posture! Eat nutrient-rich food- you’ll be sharper if you get the nutrients you need each day. Don’t drink loads of coffee, sure a coffee buzz is great, but you’ll get really dehydrated and crazy brained if you drink too much. Plus, you won’t sleep well.Get a good night’s sleep!
4-Break it down
Don’t get overwhelmed by looking at everything you have to do at once.Make a list- you will feel a sense of achievement each time you tick those tasks off.
You can use a good old-fashioned notebook and pen or use an online tool such as Trello or Asana. Prioritise that list. What must be done first and what can wait until later? Do the easy stuff at the top of the list first. Crossing off several action items will motivate you to keep going. Add things to the list as they come up throughout the day.
5-Have a basic schedule for each day
Have a schedule that works for you. Personally, I will check my schedule first thing, then emails are next, then add tasks as appropriate. Work out your best plan of action for the day ahead.
Try to arrange tasks by the hour. It’ll make life a lot easier.If you are more alert in the afternoon, schedule the bulk of your tasks then. Schedule each hour of the workday accordingly.
6-Have specific working hours and stick to them
Start and stop your day on time. Working into the night will make tomorrow that much harder.
Schedule one hour near the end of the day as a catch-up period and any tasks that got put off earlier can be addressed during that time.Prepare your schedule for the following day. It’ll make it easier to dive in when morning comes. At the end of the day check the printer for paper and ink and make sure there is plenty for the next day. Organise your work-space before you leave. It’ll be easier to face in the morning.Once you leave your work area, do not return until the next day, no matter how tempting it is to return to do one more thing.
7-Don’t get distracted while you are working
It’s so easy to get distracted on Asos or Pinterest or call your friend for an hour on a non-work-related subject! Do that when you have finished your work for the day- as a reward!
8-Take breaks
Have a 5 min screen break every 30 mins. Get up and play ball with the dog, make a cup of tea, do some yoga stretches, make sure you have a lunch break, anything away from your computer or phone! Then get back to work dogdammit! Don’t skip lunches. You need the break to keep your productivity up in the afternoon.
9-Dress for success
It’s so temping to roll out of bed and work from home in your jim-jams, but dress for success! You will more productive if you are dressed as if you are going to work. Especially if the hottie mctottie DPD man comes to door at 1pm and thinks you have only just got out of bed (that never happened to me honestly).
10-Back it up
Archive all your documents in a cloud-based storage option. Make a second archive on a hard drive.Update the stored data every time you make a change.Make sure your hard drive files as well as your hard copy files are always in order, so you can find what you need at once.
And for goodness sake don’t save anything important on your Desktop or C drive!
11-Be productive online
Bookmark important web sites and any reference sites you use regularly. Use LastPass for all your passwords. Use Google docs/ sheets to share documents online. Have WhatsApp connected on your desktop.
12-Don’t become a recluse
Working alone at home you can be a bit lonely if you are used to working in a busy office.
Make sure you stay connected to people.Use Google Hangout/ WhatsApp to keep in touch with your clients. Actually go to Networking events!Take a walk on your break and speak to other humans!
Those are my top 12 tips. Anything else you can think of do let me know!
Yours Virtually x Katy
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