5 STEPS TO SUCCESSFULLY

WORK FROM HOME

By Birb S

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes 6 seconds

When lockdowns first began, working from home seemed to be one of the better aspects
of the whole situation. Not having to wake up at dawn to get dressed and spend hours
commuting only to spend more hours at the office. Being able to work from the comfort
of your own home sounded like a great deal. A year later, it doesn't have the same
feeling. It's tiring and mentally draining. It’s harder to stay motivated in an environment
that is filled with distractions.

Being at the top of your game, even if it's from home doesn't have to be as bad. We’ve
put together a list of the top 5 strategies you can apply in your life to boost your
productivity and achieve your goals faster.
SCHEDULING KEEPS YOU ON TRACK

Having a schedule can help you be more aware of your deadlines, assignments, and
meetings. Following a well-made schedule can be very helpful if you tend to
procrastinate and end up cramping all your work right before the deadline. The idea
behind effective scheduling is that you can identify and allocate your free time to utilize
strategically.

You can make your schedule on a monthly, weekly, or daily basis depending on what
suits you. Maintaining a proper schedule will tone down the habit of wasting time.
Although, it's important to incorporate breaks and off-days in it. Try avoiding setting up
unrealistic goals which will only end up frustrating you. A simple pen-on-paper schedule
works well, and here's how you can start yours. If you're someone who would prefer a
digital version, apps like Google Calendar, Edo Agenda, and Trello work great.

KNOW YOUR PRODUCTIVE HOURS

Staying home all the time has shifted the daily routines of the majority dramatically.
People are staying up late and waking up even later. If you’re one of those people who
are struggling to be active during the usual office hours, ask yourself if you're getting
enough sleep. If you’re forcing yourself to work at a certain time that is considered
“normal” and sacrificing a good night's rest, it's very unlikely that you will be able to
concentrate.
Try identifying the times of the day when you’re most active. It's okay to be a night owl
and start working at 8 pm, as long as you're not missing deadlines. Making your work
schedule around your most productive hours can allow you to get the most work done in
the least stressful way possible.

AUTOMATE YOUR PLANNING

Working from home is more demanding than working in an office space. People are
being given additional responsibilities due to job cuts, lack of sales, etc because of the
pandemic. Online communication isn't as smooth as in-person meetings. So it's
essential that you make the process of working as easy as possible, and incorporating AI
toolkits and planners can aid with that. Here are a few suggestions:

TRELLO: Trello is a game-changing tracker tool perfect for you and your co-workers to
collaborate. The platform has a simple yet versatile board system where you can put in
your to-dos and move them to the “done” board after and so on. It also lets you see each
other's progress in real-time, assign tasks to others, and so forth. It is free to use but has
a paid version for accessing extra features. The app works both on mobile and desktop.

SLACK: Slack is a communication tool dedicated to working spaces. The app allows
seamless and organized conversations, voice and video calls. Every project’s data is
saved so you can look back if needed.

MARKOPOLO AI: Markopolo AI is a Marketing Assistant that generates completed ad

campaigns, creatives, and copies for placement on multiple platforms like Facebook,
Instagram, Google, Amazon, and more for any business. The cloud-hosted software,
powered by GPT-3 technology can schedule your posts, write copy and save you hours of
manual work.

CONFLUENCE: Confluence is another smart collaboration tool that can help you and
your team to stay organized and in structure. It allows teams to store and arrange data
and documents so it's accessible to every member. Their pricing starts for free and
scales up for the standard and premium version.
INTERCOM: Intercom is a business messenger tool kit. The company believes in
building relationships with your customers by offering business messengers, chatbots,
live chat, product tours, and a lot more.

HAVE A DEDICATED WORKSPACE

Your environment has an impact on your ability to work. If you're working in an area
that is filled with distractions, you are likely going to take more breaks and spend more
time on those breaks.

Your workspace can be a separate room or a desk in your bedroom. For most people, an
aesthetically pleasing work area makes them more enthusiastic about working. You can
customize your area with lights, motivational quotes, and vision boards. You can make
your own in applications such as Canva, Picsart, etc. Compartmentalizing work and
home areas can help you to be aware and create a formal environment for yourself that
helps you concentrate and take work more seriously.

SMARTER TIME MANAGEMENT

Time management techniques can be greatly helpful if implied properly. The Pomodoro
technique is a popular time management method developed by an Italian scientist,
Francesco Cirillo. The technique uses a timer to break down work into intervals of focus
and rest, each interval is called a Pomodoro, Italian for tomato. Named in ode to the
tomato-shaped timer the scientist used in his university days.

The method works well for maximizing productivity and focus by creating a sense of
urgency with the timer then the 5-minute break allows you to rewind without losing
your flow. Completing a full cycle creates the feeling of added accomplishment while a
30-minute break works as a reward. You are more likely to be enthusiastic about
working to earn that time for yourself.
THE BOTTOM LINE

We're all tired of working from home. Trying to concentrate on a project with kids
screaming and pets running around in the background seems like an impossible task,
but staying home is the responsible thing to do. With the right techniques and tools,
things can get easier to manage and make working from home enjoyable.