It is sometimes difficult to maintain productivity when multitasking the demands of your regular work with the responsibilities of your family and home life, particularly for staff members who have remote work arrangements. While being at home, here are 5 recommendations that will help you in staying on top of your responsibilities and meet your deadlines.
Create A To-Do List
Using an everyday to-do list to hold yourself responsible is a good idea. Write down a to-do list for the following day at the end of each shift at work, including specifics about what you need to accomplish and by what time it needs to be done. You should also list any upcoming calls or meetings that you are going to be attending. The plan is for you to bring up that list as soon as you log on the following morning so that it can assist you in getting off to a successful start.
Prepare Meals Ahead Of Time
Preparing meals in advance is an excellent way to avoid becoming bogged down by all of the cooking that needs to be done. Make a few of your week’s meals ahead of time on Sunday as well as portion them out into food containers. This can save you from having to interrupt your work throughout the week to prepare meals on demand, saving you time and energy. When there are a large number of people who live in the house, because not all of them will get hungry at the same time, this strategy works out very well. People will have options available to them whenever they are ready to eat.
Manage Your Time
Set fixed hours for when you will be available via phone, mailing, or online while you are working, provided that your employer will allow you to do so. It is essential to get your professional work done, but it is even more important to make sure you have time to wind down, spend time with the people you care about, and just relax. You need to make sure that you are setting appropriate boundaries on a personal level as well as a professional level.
Start Early, Finish Early
When you aren’t in a hurry to get to the office, it’s easy to fall prey to the desire to lie in a little longer than usual in the morning. However, if you’re having trouble remaining productive throughout the day, waking up earlier than usual can be a helpful strategy. Put an alarm on for yourself about an hour or so before your partner or children are due to wake up. First thing in the morning, brew a cup of your go-to coffee or tea, then settle in with one of the more involved homework assignments you have. When there is peace and quiet in the home, you’ll be genuinely shocked by how much you can get done.
Create A Working Station
There are more official places to work from than your bed or couch, but we get it: it’s tempting. Whether you use the dining table as a makeshift office or have a dedicated home office, you probably have some sort of workspace at home. Your workspace should ideally have a door so you can shut out any interruptions, as well as a laptop, printer, paper, headphones, etc., all within easy reach. You should try to avoid interrupting your workflow by getting up too often to get things you might need.