7 ways of being more productive in your home office, say the experts
These strategies will help you stay focused and energized.
The percentage of Americans Work at home More than tripled Between 2019 and 2021 alone. And even if many offices have now reopened, a large part of workers is still a telework. He certainly has his advantages - like jumping the journey and staying in your comfortable clothes, but he can also have his traps. Namely, it is more difficult to be productive when you work at home if your cat climbs on your desk, your spouse continues to burst into the room, or if you see dishes in the sink that must be washed.
"It may seem difficult and overwhelming when work and life are in the same physical place, and it is difficult to separate them unless you define resources and limits to obtain the support you need to prosper in two areas, "explains Danielle Langton , commercial strategist for women founder and CEOs / founder of Danielle Langton Strategic Business Consulting .
The good news? There are many easy ways to encourage productivity in your home office. Here are some strategies recommended by experts who will help you work more intelligent Rather than harder.
Start by finding morning rituals that help you feel energized and inspired - that it means Go to a fast walk Outside, reporting your goals or having a nutritious breakfast and reading the news.
Del Greco also advises to tackle one of the tasks that you generally fear when you start to work to help you stay motivated for the rest of your working day.
2. Kiss natural light.
Shutterstock / following
Studies have shown That people spending more time in the natural lighting they spend in artificial lighting have greater productivity and vigilance. So remember to place your office near a window.
"Natural light not only reduces tension on the eyes, but it can also improve your mood," Artem Kropovinsky , interior designer and founder of Arsight , tell Better life . "Natural light also helps keep the circadian rhythm in check, promoting better sleep - and therefore better productivity."
That said, Devin Shaffer , main interior designer at Decoroul , note that you may not want to position your office to face a window if you are easily distracted by cars, dog walkers and fauna outside.
"The problem with home work for many people lies in blurred lines between work and life," said Kropovinsky. "Most people have their houses designed as a space for relaxation, comfort and personal time. When these areas suddenly turn into workspace, this creates a cognitive dissonance."
For this reason, Kropovinsky says that it is essential to have a separate area dedicated only to work, which can help create a border between your work and your family life.
If you do not have space in your home for a complete office, Langton says that even having a dedicated office can help train your brain to access a productive mode. You can even install a room separator in your living room, your dining room, the finished basement or wherever you choose to do work to eliminate distractions and give you the feeling of having an office without door real to close.
"One of my clients even created an installation of a garage office because it gave him more peace than his space at home," explains Langton.
Whatever you do, try not to configure your workspace in your room, says Alex Bass , founder and CEO of The Art Advisory and Interior Design Studio Salon 21 . Ideally, you want to mentally associate your room with relaxation rather than working.
A 2011 study have found that people who use standing offices experience less stress and fatigue than those who sit while working. Not only that, but 87% of those who use standing offices reported increased energy throughout their working day.
According to Shaffer, this may be due to the fact that standing offices increase the circulation throughout the body, including the brain.
"Better blood circulation leads to a more intelligent thought," he explains. "Your mind becomes clearer and your goal is improving."
If you are not a fan of the standing idea, try to adjust a timer and get up to take a quick walk every hour or two to keep your blood flowing. Or, you can try an adjustable height office that allows you to sit down for part of the working day and represent the rest.
Make sure all the tools you need to do your job are remotely. According to Nicole Gabai , founder of B. Organized and the author of The art of organization , this is one of the simplest ways to maintain productivity while working at home.
The elements that you only use from time to time - talk, a printer or a webcam - can be placed in other areas of workspace. But keep the tools you use daily - such as a calculator, a planner or other basic supplies - to use on or inside your desk. In this way, you will not have to constantly interrupt your workflow when you have to recover something.
6. Find your "focus window".
istock
Are you the most concentrated when you start working in the morning for the first time, your energy resetting in the afternoon? Or do you tend to get the most of the day later? Everyone has different time windows in which he is the most productive, explains Langton. The key is to find your window and capitalize on it.
For example, if you know that you are mentally in your best early in the morning, you can plan to perform your most important or most draining tasks during this period - then take a break for races, meditation or exercise before to resume, less trying professional activities. Alternatively, if your energy increases over the day, you may want to start with easier tasks like responding to emails before gradually switching to these activities which require more brain power.
7. Select - and respect yourself - a starting and stoppage time.
Dropout
When you work at home, it is tempting to be cowardly with your schedule: start and stop each time you want. But experts do not recommend this approach.
"Especially if you work for yourself, set hours for your working day and try to stick to it," explains Bass.
Alexis Haselberger , time management, productivity and Leadership coach , worked at home for most of the last decade and has found that this strategy can help establish important limits. You may notice that you are likely to stay focused because you have time defined to get things done. You are also less likely to allow work to bleed in your personal life.
"Your end time should not be the same time every day, but decide in advance what time I will stop working on a day allows me to fully apply the principle of Parkinson's law - which declares that the Work develops to fill the allocated time, "explains Haselberger.
