5 Tips for Working from Home Efficiently

2020-03-27 14:33:42 • Yovanee Veerapen

COVID-19 Mauritius, here we are all locked inside our sweet home with our lovely ones. While some will be totally off duty many will have to work from home, same as what I have been doing for the past 11 months! From my personal experience, believe me it's not that simple and infact, it's quite challenging as you have so many distractions around (kids, family members, housechores, foooood..). Find below 5 main tips which can help you work from home efficiently. 1. Set a Healthy Morning Routine This is the time to do it! We always say we would love to have the time in the morning to be able to do this and that. Now is the time people, make the most of it and work on setting your morning routine together with the family. Wake up early, breathe, exercise and eat a real breakfast. After two weeks you will be see it will become a habit and you will be able to do it even when going out for work. For sure you will have less time but it will work. 2. Dress Up! Yes, put on an outfit and brush your hair just as if you are going to office. I know it's so tempting to work in the so-cozy pajamas but nooo, it's a mistake here as eventually this will make you feel pretty low and lazy. You are a professional so even when working at home you have to look like a pro. It's really motivating and put you in the working mood right away. Well, I must admit there are days where I do end up working in my gym outfit though. 3. Define your work space & hours. Set out a space where you can go everyday just for work and set your hours too. Communicate to the family members about your office space and working time so that they know where and when you will be working and do not disturb you. You need to be strict with yourself on the time set else you can end up working way more hours or you can spend too much time floating around getting very little done. 4. Schedule your day. Sounds simple but this is essential as it's easy to get carried away when working at home with all the distractions around. Schedule your day and make checklists of what you need to get done. For example: I always keep the first 30 minutes to plan my agenda for the day and list down my priority tasks, the next 1 hour is to check and reply my emails and so on... Set your daily targets and stick to them. 5. Take breaks & Exercise Try to take 15 minutes break away from the computer every hour and use this time to do some exercise (stretching, arm circle, knee bend, leg raise,..), drink water, eat fruits & nuts and get some sunshine. Don't forget your lunch break, it's important to nourish your body well and you can even relax a bit after eating. Above all, enjoy it! Working from home is no excuse to be a lazy bones. You are a professional and you should take the steps to act like one. To sum up, be reachable, get dressed, connect with the outdoors and you are well on your way to a productive life in the same place where you sleep.