Four years ago when I entered the workforce, the pandemic was in full swing and most companies were recruiting remote workers.
This popular trend helped the tech industry to experience a boom. Thanks to remote work, companies were able to cut operational costs; they were able to hire people based on their skills without focusing on their location.
Similarly, employees were able to save on commute costs, get better work opportunities based on skillset, and enjoy better work-life balance. However, just a few years later, more companies are expecting their employees to get back to the office. Even big companies like Amazon, Apple, IBM, JPMorgan, BlackRock, Citigroup, Disney, Goldman Sachs, and even Google are trying to get their employees to work from the office.
The shocking reason is – the loss of productivity.
More remote workers are struggling to meet deadlines and show improvement in skill and productivity. A study reported by Forbes and conducted by Stanford’s Institute for Economic Policy and Research shows a nearly 10%-20% drop in productivity for full-time remote workers.
This means that more companies will come forth, encouraging their employees to start working from the office in the future. To put a stop to this situation, the employees need to boost productivity and meet deadlines.
Top Tips to Help You Boost Productivity While Working From Home
If you are a remote worker, struggling with productivity, here are some tried and tested tips to help you improve workflow and boost productivity.
Stable Internet
In a remote working setup, steady communication is very important. Most remote teams rely heavily on online chat, voice calls, and video conference software for regular updates and daily meetings. Moreover, companies also use performance-monitoring tools i.e., Time Doctor, to ensure employees are working.
In case, your internet is lagging, your communication with the team can be delayed, which will eventually affect the overall performance. So, it is better to have a good internet connection. I am a Mediacom user, and I have never faced this issue.
With the stable internet offered by Mediacom, my audio and video calls are never jiggery. Moreover, I send media files all the time, and I also have to update software, which is effortless with Mediacom Internet.
Dedicated Place
Having a proper workplace is always important. Most of the remote workers wake up and start working from their beds. When I started working remotely, I didn’t have a dedicated space as well. On most days, my kitchen counter was my workspace, while on some days, I would use the living room sofa as my worktable.
As a result, I noticed my productivity was decreasing. I was distracted all the time. My manager pointed out that I had more typos in my email, and my tasks were late all the time.
To deal with this issue, I set up a home office space. The space was quite small but there was less distraction, which eventually helped me get my mojo back. Within just three weeks of setting my homework space, my productivity became better and communication with the team became seamless.
Eliminate Distractions
As a remote worker, my biggest issue was getting distracted. On most days, I would keep my laptop open but spend more time on my phone scrolling through Instagram or watching my favorite Spanish shows. I mean, can you blame me? As a Medicome subscriber, I had access to a huge variety of Spanish shows. So getting distracted was understandable.
To deal with this issue, I separated my work gadgets from my gadgets, stopped working in my living room, set up a dedicated workspace, and blocked all social media apps during working hours. This helped me improve my productivity exceptionally. On most days, I would complete my work before the break, which gave me enough time to ensure quality.
Moreover, I separated my entertainment time to watch my favorite Spanish shows. If you are a Mediacom customer, you can find the guia de canales Mediacom on their website and set an alarm for your favorite shows. This can be a valuable resource for discovering new shows and planning your viewing schedule.
Planning Dashboard
Writing a to-do list is the easiest way to stay organized. While most people encourage writing daily tasks in journals and diaries, keeping a physical diary can be very difficult. This is the reason, there are so many workflow management tools and to-do list apps available in the market.
I would recommend using at least one workflow management dashboard for daily work-related tasks and at least one app for daily personal work. For workflow, you can use apps like Trello, Jira, or Asana, whereas ToDoist or Evernote are good for personal use. In case, you do not want to buy an app, you can also use the Notes app on your phone.
Follow Office Time
Most companies offer flexible work timing for their remote workers. Employee has time stamping software installed in their system so keeping track of daily work hours is easier. However, flexibility also means you can wake up at 2 pm and go to bed at 5 am.
Most remote workers with flexible work hours lose discipline in life. This eventually affects their lifestyle and reduces their quality of life. A good way to deal with this issue is to follow the standard office time. It will help you to streamline your communication as well as improve your overall quality of life. You will sleep on time and get to separate work and personal life.
Tools to Boost Productivity When Working From Home
Workflow Management – Monday.com, Jira, Asana, Trello
Daily Task Management – Evernote, Todoist, Note App
Removing Distraction – Freedom, Pawblock, SelfControl, Appblock
