There are a number of factors that affect the quality of output when working from home. The main culprit is of course, procrastination. In a home environment, distractions manifest in household pets, children, or the simple temptation of strolling to the fridge in your pyjamas for last night’s lasagne.
Here are my top three tips for maintaining your productivity even in a home office setting:
- Stay accountable
Accountability is the secret ingredient to productive remote work.
The ‘lonetrepreneur’ can feel distanced from company achievements or setbacks. Ensure that your successes are celebrated, and your failures are accepted with full responsibility. Online collaboration tools can help to share your deadlines and ensure your tasks are made crystal clear to yourself and the entire team.
- Set boundaries at home
Whilst it is important to sit away from the TV, stay away from social media and remove distracting objects, the home worker must also be mindful about setting boundaries with housemates. In a similar way that co-workers may prove to be distracting in the office, family or roommates can also divert your valuable attention. You can leave your co-workers at the end of the working day, your housemates require a different approach in terms of communication and emotion. At home, the remote worker will need to be much more sensitive, especially to family. This requires setting boundaries and expectations with your loved ones, which can then be reinforced with positivity.
- Create a fun zone
While it is important to stay focused and productive, it is equally important to create a ‘fun zone,’ where the remote worker can interact with colleagues in a more relaxing, social setting. For example, creating a ‘water cooler’ area in your collaboration system allows for general chitchat, team camaraderie and mutual support during projects, in turn replacing face-to-face communications.
Working from home is a convenient alternative for many, and by collaborating effectively, can prove to be an extremely rewarding, efficient, and productive option.
By Andrew Filev, CEO and founder of Wrike
