Last Updated on July 7, 2024 by Team Experts

By now, you must have thought several times to be productive a thousand times while working from home but never actually did anything you thought of. Remote working has been a delight, but it has definitely affected our productivity. And if data is to be believed, a Slack report shows that 31% of people who started working remotely recently shared that their productivity suffered. 

 In this article, we will try to answer your question as to how you can stay productive when working from home  with a remote work tool and get a lot more done while staying sane and energized.  Many companies are also investing in remote employee management software for better data collection and efficiency.

Let’s admit that not being productive adds stress to our already strained lifestyle. The productivity tips shared here will help you to not only be more productive at work but in your daily life. 

1. Create a workstation and set a routine

Our minds are attached to places. Like the office activates you as your brain is trained to know that you must work when you are at the office. Similarly, when you are at home, your brain considers it a place to relax and chill. To get out of that zone, create a separate workstation for yourself at home dedicatedly for your office work. Put some effort into making it a space that ignites your creativity, motivates you and prompts you to work instead of distracting you. Start by dedicating a separate room for work and setting up a desk with all the equipment required by you.

 At the office we have a schedule, we take breaks, go for lunch, etc. To get into the mode of working, create a routine, set your working hours, set time for lunch, breaks and a few stretches along the day to keep your energy up. Follow this same routine every day to train your brain that this is the time to work. Keep the home chores, exactly as you would keep them when you would go to the office- early in the morning or in the evening after work. 

Also Read : 12 Greatest Challenges the Virtual Teams Are Facing Now

2. Set priorities- learn organization

Without the setup of the office and hierarchy, it is difficult to prioritize tasks and stick to them,So start by learning to organize things.

• Make a to-do list
• Structure your day with work using this very popular urgent important matrix

• Talk to your co-workers to keep things clear and streamlined
• Avoid distractions by recognizing you are getting distracted. Get yourself back to work. This needs practice but don’t give up. Recognizing that you are distracted is the first step to avoid distractions. Practice it more and more.

3. Use tools available at your disposal

Since you will be spending a lot of time at your work from home setup it is important that working from home becomes easy. Invest in a good chair and table, back support if required, standing desk, etc.

Apart from these physical tools to aid your work from home setup, try the cloud-based remote work tool and apps that are specially designed to help remote working like:

 Google Drive for easy document sharing

• Toggl and TimeCamp for time tracking
• Google calendar for schedule
• Notion for taking notes and a lot of other things
• Asana, Monday from managing projects
• Slack, Trello for connecting with team members
• Zoom, Google meets for meetings, etc.

4. Define boundaries for yourself

A major part of staying productive at work includes self-discipline. Setting a boundary of workspace and bed space or entertainment space helps your brain to know the importance of that area. Set boundaries for the amount of time you work and set boundaries for when you can be disturbed.

 · You immediately get on to your work mode when you switch to the workstation from your bed.

· Since you are working from home, you cannot completely let go of chores. So, it is better to allot time to them whether in the evening after office hours or for weekends.

· Involve your family members to create an environment where everyone understands the working hours and respects that, supporting each other in being productive. 

Also Read : 10 productivity apps to achieve more

5. Self-Care

You might easily fall into the trap that you are at home so why do you need self-care? Well, self-care has nothing to do with whether we are working from home or from the office. It is a daily practice that we should include in our habits.

• Exercise every day for a few minutes to kickstart the day with energy and staying healthy. It has a positive effect not only on your physical health but also on your mental health.
• Go outside for a walk, get some fresh air and sunlight. This helps in clearing your head and motivates you, brings positivity.
• Take a nap in the afternoon. This has proved very useful for maintaining the same energy level as you have in the morning.
• Make time for family and spend time doing something you enjoy

Conclusion

Working from home with remote work tools  is the new reality and to ace this you must stay ahead in planning things and making the most of it. Start small and continue bringing these small tips into your life. As they add up, they will give you results and prove to bring a positive change in your life.