If you work from a home office, you already know how challenging it can sometimes be. Working from home no doubt has its perks, but there are many drawbacks, especially when it’s new to you. Learn how to take control of your work with Home Office Hacks to Elevate Your Productivity.
Home Office Hacks to Elevate Your Productivity
Eat Lunch
Even if you’ve never been a lunch or breakfast person, eating one or both meals is one of the essential Home Office Hacks to Elevate Your Productivity. Your brain needs fuel for focus, and these meals provide that. Without eating breakfast or lunch, you may experience brain fog throughout the day. You will be less likely to produce high-quality work when you haven’t fed your brain.
Take Breaks
Breaks are so essential when working from home. Without the camaraderie you would have in an office setting, your day can be less or more productive without chatter. This can be a pro or a con, depending on how you slice it. Without co-workers, you can become so focused that you lose sight of the time.
This may be good for some projects independently but not great for your eyes or your back. Breaks give you a refresh and allow you to get back to work more efficiently. Allow your eyes to wander off the screen about every 20 minutes to give them a break from the computer. Breaks are an excellent way to prevent stress or, at the very least, decrease it.
Decorate Your Office
Your office is your haven. You have much more creative freedom decorating your office at home. You can do whatever you want. Bring those Pinterest board ideas to life!
Since you are at home, feel free to make it feel homey. While you’ll want to have the essentials – desk, chair, files, etc. – you don’t need to replicate your old stuffy office. Have a pet bed by your desk so your furry friend can keep you company. Plan a photoshoot with your family or partner and create a gallery wall above your desk. Fill the space with things you love, and it’ll inspire you to do your best.
Get Some Plants
Natural light boosts performance, so having your desk by a window is perfect for a home office. Natural light is also excellent for plants that breathe life into your workspace. Indoor plants have a few other benefits you can enjoy as well.
Plants also clean the air around them. Any medium-sized plant will reduce the number of chemicals in the air in your office, making you less likely to have allergies and just promoting an overall better working environment. They also reduce noise levels and encourage creativity. Plants and other elements of nature can help you concentrate and boost your productivity.
Get Dressed
Staying in your pajamas all day might be the most exciting thing about working from home. You have the freedom to do that if you wish. However, your work might suffer from it. It might sound strange, but getting dressed for your day puts you in a more productive state of mind. So does putting on your shoes.
If you love to be barefoot, put on some shoes that you can easily slip on and off throughout your work day. Putting on your shoes puts you in a more active state of mind, just like getting dressed does. When you work from your couch or bed, you will be much more relaxed and not as focused on accomplishing tasks. You will have a more productive work day when you get up, move, get dressed, and put on your shoes.
Set Boundaries
No matter how many times you tell them, it can be challenging for people to adjust to the idea that you are working when you work from home. It’s a common generalization that people working from home are not working. It’s the dream to work from home, so many people can be jealous and not respect your work time.
The drawbacks of working from home are not widely known and something you can only fully understand once you’ve experienced it. Set firm boundaries with family and friends so they can respect the time you have to spend working. Having a door to your home office would be ideal, but it isn’t necessary as long as you have boundaries.
Screen or Monitor
If you use a laptop to work from home, invest in an external monitor. A bigger screen on your desk is a game changer for your eyes and neck, especially if you use a smaller laptop like a Chromebook. Monitors are available with different features and sizes, so they can often fit into any budget.
Having an additional screen can help with multitasking as well. For example, research can be done on one screen while you write on another. This can also reduce the amount of switching back and forth between tabs on your browser, which can decrease productivity.
Elevating Your Home Office Hacks to Elevate Your Productivity
Working from home can be a luxury, so take advantage of its perks. Utilize flexible work hours to get your appointments and responsibilities taken care of. Take enough breaks to make the most of your work hours and be as productive as possible within your specified work times. Use these tips and more to enhance your work-from-home life.