5 Tips for maintaining productivity while working remotely

It’s safe to say that COVID 19 has taught us a lot. One of the greatest things that it has taught us is that we can be productive away from a brick and mortar location.

Video or audio, Zoom, Skype, or Google Meet have now become a part of the norm, as companies have sent employees to work from home. Companies now understand that their employees not only enjoy working remotely but are just as productive working remotely as they were in an actual office. Before the pandemic, only 5% of American workers worked from home. When the pandemic hit, that number increased to over 60%.

Maintain Productivity

Have a dedicated workspace. Creating a home office away from family and other distractions can allow you to maintain focus and stay on task. Even if this office is a temporary makeshift space — such as a guest room, basement, attic, or walk-in closet — this can help you mentally separate work from home.

Dress the part. Yes, working in your pajamas sounds like fun but choosing to wear business casual clothing does something to us psychologically and will lead to additional productivity. Dressing up for yourself can also mentally help you feel better, thus making it easier to focus on checking important tasks off your list.

Set Priorities. Working remotely can be full of distractions. Setting priorities will help to keep us task-oriented and focused on the goals necessary to accomplish the work that needs to be done. Work should be prioritized. Maintain a written checklist and manually check off the list as each task is accomplished.

Set Boundaries. Learn to say no. Refuse to commit to more projects when you’re already overloaded. Tell yourself there’s a limit to what you can do. When you say yes but mean no, you’re not taking good care of your mental and physical health.

Take Time For Yourself. Self-care is critical to maintaining productivity. Stepping away from the laptop or desktop and taking time to breathe, stretch, walk the dog, etc can boost energy and take your mind off of work. Forbes Magazine has posted an article about “mindful productivity” that you will find helpful in your quest for remote work-life balance.