Time management can help you to be more productive than most of your office counterparts — especially if you are working from home these days. An article published on CNBC about remote work productivity showed that people who work from home were more productive when handling creative tasks.
On the flip side, employees who work from home are also prone to distractions. So, we have two antiparallel worlds, where a remote worker may be optimally productive while working from home or be heavily distracted and do a less-than-quality job.
The truth is everybody wants to be productive, whether working from home or in the office, but the reason why distractions are getting the better part of you is you don’t know how to manage time while working from home.
This article will teach you how to boost productivity for remote work, and you’ll also learn how to create a work-life balance while working from home.
Why Time Management Is Important for Remote Workers
An article about remote work on BusinessNewsDaily showed that remote workers work 1.4 more days per month (about three extra weeks per year) than workers in offices. The same article also showed that 29% of remote workers claim they struggle with establishing a work-life balance.
Remote workers need to master time management so that they can create a work-life balance. There’s no joy in productive at work, while your family sees you as a monster who only cares about work.
On the flip side, you can satisfy your family by spending chunks of time with them, including your dog, while doing less-than-average work that negatively tells your company.
Learning how to manage time while working from home is vital for remote employees to give their best to work and have enough time to spend and have fun with family members and friends.
The following tips will help you manage your time efficiently so that you can be productive at work and have enough time to do other essential things:
1. Plan Each Day
Many people do not know how important it is to plan their day until they attempt it. Planning your day helps you to clear your mind on what you are going to do and what you are going to avoid. It also helps you to know precisely how you’re going to execute your tasks for the day.
The best time to plan every day of work is the night before because when you do so, your subconscious mind will work on it while you’re asleep. When you wake up, you’ll feel a rush of energy and be ready to knuckle down to your tasks.
A straightforward way to plan is to write all your tasks for the day. List them according to their importance, and resolve not to do any other project that is not on your list, unless it is imperative. You should also ensure that you execute the tasks in their order of priority on your list.
2. Act Like You Are Going to Work
So many theories and studies have shown that the way we act towards things often express the value we have for them. Did you know that dressing up corporately as if you were going to your company office can change your attitude to work from home?
Resuming work from home at the same time you would resume at your company office, or even earlier will also affect your attitude towards working from home. Acting like you’re going to a physical office requires discipline, but it’s a set up to be more productive.
3. Use Time Management Tools
Once you have written a list that contains all your tasks for the day in their order of importance, you need to use a tool that will help you to follow through on your lists. Using time tracking apps can help you stay on top of your work within the shortest time possible.
If you have a remote team, it is even more important to use time tracking apps like Traqq, which can help you monitor the progress of your employee in real-time. Traqq also has many other vital features that can help you boost productivity for remote work.
4. Keep Your Phone Away
The real thing to keep away is not your phone but distractions. However, what’s our biggest distraction all over the world today, if not our phones? It’s so easy to get whatever is pleasurable from your mobile phone with a single click.
Keep your phone far from you as much as is possible. If you have to receive important work emails and messages, you can set up your computer to receive those messages instead. However, if you must use your phone, you can resolve to check it every three hours only.
5. Take a Lunch Break
Don’t be a sit-for-several-hours person, or you will burn yourself out quickly. Take a lunch break, no matter how short, and use that time to talk to your family and friends. The saying that “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” is common but ever-accurate.
You can set your lunch break to be about 30 minutes. Immediately after your lunch break, stop everything you are doing, and get back to work.
6. Talk to Your Family About Your Remote Work
No matter how well you try to create a work-life balance, your family will probably still feel uncomfortable about you not being accessible the way they want, unless they aren’t at home, of course.
By talking to them about how important it is for you to learn how to manage time while working from home, you will not only help them understand you better but also get a lot of creative tips and ideas from them.
7. Rest If You Need to Unwind
You may have written down your to-do list and are doing your best to complete the tasks for the day. However, when your body calls for immediate rest, don’t delay so that you won’t pay a weightier price.
You can talk to your organization to give you some time to rest or to defer your tasks for the day. More importantly, you should see your health specialist when something like this happens. They’ll help you detect the problem and tell you what to do to get better.
Conclusion
You may have the best experience if you learn how to manage time while working from home. Using time management apps can align with your willpower to create a disciplined time management routine, boost productivity for remote work, and help you establish a balance between your work and your personal life.
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