By: Jennifer McKune

It might seem like a while ago that we discussed how to
adjust to working at home, it was slightly over two months, the time has flown
by!  Crazy right!?! I believe we have all
adjusted, for the most part, to working at home, probably just in time for us
to come back to the office.  But if that
isn’t the case and you are still working from home, let’s discuss tips on how
to increase your productivity. 

• Mindful about communication avenues.
  • Always be mindful of how you are communicating
    things whether it’s an update or asking a question, you need to know what kind
    of communications are effective to make yourself the most productive.  While instant messaging or emailing may be
    appropriate and effective with some people or in some situations, other times
    they can make things less productive. Think about this: instant messaging or
    emailing might feel quick and easy, but the amount of time it takes to
    type/craft, make sure tone or language isn’t misunderstood, and wait for a
    response it would have been easier to pick up the phone to have a quick conversation
    and get the answer or update you needs faster. 
    Just be mindful how you communicate when it comes to increasing your
    productivity.
• Create structure.
  • Whether or not you like schedule everything out or
    you like to wing it, creating even a little structure in your schedule can help
    you increase your productivity.  Through
    prioritizing and structuring your calendar, accordingly, you can help your
    brain focus on one thing at a time as much as possible, things will come up.  If, however, you are looking down a long list
    of To-Do’s and a whole day to complete them, you may find yourself looking at
    all the squirrels.  By creating structure
    and assigning times to different tasks can allow your brain to only focus on
    the task at hand and becoming more productive. 
• Allow time to re-focus.
  • You may think that ‘Hey, I don’t have a commute
    anymore and I work more hours a day therefore, I’m already very productive!’  Careful with idea, just because you work
    longer doesn’t mean you are more productive.  Be sure to take breaks and allow yourself to
    re-focus.  This is especially true when
    you are stuck on a problem, walk away, and come back to it when you have a had
    break from it and can re-focus.  While
    create your structure from the last bullet, make sure you schedule a break or
    two!  Giving yourself a break, allows you
    to come back more refreshed and more productive.
• Create space.
  • This will look different for everybody but it’s
    important when it comes to increasing your productivity. Whether you’re an extrovert
    at home working with kids stuck to your hip or an introvert trying to make a
    tiny apartment a workable environment with roommates, we all need space to
    think and focus.  And no matter how much
    you claim to be a multi-tasker, your brain just isn’t wired that way, so in
    order for us to increase our productivity we need to get rid of the
    distractions for at least part of the time and create space to think and
    focus.  That way you don’t have to
    re-read this paragraph five times to understand what I’m saying.  Get creative about making the space you need
    to be distraction free: consider working at non-business hours (early morning
    or late nights) to ensure you have space to think and focus, consider collaborating
    with your roommate’s schedule to ensure there is time where nobody is on the
    phone and both of you have space to think and focus, and like mentioned before
    with some structure in your calendar you can also create that space you need to
    think and focus.

I hope you find these tips to be helpful as we can become
more productive at home.  What additional
tips and tricks have you learned that you would like to share? Add them to the
comment section below.