How To Multiply Your Productivity When You Work From Home | Top Tips

Working from home is something that makes me happy. I can wake up just before the work starts. The best thing is, I can spend my time with my family, and I can find time for myself. I think working from home makes you work more confidently. For me, if you ask, I would love to work from home, because I don’t have to wake up early, wait for the bus, check the clock to find out when I can go back home.

Not every job is perfect. Everything in this world will have a bright and dark side. It is you who has to decide whether to choose the light or dark. Work form home has many pros and cons, but with the right strategy, you can make it perfect.

I want to make your work the perfect one. For that, first, I will show you its positives and negatives, and then I will help you out in making your freelancing job perfect.

Advantages of Work From Home

The best way to find out the advantages of working from home is by finding it yourself. Nobody else can know your work more than you. But just in case, if you find it hard I am here to state a few points myself.

1. No Expenses: When you work from home, you don’t have many expenses. No travel expenses, no rent, and no more money to spend on restaurant food.
2. No Office Politics: When you are not in the office, there are no gossips or office politics that could have bothered you if you were working full-time.
3. More Time With Family: You can spend more time with your family. If you are a working mother, it will be easy as you can work and take care of your children simultaneously. It will be easier for anyone who wants to take care of their family, and at the same time, wants to earn.
4. Can Stay Focused: In an office, you can’t have a personal space, but in your place, you can. You can opt for a place in your house which makes you well focused.
5. You Choose Your Office: You can design, arrange, and modify your workspace as you want. You can make your workspace more inspiring, more beautiful, and you can even make it your happy place.
6. You Can Get More Work Done: As you will be getting lesser distractions, a peaceful environment, your designated time, and many more, the chance of getting more work done will be high, provided that you should have a definite schedule fixed for all kinds of activities.
7. Less Stressful Environment: Stress is less when you are with your family. Your home is your comfort zone. So, pressure can step outside.
8. Quieter Atmosphere: In an office, you can’t find a peaceful place, but this is not the case in your house. You can decide where to set up your workspace as per your comfort.
9. Avoid Traffic: These days traffic is at its peak, so, when more people choose to work from home, it helps to avoid getting into the traffic which, in turn, helps in many ways. For instance, fewer chances to waste your precious time; lesser vehicles on road and pollution. Yes, you are helping yourself as well as the environment!
10. Flexible schedule: You can take a break whenever you want. You won’t have to eat your food in a fixed time or do anything as per a definite time. You are free to choose the time you feel is excellent.

Disadvantages of Work From Home

While pointing out the disadvantages, I don’t intend you to think that work from home is not good, but I need you to reconstruct these into benefits. Moreover, everyone needs to know the pros and cons in order to come up with good decision-making about whether working from home is for them or not.

1. Lack Of Office Equipment: You might have faced the lack of access to office equipment. You can’t possibly get your office equipment at home. Since you will have to buy your own stuff, this one gets into the list of disadvantages.
2. Chance Of Getting Distracted: You will be surely distracted when you work from home. Your children, parents, neighbors, or anyone else can turn up. So, the chance of getting distracted is high.
3. Isolation: One of the common disadvantages of work from home is isolation. At first, you will like the idea of working without getting disturbed, but later you will hate the idea of working alone.
4. Difficulty In Separating Work From Home: When you are at home, you tend to give attention to household works rather than to work. Therefore, you will find it difficult to draw a line between work and home. You will wash clothes, clean the room, and do everything other than the original work. On the flip side, you may also find yourself caught in your freelance work instead of other vital household duties. One needs to understand that there has to be the right balance between these two.
5. Work Doesn’t End: When you work in an office, a specific period is assigned to you (9 hours) and after working hours you can go home. But when you are at home, the work seems as if it won’t end.
6. Difficulty In Sticking To A Routine: If you find hard to stick to a routine if you regularly go to the office then have you ever thought how will it be while you work from home? In your office, superiors tend to watch you. But when you are at home, nobody is there to notice you or your work, which in turn makes anyone lazy to follow their routines.
7. Network Issues: You might hate to sit in the same place all day long. So, you have the liberty to choose different places to work, but there is a high possibility that the internet connectivity gets low.
8. Nobody to help you: In an office, other colleagues tend to help if you are in trouble. But this is not possible when you work from home. It is possible to contact them, but you can’t do anything if they don’t reply you or contact you back. There is a significant difference between literally training someone by being physically present and by virtually giving tutorials to study or understand.
9. No motivation: When you are in the office, your team leads or other people can motivate you. But the case is entirely different when you are at your home. There is absolutely no one to motivate you. In that case, you need to self-motivate.
10. Bad Reputation: Work from home has a bad reputation. Many of your relatives might have asked you about getting a “real” job. This is because they think that working from home is not a job. And if you are working from home, then you are not working at all in their opinion.

How To Multiply Productivity When You Work From Home?

Now that we have already discussed the advantages and limitations of freelancing work, it’s time to focus on how to multiply productivity when you work from home. As said earlier, the disadvantages can be made productive through various strategies, below points deliver exactly that. So, let’s learn more on this.

1. Workspace Tips

You should have a dedicated place for work, which can help you shift into a work mentality. You should also have a dedicated space, but make sure that you are not stuck there. If you feel uncomfortable, feel free to choose another location. Try to find a place near the window so that you can enjoy the natural light. If you think that windows distract you, do not consider it. Choose a place that has a moderate temperature. The room you choose shouldn’t be too cold or too hot.

It is always a good idea to color the walls of your home office. Have you ever thought how dull does it appear? Then don’t think too much. Simply say no to that dullness and paint the walls of your chosen colors.

Try to make changes in your surroundings. If you see the same things every day, you will be bored. So, be creative and try to make changes. For instance, change the decorations once in a while, make your surroundings more inspiring and energizing, etc. Also consider to be creative rather than buying up decorative items.

Last but not least, never stuff your table with too much items and never keep it empty either. Try to be somewhere in the middle instead.

2. Health Tips

While working from home, make sure that you care about your health. While working hard, you might forget about your physical state. So, it is necessary that you have the right kind of equipment that you are using in your working hours, such as a computer or a laptop. You must ensure that your computer is at the correct height and distance so that it does not strain your eyes, neck region, and upper and lower back.

Additionally, you should make sure that you have the correct lighting in your workspace. You will hurt your eyes if you don’t have proper lighting. Make sure that you have adequate lighting throughout the night. Also, adjust your computer’s or laptop’s screen’s brightness.

You should have a proper chair to work while at home. Don’t just buy any low-quality chair or any easily accessible kitchen seat. You must buy good quality chairs that will support your backbone.

Moreover, you should not sit on the chair all day long; take a quick break, walk around, stretch out, and come back. Indulge in something like a 5-minute exercise in your quick break. Apart from just moving your legs and hands, eye exercise also has many benefits.

Furthermore, if you want some happy or productive distraction, keep a plant on your table. It can liven and refresh your mind and body. Make sure to take care of the plant. You can have a fish aquarium as well.

3. Tips That Keep Us Organized

You will have to be very organized when working from home. You will not be under the surveillance of your employer. So, you have to take the initiative and make yourself orderly.

Keep everything you need close by so that you can grab it quickly. Like if you have a book that you need to always refer, keep it close. In fact, keep all important files and documents near you so that you won’t have to hurriedly find them out in the time of need.

The desk at your place is more personal to you than your office desk. So, to tell you simply, customize it yourself. It does not matter how the desk looks like. Just make sure that you are comfortable.

4. Communication Tips

At home, you are all alone, and nobody is there to assist you professionally. So, you have to take the initiative and learn the methods of communication. Various techniques including phone, email, text, instant messaging, video conferencing, etc. can be of great help.

Always be available when you get a call or an email. Return all the calls and mails as fast as possible. When you work from home, the employers may become suspicious if you don’t return the calls and reply to the emails.

Working from home won’t give you the acknowledgment of coworkers. Hence, ask them to reply to the email so that you know that they have seen it. Thus you can feel acknowledged even at home.

In addition to this, while at home, make sure that you make notes of the meetings and share the meeting notes with the team; be available for the meetings/conferences that happen virtually. If you attend all the meetings, all your team members will come to know about your involvement in work assignments.

5. Schedule Tips

Yes, you are working from home, and you can work flexibly, but it is a must that you should set a specific time. If you don’t fix a time, you won’t feel systematized. After all, nobody wants to go crazier!

After setting the time, make sure that you have set the time in which you can work the best and be productive. Be focused while you work from home. Your boss is not there to pressure you to complete the project.

Even if you are not working hourly, make sure to check your working hours. You can check the time you took to complete the work and productivity. It is a must that you should take breaks for your health, productivity, and freshness.

Along with taking a break, don’t forget to reward yourself for your work. Find what motivates you and reward yourself with that. For example, watching your favorite TV show, eating your favorite food, etc.

At times, you may feel like quitting, but never quit. It might be hard at times but not impossible. Just work on something else, distract your mind, and later, try again.

6. Working With Family Tips

You should not allow anyone to enter your workspace. And everyone in the house should know about your work like when to interrupt and when not. Try to put a Stop sign outside your workspace, just like we see traffic signals. Red paper on your door means do not disturb, green means they can come in, and yellow means check and come in.

Additionally, your office phone and laptop are not toys for kids. Make sure to instruct everyone not to touch the office stuff.

7. Human Interaction Tips

The primary point you have to keep in mind is to keep connecting with people. At least once in a while, walk out of your house and meet other people. Personal interaction means meeting anyone. It can be your spouse, kids, parents, or even a nice stranger. Such kinds of activities may help to multiply your productivity.

Know about yourself. You are the only person who knows how much human interaction you need. Then decide how, where, in what ways should you meet people. It can be a peaceful cafe or a park.

Once in a while, it is recommended to go and eat out. It can refresh your mind from the dullness of sitting inside a room all day. If you choose to go to a cafe for change, try to support the local shops near you so that they won’t disappear.

8. Juggling Work and Home Tips

You should be able to separate work and home life. Never work after a set time limit. You should turn off your computer and stop checking the emails after the time has been gone.

Never make your entire home as your workspace. Limit your work to the home office (location in your home where you prefer to work) and not to spill it to the kitchen table.

Apart from this, never work too much. Too much efforts will leave you unsatisfied because you will begin to expect from your employer for more, such as monthly pay scale. By overworking, you are narrowing your self-time and family time.

Further, when you work from home, the chance of getting promoted is less. You can fight it by interacting more with the staff, and they will remember you. But you must not be worried about your career when working from home. Be always heard. That’s it!

Ayoti provides platform for women who are willing to work from home and earn wages. If you think that you are capable enough to give yourself the chance to manage your household chores as well as a full-time freelancer then join our hands!