Plans & Vibes Archive - Working from home - staying productive and distraction free

Flexible working arrangements, such as working from home is becoming increasingly common these days. There have been so many studies that even show that most staff, particularly millennials, would choose greater flexibility in their workplace than higher pay. With technology these days, it is so easy to stay connected and contactable throughout the workday without having to physically be in the office. I definitely don’t think working remotely can completely replace office based work at this point in time, we still need close working relationships with our colleagues. But it is a great thing to be able to do if you can.

I consider myself so lucky to work for such a great organisation that allows me to work from home. My previous employer wasn’t so supportive of this style of working, so i really appreciate the flexibility. Working from home can be amazingly productive, but there is a knack to not getting distracted. These are a few tips that i have learnt (by trial and error) along the way.

1. Technology

   Make sure you are contactable via phone/ instant chat/ email. Not being physically present at the office is noticed, and these days colleagues/ clients etc do not mind this. However, you need to make it seem like you are just as (if not more) available than if you were in the office - unless otherwise communicated of course. You don’t want flexible work to reflect poorly on you, especially if you are highly productive on these days!

2. Choose the beginning of the working week to work from home

   I do this because i do my cleaning on the weekend. So if the house is already clean i wont feel tempted to clean the house instead of working! I hate working in a messy space.

3. Set yourself some clear tasks to get done

   I find working from home especially useful when you have a million emails you need to catch up on, or a report that has been waiting for your review. Make sure you set yourself a to-do list that you can check off during the day. If you don’t do this you will find it easy to get distracted by other things that pop up in a different work environment.

4. Follow the same morning routine

   Follow the same morning routine as if you were going into the office. If you get up at 5.30am to walk the dog - do the same (or make just allow a half hour sleep in). This will help keep you in the ‘working mind-set’ and not feel like a weekend day.

Do you get to work flexibly? How do you make sure you get the most out of your working from home days? Share your tips in the comments below!

H xx