18 Productivity Hacks: Work from home tips to get more done
By: Krishna Veni
Tags: Work From Home, Productivity Tips, Productivity Tools, Work Tips, Productivity Hacks

If you are anything like me, you like working from home but when you sit to actually get something done, you get distracted by cute cat videos, random depressing news and frequent hungers pangs. Do you want to learn the art of being productive and get more done while working from home? Here are 18 productivity hacks that can help you remove distractions, efficiently prioritise and get more work done.

1. Work near natural light

Did you know that studies have shown that workplaces with good daylight have a 30–40% gain in productivity and sales? Sunlight also improves your sleep in the night, thereby improving your well-being and hence your ability to work better. Place your work desk near a window or at least sit near an open window for a couple of hours during the day to see some amazing benefits on your mood, concentration and productivity.

2. Keep a pen and a writing pad nearby always

Relying only on your memory is quite unreliable when you have to get a lot of things done, specially the smaller annoying tasks! For example, filling timesheets.

Don’t take this risk, write down everything you need to do. Keep a pen and pad nearby and keep writing every time something pops into your head. You can also use mobile apps like ToDoList or Evernote, to keep track of every task you have to get done.

3. Use the Effort Impact Matrix method

This one is more strategic in nature. The Impact vs Effort matrix is a decision-making tool which can help you manage your time more efficiently by prioritising your tasks based on the level of effort required to do it and potential benefits or impact it will have. Slot all of your tasks in this matrix, and this will help you decide which ones to focus on first and which ones are to be avoided or ignored. Simple focus on quick wins and major projects — to efficiently utilise your time and to see long-term benefits.

4. Use Website Blockers for Distracting Content

With no one to really manage you while working from home, it is easy to kill your productivity by watching distracting content. Start using website blockers. Just Google “your browser” and “site blocker,” you’ll easily find a great one to use.

5. Use a Project Management/Task Management tool

When you have a team to handle, or just have many different tasks to do, using a project management tool like Trello, Monday.com or Asana can help you organize your tasks within team members, share ideas, track and assign tasks. There are plenty of free options available, choose one which suits your field and style of work.

6. Create an Inspirational Board or Reminder

Keeping yourself inspired while working on your own is very challenging. Create a vision board, or an inspiration board with reminders which can help you stay motivated, stay on track and remind you of your bigger goals. You can choose to create it digitally or make a physical one. Make it a point to keep it somewhere where you can look it at often! You can also watch this video on my YouTube channel to create a digital vision board.

7. Keep Your Nibbles ready

I don’t know about you, but having the kitchen and food probably just 15 secs away from my desk table always makes me feel hungry. Keep some healthy snacks like a fruit or dry fruits to avoid zoning out or to avoid those frequent trips to the kitchen.

8. Make Time for a Nap

Sleeping has always had a bad image and is shamed for being unproductive and lazy, but many companies have started investing to ensure that their employees are better rested. Lots of research shows that a nap of about 20 minutes in the afternoon has a positive effect on attention mood and alertness, making you feel rejuvenated, improving focus and productivity. Nike’s headquarters in Portland has rooms where employees can sleep or meditate. Ben & Jerry’s has a nap room at its headquarters. Google has its famous sleep pods! Many countries like Spain and China have mandated afternoon nap-time in office! So, for those of you who have the luxury of being a bit more flexible with your work timings, try taking an afternoon nap. Of course, a nap here means 15–20 mins and not a 3-hour break from work!

9. Get some office plants

You might not realise it, but having these green-friends on your desk or in your room can subtly have many amazing benefits on your mood and stress levels. Studies have shown that they improve concentration and productivity by up to 15%! So, get yourself some indoor plants today!

10. Declutter

A clean desk is a clean mind! If there are 100 things fighting for attention in your work space, it can be difficult to focus. Regularly organize and declutter things to have a stress-free and clear work environment.

11. Kill the social media Notifications

No, you don’t really need to know what’s happening in everyone’s life all the time!

12. Have Consistent morning routine

Starting your day right can have a major impact on the rest of the day. Find out what kind of a morning routine works for you and stick to it. Maybe it’s going for a small walk or meditating for 15 mins, find out what helps you get started on the right note and stick to it to see its benefits on productivity in the long run.

13. Make time to eat

On a busy day, it’s always one office call after the other, one meeting after the other, and this somehow gets pushed to the end. Have your meals at a regular time to ensure you are able to maintain higher levels of productivity throughout the day.

14. Track progress

At the end of the day, make a quick note of what you have done and what’s left. When we track our work, we are able to focus on important things that we need to do and ensure that we are moving in the right direction. Tracking also makes our goal setting easier by breaking big tasks into smaller steps that makes it easier to start and finish tasks.

15. Track your time

This is something I started recently and it has had a major impact on how I look at my work. Use a time-tracking app like Toggl, to note down what you are working on and for how long. It gives daily, weekly or monthly reports of how much time you have spent on what activity and this gives you a very realistic picture of where you need to spend more time off or where you are wasting more time than needed.

16. Make your breaks count

Having the right breaks is important to make sure that you actually feel refreshed and are ready to work again! A small walk, listening to music or just moving your body around is helpful, they are essential for your physical and mental health, prevent decision fatigue, increase your productivity and creativity and keep you motivated for a longer duration.

17. Make grand gestures

If you have an enormous task coming up, making some temporary grand changes can help you stay more focused. Maybe have a no social media day, wake up at 5 AM for a month, or no Netflix for a week. These are temporary discomforts, but challenging yourself this way can create a sense of importance and urgency and keep you more motivated.

18. Make time for inspiration

Inspiration always doesn’t strike. If you keep waiting for it you might never actually find it. Specially if your work involves lot of creative ideation, take time to do things which can boost your creativity in the long run. Make time to watch interesting movies, read books, listening to something different — you will find that this will come to you later when you need it the most.