How to be productive working from home

Honestly, I still can't believe that we've been through MCO for close to two months.

It has been tough going through the whole transition of the work culture but somehow we managed to adapt to the "new normal".

There might be some people who are still having difficulty adjusting to the whole work-from-home culture so here are a few things that I personally have been doing to be as productive as I was in the office, if not more.

Have a To-do-Checklist

There are a ton of distractions that you are susceptible to at home. Just to name a few:

• Your smartphone
• Your bed
• Your family

And if you are distracted, it is way harder to get back into the "flow" so that you can complete your work.

Also, it is very easy to overshoot your break times (5 minutes can easily become 20 minutes) since there are many things that can eat away your time if you are not mindful of what you do.

Therefore, having a to-do-checklist can help to remind you of what's crucial for the day and also act as a momentum boost every time you check one item off the list.

Cultivate a morning routine

My morning consists of waking up, taking a cold shower, making my Dalgona-coffee and a 7-min meditation exercise before I start switching on my laptop.

I find it easier for me to ease into starting work after these rituals.

This is a behavioral concept called conditioning.

All these morning habits are a way to signal our brain to prepare for war (or rather work) instead of us rushing into it without being mentally prepared.

If we are mentally prepared, completing tasks will require less effort which equals higher productivity and less likely to be burnt out.

Know your preferred working environment

I know being at home, our options are limited within our living space.

However, knowing what helps you focus is actually even more crucial because this will save you so much time in completing tasks.

In my case, I always prefer my space to be:

1. Not too cluttered with stuff because it affects my mood
2. Having lofi music on my earphones (sometimes it's just wearing them on without music)
3. A cup of hot/cold coffee (decaf works too) helps to anchor me into work
4. A cooling room (I hate hot places)

I find that by having the above environment in place, I am less likely to be distracted and able to follow through even the most boring work with more productivity.

This is just my take on what works for me in helping with my productivity at home.

Feel free to share what's working for you in the comments so others can benefit from your sharing as well! Stay safe and may the force be with you.