With current times being so crazy, it can be hard to strike a routine. All of us are at home and navigating the obstacle of working from home. It can be hard to focus on your job when you’re at home. This is thanks to constant distractions, improper work environments, pets, kids and so on.
While you may not be able to eliminate all those distractions, you can take the time to organize your day so that you don’t notice them as much and can get down to work.
1. Get in a routine
To help avoid distractions, make a routine for your entire day. Set time aside for certain activities and stick to it!
Doing this will help cut down on your chance of steering away from the task at hand. You’ll be less likely to scroll through Instagram when you’re scheduled to be working on a blog post.
This even applies to free time - plan all of your breaks. Set a timer to ensure that you’re not taking a longer break than you intended to. This will keep you and your assignments on track.
2. Use time blocks
A time block is when you take a chunk of your schedule and just do one type of task during that block of time.
It’s recommended that you use this approach with meetings (both in and out of the office), emails and other general administrative work.
By planning your week out, you can decide when your meetings will fit in best and when your meeting block should be. Once you’ve done that, then you can move on to blocking off time for the administrative tasks.
3. Plan your ENTIRE day
If you take nothing else from this post, just know that if you don’t put it on your calendar, the chances of it not getting done are very high.
Because of this, don’t just plan your work - plan your entire day. Plan your meals, your workouts, free time.
It may sound like a lot, but you’ll find that you can accomplish so much more in one day when you have it all planned out, which will help keep stress at bay during these challenging times.
4. Multitask intelligently
While many will tell you that multitasking is a big no-no, sometimes it’s inevitable and sometimes it can actually be really helpful.
It can help you achieve more in your day if it is done correctly. Meaning, you’re not multitasking on things that require all your focus and brainpower.
This can really come into play with your free time or family time you scheduled out in your day. For instance, if you want to hang out with your spouse after work, do something together that is mutually productive for both of you like house chores, grocery shopping and other related tasks.
5. Plan out tomorrow
Take the end of your workday to plan for the next day.
By cutting out some time to do this (only 10-15 minutes max) it will already give you a headstart on tomorrow’s workload.
6. Catch some zzz’s
Sleep is a huge part of our lives and can directly affect our ability to work.
One of the biggest items you should plan out in your schedule is sleep. Make sure you’re getting the amount of sleep every night that you need to function best. (Hint: Most adults need 7-9 hours!)
7. Manage your time and your stress
After getting used to planning everything out, you’ll find that you’ve finished more projects than you typically would if you didn’t take the time to schedule the days out.
By accomplishing more, you will simultaneously help your stress levels. You will feel more productive, which will relieve stress and boost happiness.
By using these seven tips, hopefully, you will be able to organize your days, weeks, even months to help you be your most productive whether you are working from home or not. It might seem like a lot to plan it all out, but the reward is well worth the work.
