So how did it feel when you finally got a chance to work from home due to this ongoing Pandemic?
We are certain that like the majority of the workforce, you would also have imagined that working from home is going to be your ‘happy time’.
The comfort of your home, time flexibility, staying close to your loved ones, no daily commute, the benefits of working from home seem limitless on the surface. All these added advantages must lead to more satisfying work culture.
But does working from home help in increasing productivity and employee satisfaction?
If you are one of the privileged enough sections of society, then you must be working from home now. Maybe you have cracked a way of being productive. But the possibility is huge that you are still struggling to adjust.
You get less work done than before and still feel exhausted. You might be working during nights and weekends and still missing the deadlines. You could be sitting in front of your laptop and still could not focus. You might be stressing overwork even while ‘Netflix and Chilling’. You could be working at eleven ‘O’clock at night because anyway, you are at your office.
Some workers might say that their productivity has increased now as compared to before, but the question is at what cost?
Whatever boundaries remained between work and life prior to the pandemic, have blurred now completely.
‘It does not feel like working from home anymore, it feels like living at work.’
Work from home needs to be managed properly so that you can get work done without feeling burned out. Here are some suggestions on how you can survive this without losing your sanity.
Set Boundaries
Setting boundaries while working from home is the foremost rule of survival. If you usually did not start working before nine ‘O’clock in your office, then just don’t. Use the extra time of commute for yourself. Exercise, read a book, and have a healthy breakfast. Set a time for wrapping up your work. Don’t pile up work for weekends, they are supposed to be your ‘not at work’ time. These measures can do wonders for your mental health.
Separate ‘Work’ and ‘Life’
As simple as it sounds, separating your work from your life does require some complete change in your habits. Set a different place for working. Do not work sitting on your couch in front of the TV and never work lying on the bed. Your bed is supposed to be your sacred place for relaxing and sleeping soundly, don’t ruin it. You convert a small corner of your house into your ‘house office’. It will also help you to focus while working by providing a working environment.
Take Brakes
Do you feel guilty for taking a 30-minute break for scrolling through your phone or wandering while you are supposed to be working? Well, you do not need to be. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Just think of it as the time when you used to talk to your colleagues in between work, celebrating countless birthdays, or taking various tea breaks for ‘office gossip’.
Use Sprint
Do not target all your work at once. It will only make it seem unattainable and make you more stressed. Use a sprint. Break your work into small and attainable tasks that can be completed in one to two hours. Schedule the most important tasks in earlier sprints. You will be surprised to see how much work you can get done like this without noticing.
StromHRM helps with time management and with remote clockIn/Out of work, you can manage your priority tasks properly and update with the timesheets online with your secure login
Prioritize Balance (at first, productivity will come later itself)
Do not work round the clock just because you are not able to meet your or your employer’s expectations. No one can expect you to sit in front of your computer 24 hours a day. Prioritize balance at first, productivity will come itself later once you start understanding your most efficient schedule. Take small breaks in between, play with your dog, or take a power nap if you need to.
The whole world is trying to adjust to this new culture of working from home. Understand that you are not alone in this. You do not need to feel too disappointed or stressed just now. Just believe that you will find a way.
Working from home has given you an opportunity for flexibility. Use it. Everyone has a different environment at home. Find a way that works best for you. Working from home needs adaptability. Make your schedule while utilizing the advantages of the opportunity of working from home. And in a few weeks, you might find yourself more productive even after having a much active life ‘outside your work’.