For the many Americans that work a typical job in an office setting, you might be finding yourself stuck working from home more often than not as COVID-19 continues to spread in the U.S. Many people are now turning their home into their office. Due to the nature of our work at Coeus Creative Group, all of our team members are experts in the field of WFM (working from home) or WWA (Working While Away). Check out our top tips on how to stay productive when you’re working outside the office:
Make a List and Eat Your Frog
If you haven’t heard of the “Eat Your Frog” concept, you’re probably confused. No, we don’t mean eat a literal frog, but the metaphorical one. Make a list of all the things you need to get done while you’re working from home. That one item that is the most difficult or you just simply have been putting it off, that’s your frog. Instead of placing it at the bottom of your list, put it at the top, and “Eat Your Frog.” It will increase your productivity level for the rest of the day. Additionally, making written lists make it easier to visual what you need to accomplish and you’ll feel greater satisfaction getting to physically cross those things off.
Keep the Distractions to a Minimum – Create an Office Space
This is the biggest challenge with working from home. You’re surrounded by so many distractions outside of your phone and the internet in general. Those dirty dishes in the sink can wait and so can scrubbing your bathroom with a toothbrush. Establish a separate “office” space that will take you out of your home element. If you don’t have an actual office space, turn your kitchen table into a desk or set-up a table in that open area of your basement.
Work During Regular Office Hours
Keeping some sense of normalcy to your work from home days will help you stay productive. Work during your regular office hours, and that will help you stick to your schedule and stay on task.
Get Out of Your Pajamas!
I cannot stress this enough – DO NOT work in your pajamas all day. You are going to feel even less motivated being in your pajamas and instead of finishing that project that’s due the following day, you may end up watching Netflix on your couch. You don’t need to dress in your normal office attire, but throwing on some clothes that aren’t sweatpants will reduce your urge to spend the day in bed.
Stick to Your Morning Routine
Stick to your morning routine when working from home. You might not be going into the office, but getting up at the same time and following your routine to a certain extent will help you get in the work mindset.
Be Prepared
If you haven’t already been ordered to work from home amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, make sure you’re prepared to work from home. Keep any files or documents you might need on hand, bring any office supplies home with you that you might need, and also carry your work computer (if it’s a laptop and/or you are provided one). Due to the many of our trainings requiring traveling and many of our team members being co-located, we have an online file system so everyone can access client files, photos for marketing materials, whatever they might need from anywhere in the world.
Working from home might seem like a pain, but it’s possible to do so and stay productive. Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram and tag us in your photos working from home with the #WFM hashtag!
We also urge everyone to follow the CDC’s recommendation to wash their hands for 20 seconds and use hand sanitizer when unable to, avoid touching their face, and wipe surfaces regularly.