How to be Productive While Working From Home

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If you had a chance to look at my blog, you probably notice that I did not contribute as much to my blog in 2020. Life during the COVID-19 outbreak has been interesting for everyone, with many of us switching from physical office building environments to home office settings.

Although remote work is appealing to many people, it also has its difficulties; and I intend to discuss with you some potential struggles and tips to overcome these productivity barriers.  

First, take care of yourself!

Many parents tend to take care of everyone else before taking care of themselves. If possible, I recommend for you to sleep in a different bedroom than your children and pets. By simply sleeping in separate bedrooms, you might notice that you will actually take care of yourself first. So, you will brush your teeth and change into work clothes – first – before addressing your loved ones’ needs. With this slight change in prioritizing your morning, you will be setting a good tone or routine for the rest of the work day.

Now, take care of everyone else in the household.

After you are done with your morning grooming regimen, feel free to take care of everyone else. Again, you probably won’t forget to address your loved ones’ needs; but you might forget about your own health. To prevent this from happening, please consider placing necessary medications and other important items next to your loved ones’ food or baby formula.

Having trouble waking up?

On the other hand, if you have trouble waking up, consider scheduling something that definitely requires your attention in the morning. This appointment will function as your alarm clock; and you will be less likely to hit the snooze button.

Try to remove distractions!

Working at home is difficult for many reasons because it is difficult to separate your work from your personal life. After a short while, everything seems to blend together.

Therefore, limiting distractions is very important. First, to address the big elephant in the room that helped many people through the pandemic. Let’s talk about the TV. Please consider removing the TV from your bedroom. As far as the specific placement of the TV, I recommend placing it in a room that you do not regularly enter; and if possible, avoid having the TV on the same floor as your home office.

Now, let’s address streaming apps. Try not to have your computer remember passwords to your streaming apps. Also, choose difficult passwords. So, logging in with your difficult password is a hindrance. Although the apps will still be on your TV, I recommend removing the apps from your smart devices to provide another access barrier.

How to take care of life administration tasks?

If possible, try to schedule necessary errands between 1PM – 3PM after you already had a productive morning. In the middle of the errands, you can also grab some food. For lunch, try to eat at the restaurant. If you are taking the food to-go, then do not eat in front of the TV. Try to eat at a dinner table. During this time, listening to music can be very relaxing before you go back to work. If you want, you can also try to fit in a quick work-out before eating lunch and returning to work.

On the other hand, if you have house chores instead of errands, try not to do too many time-consuming house chores on your scheduled work days. When you blend house chores and work activities too much, you might become inefficient at both.

Sometimes, however, these chores do really need to be addressed. So, consider doing something similar to laundry; and using a visual aid, such as an out-of-place basket in your home office, to remind you that you are doing laundry. Then, in between work-related tasks, quickly move clothes into or out of the washer or dryer; but don’t focus on folding clothes until later. Since folding clothes can require more time, consider leaving this task for the end of the day after you sign off from work.

Continue to take care of yourself!

If you are the type of person to work and forget to eat or have a stop time, I recommend setting alarms throughout the day. One alarm could remind you to starting thinking about food; and if you do not have any leftovers, start whipping up something quick or order delivery. Then, you can have another alarm to remind you to eat, another one to remind you to get back to work, and an additional one to alert you to sign off for the day.

Also, another alert that might warrant your attention is the “stand reminder,” which sends you a gentle notification on your smart watch to stand and stretch after 50 minutes of sitting down and working. This “stand reminder” function could be very helpful – if you do not have an ergonomic desk that helps you switch back and forth between sitting and standing as you work.

How to stay organized and have work-life alignment?

With the walls between work and home blending together, take advantage of your calendar. Block out times for specific tasks; and consider color coding different activities. If possible, consider sharing your calendar with loved ones to coordinate date night and family events. Also, try arranging flexible and easy work-related tasks on your loved ones’ days-off; and when your loved ones are also busy and working, consider focusing on time-intensive work items.

Having trouble sleeping?

During the pandemic, many people are having sleeping difficulties. A specific complaint includes: “My mind keeps running and doesn’t stop.”

If this is the case, before bedtime, I recommend looking at your calendar for the next day. Doing so will help you plan for the following day; and for anything that is on your mind, you need an outlet to “brain dump.” Some people prefer to write down their thoughts; if so, consider having a pen and notepad or sticky notes at your bedside. Others like to use checklist apps or Slack on their smartphones. Either way is fine; just get your thoughts down and out of the way to help you sleep.

Although this article is probably long overdue, it looks like remote work might be here to stay. So, I still hope that you found the information useful in helping you stay productive and achieve work-life alignment – while working from home.  

Stay tuned for additional blog posts. As I continue to learn on my journey, I will try to share some of my thoughts with you; and you might see some health-related articles, too.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ross earned her doctorate in pharmacy (PharmD) at The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin). Her years of experience practicing in various pharmacy settings also lead to multiple board certifications, including ambulatory care, geriatrics, and pharmacotherapy. She currently serves as the director of the PharmacyChecker international verification program.

Ross also founded Off Script Consults, a pharmacy consulting business. She strives to combine her passion for pharmacy, education, and writing to improve the quality of life and financial outcomes for people with chronic medical conditions, caregivers, and healthcare providers.

She particularly enjoys creating relatable and helpful content for her readers and viewers. For writing samples, please visit her Muck Rack portfolio. For videos, please visit her “Off Script Consults” YouTube channel.

Ross currently resides with her husband and two dogs in her home state of Texas to be closer to family. She also tries to find time for hobbies, which include rock climbing, running, and playing pickle ball.

Find out more about Ross via phone, e-mail, or social media (LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest).