During these tough times amidst the COVID-19 it is fairly easy to lose your sanity while working from home. Most people suffer from this fatal flaw — ‘Lack of Planning.’ The most valuable thing we have today is time, now more than ever! We want to watch shows on our own time, we want to reply back to texts at our own time, etc.
It is extremely important to follow a few important yet simple steps while working from home.
1. Routine
It is extremely important to set a routine for yourself on a daily basis. It does not have to be the exact same routine as you now have some time as basic as your daily commute time. You are free to do what makes you happy in this extra time you have gained. If you wish to be productive, be productive, if you wish to relax please feel free to do so. Other than this, set a regular work routine throughout the day to complete all essential tasks assigned to you and make sure to stick to the routine with a few breaks for meals and regular walks around the house.
2. To-do lists
We swear by these and we make them and keep them updated regularly! We used to write these but have now moved to a digital one to be able to allocate specific times to be able to complete these tasks. It’s a simple concept; you can’t get everything done without knowing what everything includes.
3. Collaborative Tools
We at FYA Media Group use tools like Asana and Slack on a regular working day as well. This further benefits during these WFH days. Asana is a fundamental task management app that helps our whole team with their daily tasks, to-do lists and helps everyone stick to deadlines. Slack is an internal communication tool that lets the team chat with one another and share files for daily work.
4. Work Area
Setting up a dedicated work area helps one work in that area as one knows it is dedicated to working. If one sits to work where one sleeps it is natural one will tend to get more lethargic there.
5. Communicate
Constant communication with the team is extremely important during these WFH days. These can be general calls or video calls through the day. A little extra communication when it comes to keeping the team updated on your work progress is extremely important while working from home.
6. Minimize
This is a difficult one! Is it really possible to allow only a specific amount of time and then try to get it done in an even shorter amount of time? Well, we think so! For example, we now go into con calls with a fixed list of points to discuss, mail them to the others an hour before the call and try to ensure everyone stays on track. 5 minutes saved on 10 calls is almost an hour added to the day. Try it, it might take a while to get a hold of but this is the real key to productivity.
Hope you found these tips helpful and if you have any more do please share them in the comments below.