• Student working from home office
(click here to read a summary of this post)

 

The coronavirus outbreak isn’t going away anytime soon.

As a result, many of us will be forced to work from home. Since you clicked on this article, you’re probably one of them.

Some people enjoy working from home, others don’t. Personally, I’m in the latter category, because I love working from my office.

The biggest challenge of working from home is that it’s harder to initiate a context switch.

When you have a routine where you’re used to reporting to work at a designated office, you mentally ‘prep’ yourself for a day of work.

You’re dressed in office attire, see your co-workers, sit at your desk and get to work. The environmental cues and habits that lead into your workday serve as a context switch, telling your brain: “We’re at work, so it’s time to work.”

But now that you’re telecommuting, the context switch is unclear.

You have the ‘privilege’ of waking up later because you no longer need to leave your house to go to the office. You can read your emails without getting out of bed. You can choose to leave for lunch and come back anytime you want because there’s no boss around to police you.

The biggest question now is: can you be as productive working from home as compared to working from the office?

For many of us, we intuitively know the answer – a clear and definite ‘no’.

But peak performers never take ‘no’ for an answer.

I’ve always believed that true peak performance is independent of time and location. It is being able to achieve the highest effectiveness at work or at home, in good times or in bad.

Peak performers believe in the philosophy of “adapt or die”.

You may not have the resources you want. But you know that it’s your resourcefulness that gets results, not your resources. When times are hard, the ones who stay alive are the resourceful ones.

Different places in your home are associated with different contexts. The bed is for sleeping. The dining table is for having meals. And the couch is for watching Netflix.

Your office is for work.

As a result, if you were to try to work from the bed, the dining table or the couch – your brain wouldn’t be able to clearly distinguish the contexts, leading to mixed results and therefore, a lack of productivity.

The key to maximizing your productivity working from home is to create a clear context switch for your brain and create the ideal conditions for productivity.

Here are 3 tips to maximize your productivity working from home.

3 Tips to Maximize Productivity Working From Home

Tip #1: Set up a fixed, permanent workspace to report to each day.

The most important aspect to be effective at working from home is to have one designated workspace.

Convert a room into your ‘war room’. Set up a beautiful, yet no-nonsense hustle station in a quiet corner of the house where you can focus 100% on getting things done.

You need a fixed, permanent space to report to work each day. This is critical in creating a strong environmental cue for your brain to associate with ‘focus and productivity’.

This space is a sacred zone and must be treated with the utmost respect.

Tidy up the space to remove any clutter or distractions. Wipe it clean and make it dust-free. You can even enhance it with essential oils to perk up your mood and concentration. Lemon, lavender or peppermint are great choices for enhancing productivity.

Go minimalist if you can. Only have the essentials in your workspace. For me, it’s my laptop, a glass of water, a book and eye-drops.

I like to leave my phone out of reach.

If you’re using your laptop in this space, refrain from browsing social media, watching movies or playing games on your laptop while you’re at this space.

To be effective, you need to teach your brain that if you’re sitting in this zone, you mean business. Once you’re done with work, move to another location to use your laptop for non-work activities.

It’s a small distinction, but it’s enough to create a context switch for your brain.

However, if you’re using a desktop which you use for both work and entertainment, then you need to set designated work hours. Have clearly defined ‘office hours’ and ‘non-office hours’ if you are using the same computer.

You can also install app-blockers on your devices to ensure you don’t get distracted during prime work hours.

 

Tip #2: Negotiate clear boundaries with housemates.

An undeniable reality of working from home is that you have to find a way to work productively with your housemates going about their day in the background.

Whether they be your parents, children, siblings or roommates, you must communicate and negotiate clear boundaries with them so that they can leave you to work in peace.

For myself, I am clear and firm about letting my family know which hours I will be putting up a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign (you can consider making one too, like the ones at hotels). I even keep them updated on the family Whatsapp group so they are updated with my online conference schedule.

You don’t need to be uptight about it. Simply propose an arrangement that will work for you.

In return, allow your housemates to have their own time and space to do their thing. Be aware of any habits you have which may disrupt their productivity.

Negotiating clear boundaries is about give-and-take. Understand that everyone will have their preferences and it will take time to get used to the new changes.

Also, if you think you have it bad, remember that there’s always someone else putting up with much worse!

Tip #3: Improve your morning routine.

In the past, if my clients ask me about how to maximize productivity working from home, I’d recommend simulating the exact same morning routine as if you’re going to work normally. Even going to the extent of wearing your office clothes to report to your home workstation.

However, this is much easier said than done.

Let’s say your typical morning routine is:

  • Wake up at 7.30 am
  • Get dressed
  • Leave the house by 8 am
  • Take the train to work
  • Grab breakfast downstairs at 8.45 am
  • Arrive at your desk by 9 am

If you’re working from home, unless your boss expects you to report for an online conference at 9 am, there’s almost no incentive to wake up at 7.30 am.

You can just wake up at 8.50 am, freshen up, put on a shirt and be at the screen by 9, while still in your pyjama bottoms.

My recommendation is to create an improved morning routine to prep yourself for working from home while retaining the key elements.

For example, if your typical morning routine for going to the office was to wake up at 7.30 am, continue to wake up at 7.30 am.

But this time, you want to add in new elements that will add value to your old morning routine. These could be activities you’ve always wanted to do but never had the time because of your previous routine. Add in new peak performance habits that will set you up for success working from home.

Such habits could include a workout, meditation, visualization, journaling or reading.

So your modified morning routine could be:

– Wake up at 7.30 am

– Breathe and meditate for 15min

– Cardio exercises for 30min

– Shower and dress up

– Have breakfast at 8.45 am

– Report at your desk by 9 am

Sure, you could always choose to wake up later.

But by waking up at the same time each day and creating a better quality morning routine, not only will you retain the same “I’m-going-to-work” context, but you’ll also set yourself up for a more productive day.

Bonus Tip: Work in limited time blocks

Working from home is an excellent opportunity for you to experiment and improve your time-effectiveness.

A disadvantage of working at the company office is the Hawthorne Effect.

The Hawthorne Effect states that people are likely to adjust their behaviour when they’re aware they’re being observed by others.

At the office, you might be pressured to “look busy” because your boss or your co-workers might be around, even if you may not actually be productive.

You may be working from 9-5, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to 8 hours of productive work.

Even if you do accomplish all your tasks for the day in 3 hours of focused effort, you can’t exactly “chill” for the other 5 hours because you might be perceived as ‘slacking off’ or ‘available to do more work’.

At home, this is not a problem. You have the freedom to choose hours where you know you’ll be most productive.

A good practice is to work in limited time blocks.

For example, the most important task I have for today is to get this article written. But just because I have the whole day does not mean I need the whole day to do it.

I gave myself only 3 hours to get the article written. My to-do list looks something like this:

Write article: 10am-1pm (3h)

Mindfulness: 2pm-2.30pm (0.5h)

Write report: 2.30pm-4pm (1.5h)

Coaching session: 8pm-9pm (1h)

When you give yourself a limited time to work on each task, you’ll find that it’s much easier to focus and not get derailed by distractions.

Summary

The biggest challenge of working from home is that it’s harder to initiate a context switch. When you have a routine where you’re used to reporting to work at a designated office, you mentally ‘prep’ yourself for a day of work. But now that you’re telecommuting, the context switch is unclear.

The key to maximizing your productivity working from home is to create a clear context switch for your mind. 

3 Tips to Maximize Productivity Working From Home

Tip #1: Set up a fixed, permanent workspace to report to each day.

Tip #2: Negotiate clear boundaries with housemates. 

Tip #3: Improve your morning routine.

Bonus Tip: Work in limited time blocks.

(click here to read a summary of this post)

 

The coronavirus outbreak isn’t going away anytime soon.

As a result, many of us will be forced to work from home. Since you clicked on this article, you’re probably one of them.

Some people enjoy working from home, others don’t. Personally, I’m in the latter category, because I love working from my office.

The biggest challenge of working from home is that it’s harder to initiate a context switch.

When you have a routine where you’re used to reporting to work at a designated office, you mentally ‘prep’ yourself for a day of work.

You’re dressed in office attire, see your co-workers, sit at your desk and get to work. The environmental cues and habits that lead into your workday serve as a context switch, telling your brain: “We’re at work, so it’s time to work.”

But now that you’re telecommuting, the context switch is unclear.

You have the ‘privilege’ of waking up later because you no longer need to leave your house to go to the office. You can read your emails without getting out of bed. You can choose to leave for lunch and come back anytime you want because there’s no boss around to police you.

The biggest question now is: can you be as productive working from home as compared to working from the office?

For many of us, we intuitively know the answer – a clear and definite ‘no’.

But peak performers never take ‘no’ for an answer.

I’ve always believed that true peak performance is independent of time and location. It is being able to achieve the highest effectiveness at work or at home, in good times or in bad.

Peak performers believe in the philosophy of “adapt or die”.

You may not have the resources you want. But you know that it’s your resourcefulness that gets results, not your resources. When times are hard, the ones who stay alive are the resourceful ones.

Different places in your home are associated with different contexts. The bed is for sleeping. The dining table is for having meals. And the couch is for watching Netflix.

Your office is for work.

As a result, if you were to try to work from the bed, the dining table or the couch – your brain wouldn’t be able to clearly distinguish the contexts, leading to mixed results and therefore, a lack of productivity.

The key to maximizing your productivity working from home is to create a clear context switch for your brain and create the ideal conditions for productivity.

Here are 3 tips to maximize your productivity working from home.

3 Tips to Maximize Productivity Working From Home

Tip #1: Set up a fixed, permanent workspace to report to each day.

The most important aspect to be effective at working from home is to have one designated workspace.

Convert a room into your ‘war room’. Set up a beautiful, yet no-nonsense hustle station in a quiet corner of the house where you can focus 100% on getting things done.

You need a fixed, permanent space to report to work each day. This is critical in creating a strong environmental cue for your brain to associate with ‘focus and productivity’.

This space is a sacred zone and must be treated with the utmost respect.

Tidy up the space to remove any clutter or distractions. Wipe it clean and make it dust-free. You can even enhance it with essential oils to perk up your mood and concentration. Lemon, lavender or peppermint are great choices for enhancing productivity.

Go minimalist if you can. Only have the essentials in your workspace. For me, it’s my laptop, a glass of water, a book and eye-drops.

I like to leave my phone out of reach.

If you’re using your laptop in this space, refrain from browsing social media, watching movies or playing games on your laptop while you’re at this space.

To be effective, you need to teach your brain that if you’re sitting in this zone, you mean business. Once you’re done with work, move to another location to use your laptop for non-work activities.

It’s a small distinction, but it’s enough to create a context switch for your brain.

However, if you’re using a desktop which you use for both work and entertainment, then you need to set designated work hours. Have clearly defined ‘office hours’ and ‘non-office hours’ if you are using the same computer.

You can also install app-blockers on your devices to ensure you don’t get distracted during prime work hours.

 

Tip #2: Negotiate clear boundaries with housemates.

An undeniable reality of working from home is that you have to find a way to work productively with your housemates going about their day in the background.

Whether they be your parents, children, siblings or roommates, you must communicate and negotiate clear boundaries with them so that they can leave you to work in peace.

For myself, I am clear and firm about letting my family know which hours I will be putting up a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign (you can consider making one too, like the ones at hotels). I even keep them updated on the family Whatsapp group so they are updated with my online conference schedule.

You don’t need to be uptight about it. Simply propose an arrangement that will work for you.

In return, allow your housemates to have their own time and space to do their thing. Be aware of any habits you have which may disrupt their productivity.

Negotiating clear boundaries is about give-and-take. Understand that everyone will have their preferences and it will take time to get used to the new changes.

Also, if you think you have it bad, remember that there’s always someone else putting up with much worse!

Tip #3: Improve your morning routine.

In the past, if my clients ask me about how to maximize productivity working from home, I’d recommend simulating the exact same morning routine as if you’re going to work normally. Even going to the extent of wearing your office clothes to report to your home workstation.

However, this is much easier said than done.

Let’s say your typical morning routine is:

  • Wake up at 7.30 am
  • Get dressed
  • Leave the house by 8 am
  • Take the train to work
  • Grab breakfast downstairs at 8.45 am
  • Arrive at your desk by 9 am

If you’re working from home, unless your boss expects you to report for an online conference at 9 am, there’s almost no incentive to wake up at 7.30 am.

You can just wake up at 8.50 am, freshen up, put on a shirt and be at the screen by 9, while still in your pyjama bottoms.

My recommendation is to create an improved morning routine to prep yourself for working from home while retaining the key elements.

For example, if your typical morning routine for going to the office was to wake up at 7.30 am, continue to wake up at 7.30 am.

But this time, you want to add in new elements that will add value to your old morning routine. These could be activities you’ve always wanted to do but never had the time because of your previous routine. Add in new peak performance habits that will set you up for success working from home.

Such habits could include a workout, meditation, visualization, journaling or reading.

So your modified morning routine could be:

– Wake up at 7.30 am

– Breathe and meditate for 15min

– Cardio exercises for 30min

– Shower and dress up

– Have breakfast at 8.45 am

– Report at your desk by 9 am

Sure, you could always choose to wake up later.

But by waking up at the same time each day and creating a better quality morning routine, not only will you retain the same “I’m-going-to-work” context, but you’ll also set yourself up for a more productive day.

Bonus Tip: Work in limited time blocks

Working from home is an excellent opportunity for you to experiment and improve your time-effectiveness.

A disadvantage of working at the company office is the Hawthorne Effect.

The Hawthorne Effect states that people are likely to adjust their behaviour when they’re aware they’re being observed by others.

At the office, you might be pressured to “look busy” because your boss or your co-workers might be around, even if you may not actually be productive.

You may be working from 9-5, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to 8 hours of productive work.

Even if you do accomplish all your tasks for the day in 3 hours of focused effort, you can’t exactly “chill” for the other 5 hours because you might be perceived as ‘slacking off’ or ‘available to do more work’.

At home, this is not a problem. You have the freedom to choose hours where you know you’ll be most productive.

A good practice is to work in limited time blocks.

For example, the most important task I have for today is to get this article written. But just because I have the whole day does not mean I need the whole day to do it.

I gave myself only 3 hours to get the article written. My to-do list looks something like this:

Write article: 10am-1pm (3h)

Mindfulness: 2pm-2.30pm (0.5h)

Write report: 2.30pm-4pm (1.5h)

Coaching session: 8pm-9pm (1h)

When you give yourself a limited time to work on each task, you’ll find that it’s much easier to focus and not get derailed by distractions.

Summary

The biggest challenge of working from home is that it’s harder to initiate a context switch. When you have a routine where you’re used to reporting to work at a designated office, you mentally ‘prep’ yourself for a day of work. But now that you’re telecommuting, the context switch is unclear.

The key to maximizing your productivity working from home is to create a clear context switch for your mind. 

3 Tips to Maximize Productivity Working From Home

Tip #1: Set up a fixed, permanent workspace to report to each day.

Tip #2: Negotiate clear boundaries with housemates. 

Tip #3: Improve your morning routine.

Bonus Tip: Work in limited time blocks.