Back in 2011, when I quit my full-time job as a social media strategist in Singapore, I had no idea how to work from home. I struggled with my newfound freedom and lack of accountability. It was a challenge to be disciplined, meet deadlines and maintain a work-life balance in the face of myriad distractions. And yet, as a newbie freelancer with little to fall back on, I knew I had to make it work. Iâve worn many hats since â travel writer, digital marketer, social entrepreneur, travel blogger, sustainable tourism consultant and author. As a digital nomad, Iâve worked on the go from a wide range of places: Guatemala, Georgia, Germany and Goa, among others. Ever since the on-going crisis put us in a lockdown, Iâve seen plenty of work from home tips floating around. Get out of your PJs, draw up a regimented schedule, wear shoes (really?!), leave the TV on in the background (REALLY?!) and use fancy workflow tools. I donât know about you, but for me, the best part about working from home is being able to do it in my PJs No shoes, no bra, no complicated apps, no regimented schedules. Some discipline certainly helps. But so does the flexibility, and the creativity that stems from it. You could be looking for working from home advice to continue your full-time job, or simply to make this lockdown period more productive. A bit different from the work from home tips out there, here are mine to boost your productivity during these difficult times: Tackle the biggest work from home challenge â social mediaI guess itâs pretty obvious that in order to work from home (or anywhere else), you need to get your scrolling butt off Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Youtube, Whatsapp, Quora and whatever else youâre addicted to. As someone who relies on social media for work, I could fool myself in my early work from home days that I was being productive. But over the years, Iâve mastered several tricks to ensure I donât squander away all my time on social media:
Also read: Life Lessons From 2 Years of Travelling Keep old-fashioned notes, a long list of tasks and a short list of prioritiesIâve tried a whole bunch of note-keeping, productivity-boosting and to-do list keeping apps often found among work from home tips. But I always revert back to good old-fashioned notes (on my phone or in a physical notebook). Constantly distracted by technology, I always feel like I can do with one less app. Plus the joy of physically crossing something off your to-do list never diminishes! Whatever your preference, itâs easy to feel overwhelmed by everything you need / want to accomplish in a day or week. Some working from home advice that works for me is constantly jotting down all my pending tasks â even the ones that pop into my head just before sleeping. Every day or two, I realistically pick a few that are priority and dedicate my time to them. Also read: Advice for the Young and Penniless Who Dream of Travel Figure out a couple of music playlists that help you focus â and stick to themYou could be sharing your work from home space with a family thatâs constantly buzzing around you. Or roommates with high decibel levels. Or with yourself, trying to keep the loneliness at bay. In every case, music helps. Iâve found a fair few instrumental music playlists over the years that help me focus. Every time I listen to them, my mind automatically goes into work mode. Take some time to figure out what kind of music inspires you and lets you concentrate â and use it over and over again. Some of my favorite âwork from homeâ playlists:
Work out little rewards for yourselfWhen you work for yourself, or when your boss isnât breathing down your neck, it can be hard to stay disciplined. I learnt early on in my work from home life that if I wanted to get some instant gratification for any work I managed to accomplish, Iâd have to give it to myself. So I started setting little incentives for myself. I swear among all work from home tips, this one really works! If I work without distractions for half an hour, or finish writing part of a story, or manage to cross off a time-consuming task on my to-do list, I reward myself. My rewards range from a snack, a quick call with a friend, a quick video on youtube or a few minutes of social media. Iâve even watched entire movies with 15 minute bites as rewards! Also read: How to Indulge Your Wanderlust at Home During the Travel Lockdown Flexibility, exercise and recreation time helpsIâm not a big fan of having a fixed routine. I find that it stifles creativity. Instead of a fixed work schedule, I find short bursts of high productivity far more effective than dragging work all day. Depending on the kind of work you do, maybe you feel differently. But atleast itâs worth experimenting with the flexibility that working from home affords. I must confess that in my early work from home years, I let this flexibility consume me. Being self-employed, I felt there was always more I could squeeze into my time. But sacrificing that work-life balance can only burn us out. These days, I try to workout in the morning (usually functional training or yoga), take out time to read and spend atleast an hour on something recreational. During the lockdown, that could mean practicing a language, watching a movie or bird watching. On days when I get lazy and donât exercise physically or mentally, I can see a huge drop in my productivity. Also read: How I Managed to Pay Off 26000$ of Student Loan: Candid Tips for Freelancers and Travel Bloggers If you live with someone, figure out your âcornerâ or clarify youâre workingYes, Iâm totally thinking of the Michael Scott Paper Company from The Office (if you havenât seen the show, go binge watch!). Anyway, the best working from home advice while youâre living with someone is to create some space where people know not to disturb you. Ideally, this would be somewhere no one can even find you. But failing that, it could be as simple as letting your partner, family or roommates know that youâre going into that mental space where youâd rather not be disturbed. Cutting out even 50% of the distraction can do wonders for our productivity. Also read: Inspiring Places to Live, Work and Explore as a Digital Nomad Practice ânews distancingâ (essential addition to work from home tips in 2020)Weâre already practicing social distancing. But Iâm finding that for my own sanity, some amount of news distancing is important too! In the past few days, Iâve ignored my own work from home tips and found myself scrolling endlessly on news websites, while also consuming news from social media, whatsapp and offline conversations. Itâs been mentally overwhelming, and terrible for my productivity. Iâm now determined to catch up on the news only once a day, and focus the rest of my time on staying productive and positive. I recommend you do the same. Also read: Unexpected Ways Long Term Travel Has Changed Me Donât be hard on yourselfThis global travel lockdown is unprecedented. No one in our generation, or the one before us, has seen anything like it. Weâre all dealing with the information overload, panic and social isolation in our own ways. So when it comes to implementing working from home advice, donât be hard on yourself. Even when I chose this life all those years ago and felt determined to make it work, it took me a long time to figure out how to stay disciplined and create a work-life balance. Whether youâre choosing it or have no choice, take a step back and think of all the things we take for granted. An income, access to technology, health. Go with the flow and stay positive. Youâve got this. Are you working from home these days? What are some work from home tips youâve found helpful?The post Work From Home Tips From Someone Whoâs Been Doing it for Nearly a Decade! appeared first on The Shooting Star. Work From Home Tips From Someone Whoâs Been Doing it for Nearly a Decade! published first on https://airriflelab.tumblr.com via Tumblr Work From Home Tips From Someone Whoâs Been Doing it for Nearly a Decade!
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About UsPhysical Educator and sports coach from 6 years , with degree in sports science and physical education from RLT University in US. Coach of football, skating, hockey and rugby teams. Now working as Sports development officer in Perth city. |