Working from home is part and parcel for many, with the office of national statistics reporting that almost half of the UK opt to work hybrid or fully remote. But how can you turn a limited space full of distractions in to an area for productivity. See our tips below.
Designate an area
A good way to make yourself stay focused whilst working from home is to designate an area of your house that you always use to work. Too much moving around could negatively impact your ability to focus on projects, as well as this it also improves the separation from your work when you’re on a break or resting after you’re done for the day.
Create boundaries
A wonderful part of working from home for some people is the opportunity to see more of their friends or loved ones, however, as with anything you may benefit from drawing the line between leisure and work. Sometimes it may be best to let the people around you know what your work hours are and for them to try and respect that as they would if you were in an office, this means you may need to communicate to the people around you that you are not available for a 2-hour movie break or visit to the local café.
Design your space
You may not have the space or resources to create a space worthy of a skyscraper corner office but that doesn’t mean you can’t add some decoration. Surrounding yourself with plant life has been proven to reduce mental fatigue, stress and even depression in a working environment. This works by resting your mind more effectively during short breaks, meaning it’s easier to jump back in to work better.
If you don’t have much of a green thumb then other motivational nature pictures of people you admire or your favourite animal may also do the job just as well, or even some fake plants can look just as good.
As well as looking after your mind it’s just as important to look after your body, improving your space with a proper ergonomic desk chair can come in handy for your back posture.
Organisation, organisation, organisation
It’s hard to separate work from relaxation if your flat is full of work items like loose papers and computer cables. Minimising clutter can help you get into the focused zone when sitting down to work. Investing in a good filing system or a keeping on top of recycling old papers you no longer need can offer a great improvement to your productivity. Or better yet help the environment by going paperless and storing all of your documents on your computer.
We hope these tips may have been some use to you. Don’t forget if you’re a contractor working inside IR35 that is looking to join an umbrella company, then Focused is always here for prompt, accurate and reliable payment with onboarding that takes less than a minute. To get in touch simply call 0161 923 0210 or email info@focusedgroup.co.uk.
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