Maximising productivity at Home While Maintaining a Clear Balance
by Vincent Low
As I settle into my chair and prepare this article with my son just within sight, it further highlights that working from home might be here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future. And thus, we need to get used to the change in environment – and maximise our productivity as quickly as possible.
A Stanford study has found that working from home can boost employee productivity, improve work-life balance and foster better mental health.
But I’ve also found that while working from home might mean putting on a work shirt and staying in shorts, it also greys the boundaries between your work space and your home. This makes it more difficult for us to maintain a work-life balance during this period.
I want to share with you some tips I’ve put into practice that helped me maximise my productivity, while still maintaining a very clear work-life balance.
Self-discipline is the Key
Being in the office the whole day, surrounded by colleagues and managers and at your desk, you could say you had to be productive. You had almost no distractions because everyone else would be working as well. And you had the end of the day to look forward to.
But working from home is a different ball game. Other family members, your kids and your pets could all easily distract you from your work. So here’s where you need to be disciplined.
Create the right work environment at home so you start the day off with the right mindset. Have a dedicated work space at home. This could be a desk or even a room if you’ve got the space. But more importantly, set it up as if it were your desk at work – free of clutter and with everything you need to get work done.
Your workspace is also where you draw the line between work and play. Make it a point not to rest or take a break at your workspace, and not to do work anywhere else in the house other than this space. This way, you’re mentally training yourself to set boundaries in your home, setting aside work from play.
Once you’ve sorted that out, plan your schedule ahead of time. It always helps to know what’s in store for you in the day. Personally, I try to plan for the following day the night before. This way, when I get started I know exactly what to do and I won’t waste time thinking about my next task. And once you’ve planned out your schedule, stick to it religiously.
Time Management
In the same vein as planning our schedules ahead of time, it’s more important now that we prioritise all our tasks so we make the most of our day.
I like to always do the most important task of the day first. It sounds simple enough, but it actually takes some thinking into deciding what actually is important, and what feels important. I use the Eisenhower Matrix to help me identify which tasks I should be doing first, and which I shouldn’t be doing at all.
This tool will also help you plan better. Shift the important tasks to the time of the day you feel the most productive, and schedule the less important tasks to when you feel you need a bit of a breather.
Tap on Technology
With remote work, the importance of digitalisation is far greater than ever before. Fortunately, being in a company which is a forerunner and huge advocate of digitalisation, most of my needed documents are easily accessible from our very own Cloud Document Management Solution called Therefore™ ONLINE. Besides, being able to conveniently search and retrieve my documents anywhere, anytime, I am also able to tap on the workflow functions within the solution to digitally approve documents for the next level of processing. In addition to the minimal downtime, the solution provides security and traceability due to the audit trail functions. Tapping on technology has helped my company continue our daily operations with minimal impact and definitely one less worry for me.
Remote work has propelled the use of technology, while technology can be daunting indeed, this is the time where I say let technology lend you a helping hand, make it a friend. You may begin with small steps such as digitising hardcopy documents first so that you can be relieved from the need to be physically in office to search and retrieve hardcopies.
With that, I strongly encourage companies which have yet to explore digitalization, to do so now as remote work might be the new normal.
Constant Communication
At this time, communication becomes more vital than ever. And now we should all try to over-communicate with our colleagues. During that Zoom meeting or over Skype, tell them more about your day. Let them know what you’re working, on or when you’ll be heading out for a grocery run. This not only fosters accountability among you and your colleagues, but it also helps to make up for the lack of verbal and in-person communication during these times.
Constant communication will also help you work better with them over the course of this extended Circuit Breaker period. It will become easier over time to collaborate with your colleagues on a shared document – something that has become a norm during this period.
I am thankful for the functions such as the version controls which have helped the team to keep track of changes made to documents and easily retrieve previous versions for reference. The annotation tools have also enabled the project teams to highlight key points and make comments which require special attention or action to be taken.
Take a Break Intermittently
Throughout the day, there’s bound to be some downtime when you’re feeling unproductive, or an hour where you’re feeling over-productive. This could be your brain’s way of telling you to take a break, or to push on harder. Take note of these timings, so you can deliberately schedule in time for uninterrupted work sprints – where you make the most of your productivity and complete the task at hand – and also a time for a breather.
Sometimes, I try to put into practice the Pomodoro technique, where you work on a task for 25 minutes, followed by a five-minute break. That’s one “Pomodoro sprint”. Every four pomodoro sprints, take a longer break, and continue this cycle until the workday is over.
To switch things up, add in some exercise time to keep your body active as well during this period. You could start off the day with a run in the park, or even exercise halfway through your day. Remember: a healthy body and mind means more productivity!
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