Creating a Productive Home Workspace

Living through a pandemic launched the biggest work-from-home (WFH) experiment businesses have ever seen. Now, vaccination rates are rising and some companies are re-opening their offices to employees. However, not everyone is immediately running back to the water cooler, and “data on employer plans and the relative productivity of WFH imply a 5% productivity boost in the post-pandemic economy due to re-optimized working arrangements,” according to a recent academic paper. 

Whether you’re going back to the office a few days a week or still working completely remotely, it’s a good time to evaluate the work-from-home habits and routines you developed during the past year. What’s serving your productivity and what could be improved? Keep reading for tips and ideas!

Identify your biggest challenges

Everyone’s WFH situation is different, so identify your own personal obstacles to getting stuff done during your remote workday. Examples include:

Online distractions 

Working on a computer means the whole Internet is at your fingertips during work hours. If you find yourself checking social media sites or randomly surfing the web out of boredom, try to schedule specific “online break” times instead. It’s also good to give yourself real breaks away from your screen, such as a 10-minute walk.

Too many interruptions

Working from home means the encounters you had with co-workers in the office, such as a spontaneous brainstorming session or quick check-in about a project or question, have turned into more emails, Slack channel notifications, instant messages, or meeting requests. If this increase in digital communication is keeping you from getting stuff done, try to turn off as many alerts as you can and schedule specific times throughout the day for when you check email and other messages. Decline meeting invitations that don’t necessarily require your presence for moving projects forward.

A full house

If you have a partner or spouse who is also working from home, one or more kids homeschooling, and even pets at home with you, it can be challenging to get the uninterrupted stretches of time you need. For example, a recent study from Yale found that mothers who telecommute spend more time performing housework than dads do and are more likely to work with children present in the same room.” So, take a look around and see what improvements you can make, such as carving out your own area to work in, designating “no interruption” time periods that your family must respect, etc.

Unrealistic expectations

With the time and energy saved from not commuting, you may think you’ll suddenly get a lot more done than you did in the office. However, you’re still working from home during a pandemic, with possibly some of the less-than-ideal circumstances described above. Be gentle with yourself and try to avoid expectations that only set you up for failure and the resulting negative feelings. Are you meeting your daily, weekly, or monthly work KPIs? If so, you don’t need to be a superhero. Do the best you can and respect your own energy levels and personal circumstances. 

Set good habits for your WFH productivity.

Now that you’ve identified your personal challenges to productivity, choose at least one of these tips to implement or re-tool an existing habit in your daily routine.

Create the right routines

“Routines are on-ramps to somewhere else, not destinations themselves,” writes Kendra Adachi in The Lazy Genius Way: Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn’t, and Get Stuff Done. When you started working from home, you probably lost some routines that delineated your workday from the rest of your time, such as morning and evening commutes. If you’re going to be telecommuting full or part-time going forward, it’s important to build routines that serve your productivity and overall well-being. Let’s look at the most common types of routines:

Morning

Much ink has been spilled, digitally and in print, about the best morning routines. But you don’t have to emulate your favorite celebrity or Instagram influencer to create a successful morning routine that “leads you into your day” as Adachi puts it. Start small with one ritual to help you transition into your workday such as walking around the block, meditating, or journaling. After a few weeks, this new habit will become routine and signal to your brain that it’s time to sit down and work.

Lunchtime

If you are working from home, there is truly no reason to eat lunch at your desk. So, kick any old office habits around lunchtime to the curb and take a real break to enjoy your mid-day meal. You may even want to add another habit after lunch, such as physical movement or a cat nap to help you recharge for the afternoon. 

Shutdown

Bestselling productivity author Cal Newport recommends “executing a shutdown ritual that helps your mind shift more completely from work mode to non-work mode.” This is especially important when telecommuting because there are no natural boundaries between work and home life. It’s easy to spend the whole day in a state of half attention, switching between work and personal tasks, then trying to catch up in the evening without ever really experiencing the kind of quality focus that leads to good work and a sense of satisfaction. Reserve 10 minutes or so at the end of your workday to take a last look at your messages and to-dos. Once you’ve established that everything is in order and you haven’t missed any tasks, say “shutdown complete” out loud as you close your laptop or turn off your monitor(s). It may sound corny, but Newport swears by it.

Find a time management/productivity system that works for you

From time blocking to the Pomodoro Method, the Eisenhower Box, and the 1-3-5 Rule, there are too many time management and productivity systems out there to list in this section. We encourage you to experiment with a variety of options until you find one that works best for you. A reliable system will help you stay on track, especially if you have kids at home as well.

Take meaningful breaks

As we’ve mentioned, breaks are good for your productivity—as long as it’s the right kind of break. Impulsively scrolling your phone or getting up to move the laundry along just because you’re bored probably won’t help your productivity much. What can help is a regular cadence of breaks, such as 5-10 minutes to get up and take a break after every 45 minutes of work, with a longer break for lunch. Use your breaks to give your mind a break and see how refreshed you feel when you sit back down. 

Choose a dedicated workspace

This helps create a mental division between your workspace and your living space even though they’re now combined. Even if it’s just a specific corner of your dining or living room, having a space that is used specifically for working from home improves your ability to get into a productive mindset and lessens the fatigue you might experience from being home more often. Search for “office closets” online if you want more ideas. If you live with others, be sure to let them know that your workspace should be treated as such during work hours; this can help you set boundaries to reduce distractions.

Get the right equipment

If you plan to spend 8+ hours each day at your desk, you want to be sure that your work area is comfortable as well as productive. Rather than working from your kitchen table or a loveseat in your living room, it is worthwhile to invest in proper equipment, such as a desk and chair. Finding a desk and chair that allow you to sit with proper posture will make your workdays seem more tolerable. This will also help you stay organized and improve your productivity. You might also want to get additional supplies, like a power strip that is dedicated to your work equipment and a set of noise-canceling headphones to help you avoid distractions.

Get dressed

If you’re on frequent video calls, you’re likely already dressing for your workday (at least from the waist up). But even if you’re alone and unseen by your coworkers and clients, it can still help your mental well-being to get dressed for work every morning. You don’t necessarily need to wear your most business professional clothing, just take a shower and change out of your PJs. Sitting down at your desk, dressed and ready to go, will help you make the transition along with any other morning routine habits you develop.

Use lists and timers to stay on track

You may already create a list of tasks that you need to accomplish during your workday. This is a tried-and-true strategy to help you gauge your progress and remain focused on your work. A timer is another way to keep yourself on task and lets you know when it’s time to take a break.

Schedule time for connection and team building

Just because you’re a member of a remote team doesn’t mean you can’t bond with your co-workers. Schedule or suggest virtual happy hours, birthday celebrations, and other opportunities for casual conversation and connection that bring people together. 

Also, if you live alone, make sure you schedule time to see other humans in person. Even the most introverted among us still have a need for human interaction!

Working remotely? Why not bank remotely, too?

At Town and Country Bank and Peoples Prosperity Bank, our mission is to empower the financial well-being of our communities, one person at a time. Whether you’re a parent, an employee, or a small business owner, we know your life is busy, especially during this trying period of time. Even if you're spending your days working from home, you can still leverage our digital banking tools to manage your account, open an account or apply for a loan, or find the perfect mortgage loan to meet your homebuying needs.

Have questions about our products and services? Contact us today, and we’ll be happy to help!