6 tips for how to work from home efficiently

Some people can easily work from home, others find it impossible. Is it a matter of personality traits or maybe self discipline? In our history we’ve cooperated with some teammates that were not able to work remotely. We’ve mentioned how we fixed problems with productivity in our previous post Cooperation with a Remote Team: Recipe for Success?. But today we’ve asked our colleagues from different Polish cities for some tips. Here are their great techniques how to stay effective while working from home!

Establish your working hours.**

Are you an early bird or a night owl? Think about it now and organize your working hours around your sleeping patterns. Choose when you are most productive and stick to it. Some companies can give you full autonomy on your working hours - then your personal preferences matter. At Sunscrapers we have a flexible, but reasonable working hours policy, so most of our working hours should fall between 9AM and 5PM. Using a time tracker might be helpful in establishing your working hours. Krzysiek, our team member from Poznań, reminds you to clearly separate your work time from your free time. If you don’t do this, you can be trapped in working all day long!

Divide and conquer.**

What do you have to do today? Think about it at the beginning of your work. Michał, our colleague from Poznań shares his advice with you: divide and conquer. Take your big, hairy task and divide it into many smaller tasks. Attack each one of them until you see you’re done! And if you have a small task to do and you can finish it in two minutes - just do it, don’t plan it for later. Simple, right? What is more important - those rules are useful not only for those who work from home, but for all of us!

Dress up for work!**

Many people praise the possibility to stay in pyjamas all day when working from home. Bartek, our team member from Szczecin, doesn’t think it is a good idea. He had found that taking shower in the morning and dressing up a little bit, help him work more effectively. You don’t have to wear your best suit though! Just leave your pyjamas in bed and you will find more energy to work.

Create a space to work.**

We know that working from comfortable bed or couch is simply awesome. But it usually doesn’t help you to be productive, not to mention it’s not good for your spine. Szymon, who is working from Poznań, told us that the best way to stay effective is to have a separate place for work only. When he sits at his home office desk, it’s easier for him to focus. Think about arranging a working space in your style.

Build everyday habits.**

We’ve already talked about everyday habits of famous artists in our post How to Plan your Day Like a Genius. Michał says that daily rituals are one of the most important things in his work routine. It can be a morning coffee made at the same hour every day. It can be a push up series to warm up. The goal is simple - as soon as you develop a new habit, your brain will automatically know it’s time to work!

Do your chores!**

When you work from home, it’s easy to get trapped in typical household chores. You may think that it’s a perfect time to do the laundry, make some dishes or cook a lunch. You couldn’t be more wrong. Bartek, from Szczecin, reveals that he prefers to do all his house chores before or after work. Otherwise he wastes too much time for context switching. Try to do all your housework in advance if you get distracted quickly!

Those tips should help everyone struggling with home distractions. We hope you find them helpful! If you would like to know about productivity, don’t forget to check out our tips in one of previous posts 6 Tips to be More Productive Every Day. Maybe you have your own ways to work from home and stay effective? Let us know!