Working from home has become increasingly popular since the pandemic, with many companies adopting flexible working policies and moving to, or at least considering, a 4-day working week.

The pre-pandemic assumption was that if people were not working from an office, their productivity dropped. However, ‘the great homeworking experiment’ proved this assumption wrong. Most of us have adjusted to a new way of working. However, it is easy to fall into bad habits. Here are some helpful pointers for maximising your productivity:

Set ground rules with the people in your space: Ensure that other people in your household understand you are working and keep distractions to a minimum. If people respect your space during work hours, it will allow you to set a pattern and maximise your time.

Create a routine: Try and create a set routine that you can follow in the same way you would if you were working from an office. Even if you don’t strictly follow it, having a structure in place can help with productivity.

Schedule in periodic breaks: Just as if you were working in the office, make sure to set yourself regular breaks during the day. Give yourself adequate time away from your screen to recharge and give your eyes a break. Stand up and move around once an hour or so to make sure your blood is circulating.

Create a dedicated office space: We associate our home with a place to relax, so creating a dedicated space to work in helps us mentally separate work time from leisure time.

Pick a definitive finish time: You might be under the impression that working from home establishes a better work-life balance but be careful with that assumption.  It’s easy to get caught up in your activities and lose track of time. Set an alarm to indicate your workday is coming to an end, this can help you start the process of saving your work and calling it quits for the evening.

Work when you are most productive: We all have different ‘power hours’. It is important to identify these hours and set that time to do the most important tasks you have for the day.

Break down tasks into office and home tasks: Separate tasks into what can be most easily achieved where. For example, you may save collaborative tasks for when you are in the office and tasks that require deep concentration for when you are at home.