With over half of the American workforce now working from home, the last few months have been a major transition for most of us who are used to going to an office. By now, between laundry, washing dishes and making the bed, we all know there are plenty of distractions while working from home. And if you have a roommate, family members or pets, there are even more possibilities to be interrupted throughout your day. While it won’t be the same as going into the office, there are serious perks to working from home (pajama bottoms on during Zoom calls, anyone?) if you get the balance right.
That’s why we’ve called in the pros: We’ve collected five tips from people who have worked from home for years to get their insights on how to remain productive, even if you notice your plants are looking a little dry, or you’re interrupted by a deliveryman at the door.
1) Set a Schedule.
The great thing about going to an office is that it sets guardrails around your day. You have to wake-up, get ready, go to the office, and then come home. Even this short routine is something that you most likely have gotten used to, and helps you plan the activities of your day accordingly. Without some sort of structure, it can be easy to lose sight of priorities or time management (that’s why there are so many social media memes out there asking what time even is, anymore!)
If you give yourself the guardrails that your commute once did, you’ll be much more prepared to manage your time, identify priorities that need to get done and structure your day in a way that makes you feel like you did back at the beginning of 2020. We recommend waking up at the same time every day, setting working hours and giving yourself at least 10 minutes before and after work to go for a walk, sit in quiet or exercise. That buffer time helps you mentally prepare and, at the end of the day, ramp down from work, which is what your commute used to do.
2) Get Out of Your Pajamas.
While a lot of people used to view working from home as a glamorous opportunity to wear pajamas and work from bed, you can only do that so much before the excitement of such a working situation wears off. Getting dressed, even if it is just doing your hair and putting on a nice shirt (we’re a big fan of comfy pants if you’re on Zoom calls!), not only makes you come across as more professional if you are on video calls, it likely makes you feel more professional and helps with your self image. Don’t just take our word for it- much ink has been spilled about this before Covid, and likely much more will continue to be written and discussed about this in the future.
3) Build Efficient Processes.
If you feel like you have a little extra time on the clock now that you don’t have colleagues to visit with in the break room, use that time to set up efficient processes that will last far longer than our current work from home edicts.
Investigate and implement productivity tools that manage time, projects, automate marketing and lead generation. Our CRM, Pulse, can do all of those things for mortgage professionals, and you’ll see great results, particularly as things get busier as we all return to normal.
4) Set a Time to Log Off.
While the news and social media seem to think people now have nothing but time, some people are actually reporting that they feel like they have less time in the day. That’s likely because it is possible to work until 8, 9 or 10pm — you don’t have anywhere else to go!
Be strict with yourself. Schedule defined times to log in to work and log out, as you would with a normal working day.
5) Create Working and Relaxing Zones, i.e., Avoid Shiny Object Syndrome.
Around the house, there are tons more distractions than at the office. From a dusty shelf to parched plants, to the crying kids or delivery person, there is likely more external stimuli that you are directly responsible for.
Now is the time to define a working zone, whether it’s a dedicated office, corner of a room or even a chair at your kitchen table. Treat this space as your “office”, and create a mindset that mimics that of your mindset in your cubicle. You’ll be much less likely to be distracted if you clearly define where you work and what’s “home” territory.
As we get back to normal, it may be that you work from home more often. Even if you don’t, these tips (especially around setting processes!) will set you up for success. Are there any tips we’ve left out? Tell us in the comments!
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