How to Set a Productive Work from Home Schedule
For those of us in quarantine, the days might be starting to blend together. What day is it? What time is it? Who knows? Does time even matter anymore? If this sounds like your inner monologue, keep in mind that you are not alone right now. With stay at home measures in place, a lot of people are making the shift to working at home, whether that is for their main job or a side gig. If you are not used to working from home, the freedom in your schedule might feel liberating or overwhelming or even both! One of the most important things you can do for yourself as you work from home is to create a routine for yourself. This will help you stay on track with your professional goals and projects as well as give your day some structure. Check out the tips below for creating a workable and productive schedule at home.
• Set your work hours. Working from home allows you a lot of freedom in choosing your work hours, but it is important to keep in mind your own personal productivity peaks as well as the demands of your work. For example, if you have a daily Zoom call at 11am, you need to make sure your factor that into your schedule. However, if you can still adapt your schedule to what fits you best while still meeting the needs of your job. For instance, say you are an early bird and find your most productive time of the day to be the morning—plan on scheduling the bulk of your work for earlier in the day while perhaps leaving the afternoon available for smaller tasks, like responding to emails.
• Schedule breaks. Just like when you are in a conventional office, you are going to need breaks to stretch your legs and mix up a glass of Happy! Taking a break while working at home can be even more enjoyable because you can take a few minutes to play with your pet or check in with any family members who are at home with you.
• Set boundaries. One of the biggest pitfalls people who work from home encounter is a lack of boundaries. When working from home, it can be harder to separate your work life from your personal life since everything happens in the same general space. If you have the space to designate a certain area of your home as a dedicated work area, try to confine your work activities to that area (i.e. no working on your laptop while lying in bed). Another important boundary has to do with time. When you finish work for the day, be done with work for the day—no answering emails or working on projects except in cases of work emergencies. If nothing is on fire, literal or figurative, it can probably wait until the morning.
• Take time to relax. This might sound a little crazy considering you can work from home in your pajamas, but a 2019 survey by Digital Ocean “found that 82% of remote tech workers in the U.S. felt burnt out, with 52% reporting that they work longer hours than those in the office, and 40% feeling as though they needed to contribute more than their in-office colleagues. Employees that are new to remote work should keep this in mind, as they may feel compelled to work longer hours and prove that they can be productive from home.”[1] Allow yourself to log off and be off the clock!
• Beware of isolation blues. Working from home can be very lonely, so it is important to maintain social connections. In light of the need to quarantine and social distance, this is particularly difficult nowadays but there are still options available. Video chats and phone calls are a solid compromise between staying safe and maintaining a social life (virtual happy hour, anyone?) and people are getting very creative in the ways they stay connected.
Working from home can feel very liberating while simultaneously feel daunting with too much freedom. Setting a schedule and boundaries can help you maximize your work hours while still allowing yourself the space to have leisure time to recharge and enjoy your life.
[1] Staglin, Garen. “When Home Becomes The Workplace: Mental Health And Remote Work.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 17 Mar. 2020, www.forbes.com/sites/onemind/2020/03/17/when-home-becomes-the-workplace-mental-health-and-remote-work/#1c2c96851760.