It’s taken time for all of us to get used to the “new norm.” For many of us, we find ourselves working from home — or at least trying to. These tips can help you keep your productivity high during these strange times. Here’s how.
Wake Up at the Same Time
If you’re working from home in quarantine, keeping your productivity up can be a challenge. Most of us commute to and from work, but now you have extra time since your office is only a few steps away.
Still, consider waking up at your usual time. You can spend the extra time eating well, doing morning meditation, or even trying a new morning workout routine. Consistency in your sleep schedule is an enormous part of staying on track in life. It may tempt you to use the extra time you have to sleep, but why not use those extra hours for getting ahead instead? Bonus: when it’s time to go back to the office, you won’t have to recover your sleep schedule.
Reduce Junk Food
You probably had a routine for lunch at the office. Now you don’t and find yourself surrounded by lots of snacks in a full kitchen only steps away (yes, we’re struggling too).
It’s tough not to reach for junk food when at home and especially when you’re stressed out as we’ve definitely all been lately. Just remember — sure you’ll get that sugar high, but it’ll wear off shortly after and leave you tired and craving couch time instead of work time. Try not to snack on junk food; it’ll sap your energy and distract you. Instead, get creative and try out new healthy snacks.
Take a Break from the News
If you’re working from home, there’s always the temptation to check the news on your phone. This little trap can take up a lot of time in your day without you noticing. Five minutes here, ten minutes there; it’s easy to spend an hour reading anxiety-producing news articles instead of focusing on productivity.
Yes, you need to stay informed, but consider limiting the amount of news coverage you take in to just once a day. Looking at the news can seem like a reasonable thing to do, and sometimes it definitely is, but it’s also an easy excuse to dodge work you don’t feel like doing.
Try Easy Meditation
Never tried meditation? Quarantine is a splendid time to start. You can do simple meditation for a minute to five minutes instead of reading news or checking your phone. You don’t have to be a devoted monk to get the benefits of meditation, and studies have shown it can help lower anxiety and stress.
There are all kinds of different mediation. Most come down to letting your mind focus and clear, which is the ideal state for staying productive. Try it first thing in the morning or before bed at night. It will help relax you and focus your mind. You can also try it between work tasks.