Illustration of a woman staying productive while working from home on a couch in front of a window and beside plants.
Image: © Oqvector/Stock.adobe.com

8 ways to stay productive while working from home

25 Mar 2021

If you’ve found that your motivation has started to wane after a year of working from home, these handy tips might help you get back on track.

Employees around the world have faced many challenges over the past 12 months, from finding new ways to communicate with colleagues to navigating Zoom fatigue. Staying productive while working from home isn’t always easy, particularly during a pandemic when schools are closed and people are under greater amounts of stress.

As Mastercard’s Tansy Murray recently told us, we must remember to “silence the inner critic and give ourselves a break” right now. We often think of productivity as the ability to keep working and delivering on projects, no matter our circumstances. But in reality, productivity should take into account your work and your wellbeing.

In Headway Capital’s infographic on how to stay productive while working from home, many of the tips take a holistic approach. For example, it advises planning your work schedule around your natural energy levels.

Remote working has given some of us greater flexibility, so now may be the time to capitalise on that and work when suits you, rather than trying to adhere to specific office hours.

It also advises adding greenery to your workspace. According to a study from the American Psychological Association, natural light and plants can help manage stress, focus energy and increase productivity.

The infographic also suggests taking exercise breaks and recommends a number of apps to help, including Asana Rebel and Zwift. If fitting exercise into your work day sounds daunting, this article from Trinity College Dublin’s Julie Broderick highlights three ways you can move more as you work from home, from standing while you work to taking ‘exercise snacks’.

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Lisa Ardill
By Lisa Ardill

Lisa Ardill joined Silicon Republic as senior careers reporter in July 2019. She has a BA in neuroscience and a master’s degree in science communication. She is also a semi-published poet and a big fan of doggos. Lisa briefly served as Careers Editor at Silicon Republic before leaving the company in June 2021.

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