When working from home, time management can be a real challenge. To be successful in a home office environment, you must ensure you’ve created an environment to maintain focus and avoid distractions.
Here are some tips that will help you get more out of your workday and help ensure a positive work/life balance.
Planning your day: Do this the night before or in the morning
Spending as little as 15 to 30 minutes each day determining how you are going to use your time is vital. Utilizing a calendar to track tasks, projects, appointments, and other important daily activities will help you stay on pace throughout the day. Be sure to set notifications that will remind you of what is next on your list.
Minimizing distractions:
One potentially problematic result of 24/7 connectivity is the constant receptivity to distractions. Perhaps you are finally getting somewhere on that report you have been putting off. Then an email with an intriguing subject line darts across your screen. And, oh look, somebody’s friending you! Many of us have come to believe that by blocking these distractions we are missing out on something important. That is rarely the case. Whatever you are missing will be waiting for you when your report is finished.
Pay attention to where your time is going:
Some of the biggest time wasters are the little things we do not realize are taking up all our time. Social media is one of the biggest culprits. Watching a couple of reels or videos may seem harmless, but that time adds up! Another way to avoid going down the “vids rabbit hole” is to leave your phone on your desk when you use the bathroom. That way your quick trip to the restroom is just that, a quick trip.
Another distraction to be cautious of while working from home are those that do not respect our workspace boundary. Be sure to communicate how important it is that when you are working that you are not disturbed unless it is crucial. Therefore, we strongly encourage you to have a designated work area in your home.
There are a lot of resources out there to help you with time management. If you come across something you would like to share with the coaching staff, or if you would like to speak more about improving your own time management skills, please reach out to our dedicated Coach, Jim Nicholson at jnicholson@pinsourcing.com We would love to hear from you!