4 ways to work from home productively 

There's been a positive increase of businesses implementing flexible working environments into the workplace. More employees are given the opportunity to work from home but aren't well equipped with the tools to do so in a productive manner.

For some, working from home might come more naturally. Others may struggle with the idea, as it definitely has its challenges. Being productive away from the office is all about the approach you take.

Once you nail it, you will feel fulfilled in both your work and life.

Here are my top tips on how to ensure you're productive while working from home: 

1.    Schedule your day – ensure that you plan what you're going to be working on the day before, so you can set realistic expectations of what you're likely to achieve. For each task, indicate a time limit so you're not spending too much of your time on something that doesn't warrant it. The benefit of working from home is being able to juggle work with life, so don't feel guilty for throwing in some of your life admin into your day. Put on a load of washing while you finish a task, but make sure it's not while you're in your productive groove. 

2.    Curate a work friendly home office – when people think of working from home, they often picture someone in their pajamas or trackies on a couch or working from bed. While that sounds comfortable, it's not conducive to being productive. Make sure you create an area in your home, whether it's on your dining table or in another room on a proper desk, that's ergonomically friendly and a spot you can stay at all day long. 

3.    Make time to move – when working from home, your movement levels decrease in a drastic way. Ensure that you're factoring in movement throughout the day to keep productivity high. It's not just good for the body, but for the mind too. Schedule in time to move away from your desk – whether it's a walk around the block, a stroll to grab coffee or to get lunch. You'll think so much clearer once you've stepped away from what you're doing.

4.    Are you fast paced or slow paced? – whatever pace you are, make sure you're working at it. Do you get distracted easily and like to work in shorter bursts? Then work with it, not against it. If you're a morning person, make sure you do all your heavy tasks first thing in the morning while you'd normally be commuting into work and getting to the office. I promise you, you'll already feel so much more productive. If you're not a morning person, that's okay too! Don't try to be. If you have chores to do, schedule them in between tasks and use them as your pieces of movement throughout the day. You'll be ticking things off your to-do list left, right and centre and finish the day on a high. 
 

Vanessa Bennett helps leaders, individuals and teams to improve their performance by incorporating neuroscience for optimal performance. Vanessa is also a part-time fitness instructor. For more on Next Evolution Performance, visit: www.nextevolutionerformance.com. Follow Vanessa on Instagram: @High_Perform_Ness and on Twitter: @Vanessa_NEP