How Can I Be Productive Working From Home?

It has been 2 months since the Singapore government has announced the start of Phase 2 of the COVID safety measures. Many companies are still currently having their employees to continue to work from home, as a mean to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19. However, there seems to be some misconceptions that people have about having to work from home. One major misconception that people have is that you are unable to be productive when you are working from home. Is that true?

Based on a research done by Prodoscore, they were able to see whether employees working from home were less productive or not and some of the results derived from the research are as follows:

• – CRM activities increased by 176%
• – Telephone calls increased by 230%
• – Email and chat messages increased by 57% and 9% respectively

Overall, the data showed that there was an increase in productivity by 47% in 2020, as compared to 2019, even though most companies were operating from home. So as a matter of fact, the assumption that people are unable to be productive when working from home is not true. So how is that possible? Well, there a few ways that can help you to increase your own productivity when working from home and we have listed a few of them down below.

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1. Manage your space

It is very important that you allocate a specific space at home for your work. If you use the same space for your relaxation and work, you would not be able to maintain focus on your work or even relax properly. By allocating a specific workspace at home, this will help you to set clear boundaries between work and home. You will also be able to concentrate better during working hours and improve productivity.

If you have limited space at home due to having too many items or not having enough space to store them, here at Urban Space, we are able to provide various storage options that can best cater to your needs. From locker size units to large size units, you do not have to worry about storing your items with us and can properly focus on what matters instead!

 

2. Give yourself a break

When you are working, from home or office, it is only natural that you have to take a break once in a while. If you push yourself too hard, you will find yourself easily drained or burned out from work. Research has shown that the best way to stay productive is take breaks – so don’t be afraid to get up, walk about, stretch, grab a snack, or even take a short nap every so often.

One particular method, the Pomodoro Technique, is commonly used by many people to help them relax and come back more focused. It goes as follows:

1. 1. Pick a task to accomplish
2. 2. Set a timer for 25 minutes
3. 3. Once the 25 minutes is up, put a check mark on a sheet of paper
4. 4. Take a 3-5 minute break (this indicates the completion of one “Pomodoro”)
5. 5. After every 4 Pomodoros, take a longer break of 15-30 minutes
6. 6. Repeat this cycle until the end of your workday

This technique will allow you to maintain your productivity at an optimum level.

 

3. Maintain a schedule

Working from home allows you more flexibility and freedom in managing your own time and tasks. You can determine during which time of the day allows you to be the most productive and efficient. However, this also works as a double-edged sword because having more flexibility means more self-responsibility as well.

Which is why it is very important for you to set a timeline or routine and stick to it. Having a schedule will allow you to feel more structured and helps to keep you more focused, almost as if you are working back in the office.

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The pandemic has given the employees and employers the chance to experience work from home model. Even though it could bring about an array of benefits, we do also need to consider the pros and cons of working from home.

As businesses are slowly recovering from the COVID-19 setback, some employees are already required to report back to office while many others are still working from home. As such, it is still important for us to continue to practice proper safety measures – such as wearing a mask, washing your hands, or maintaining social distancing. With everybody doing their part, it will not only make your work environment a better place, but your life as well.

So, what are you waiting for? Sign up with Urban Space today and make space for what matters! Follow our Facebook and Instagram @urbanspacesg for more updates too!