The year 2020 has been like a roller-coaster ride, with a lot of highs and lows, almost making you think it's over, taking you to the ground but then the coaster takes you high. The COVID-19 has done this to the world and the waves of the virus hitting the world have been in waves.

Sometimes the wave has been so strong that it resulted in the world shutting down, sometimes the wave lowered to the point that the world tried reopening. However, nothing has been constant. The result of which has been many companies taking the safe route and asking the employees to work from home.

So the majority of the year, people have worked from home. Now initially working from home worked out for many people, as it eliminated the commute time, kept the employee happy since they were working from home, it gave them the flexibility in working hours, more family time, etc

But just like any other thing working from home has resulted in a few challenges of its own. The biggest challenge has been to stay motivated to work and dedicate the right amount of hours to work, that you usually would when working in an office setting.

So whether you are working for a big corporation and selling FMCG products or you have a small online store selling spray guns, titan 440 impact parts, and other painting accessories, the question comes down to how to work productively from home? Because it's true we tend to get lazy at home or get distracted etc.

This is why we have listed down a few tips for you to follow to work productively from home.

Tips to Work Productively, When Working From Home

Create a plan to start your workday:

Usually, when you are working from the office, you have work triggers like you getting ready for work, your commute time, your morning coffee, etc. All these activities are mentally preparing your brain for that you are going to work.

But when you are working from home, you can jump right from bed on your laptop but this won’t be productive for you. To create a plan even when you are working from home. Create work triggers like showers, make coffee and read newspapers, etc. Things like this help set your mind up for work.

Also if you can dedicate a room or a small working station to your office work at home, this will further help you compartmentalize your office space where you will feel dedicated to working.

Avoid Distractions:
Yes, we know it is very easy to get distracted when working from home. A child sneaking in to steal a kiss or asking for five minutes of play, your spouse asking you to run an errand, etc.

It is hard to stay away from distraction but keep it in your mind that when you are in your office workspace, do not attend to non-work-related tasks. Do not multi-task with your office work and home chores.

Have a to-do list:
This list will help you stay organized and motivated. So create a list for the day and include everything that needs to be done for example finalizing the report, reviewing an email, answering a query, etc.

While yes, everyone thinks having a list of tasks in your mind is enough. Let us tell you, NO it is not enough. It won't keep you motivated. Have a list of day-to-day tasks, short-term tasks, long-term goals, etc. And make a habit of checking the task when completed. This is the most effective way of staying motivated.

Schedule your Day:
When you are working from the office, you have designated time for lunches, coffee breaks, etc. You must schedule your day similarly when you are working from home. This means you have to take occasional breaks and refresh yourself.

Otherwise, you will just be agitated and overworked. So have a clear schedule planned out and then make sure your coworkers and colleagues can see when you are working and when you are on a break.

Collaborations and Virtual meet-ups:
Working from home in 2020 does not mean you get to bail on meetings and conference calls. It means you make an extra effort to make your communication effective. So if you are giving your sales report presentation of titan 440 impact parts, it important that you do a zoom invite to everyone on the team.

Or if you need to have weekly meetings, which involve decision making, reporting, developing an action plan you use google meetings and other applications to do that effectively from home as well.

We hope that this pandemic is over soon, but until it is not we have to make things work, and hopefully, our tips help you stay productive.