6 Ways to Improve Efficiency when Working from Home
The work from home trend has skyrocketed in the last few years, especially during 2020. We have seen a drastic shift in the work culture due to the Covid-19 pandemic. While some companies used to offer the ability to work from home as a perk, it has now become the norm for several businesses. Despite lockdown restrictions being lifted for several months now, we are still seeing a continuous trend for telework. In an interview with Vox, Kate Lister, president of Global Workplace Analytics, estimated that by 2025, 70% of the workforce will be working remotely at least five days a month.
While working from home brings about many perks—a more flexible schedule, less commute, less time figuring out what to wear—there are still struggles employees face when trying to adjust. When the lockdowns first hit back in spring of 2020, many employees found it hard trying to find what worked for them without being in the office. Even after the lockdown ended, several employees found that a work from home lifestyle was exactly what they needed whether its full or part time.
Tess Gosser, Executive Coordinator for Oklahoma Shirt Company, and Kelsey Peacock, a work from home freelance professional, have found several tips and tricks that have made this new work from home lifestyle a huge part of their career.
Getting into the Work from Home Lifestyle
How long have you been working from home, and what do you do?
Tess Gosser
TG: “I was working from home for 2 months. I have a unique schedule currently with some remote and some in office work as I care for my first newborn. I am blessed to have this flexibility from my employer as my role allows me to still be successful with a balance of work from home and in office. I’m the Executive Coordinator at Oklahoma Shirt Company. I do a myriad of things that allow me to directly assist the owner from Onboarding, Admin, Account Management, AR, Company Scheduling, etc.”
Kelsey Peacock
KP: “I have been working from home for almost two years. I work as a distributor for Young Living Essential Oils.
I also do graphic design work for network marketing professionals, along with social media consulting and workshops.”
1. Identify Your Struggles
What have you found to be your biggest struggles working from home? Do you have a lot of distractions?
TG: “The Struggle with at home work is staying plugged in to the same forward momentum you have when you work in person with a team. There aren’t a ton of distractions, but especially during COVID, it was tough to propel yourself ahead as much as you can when you are in person with a team to constantly dream, brainstorm, and motivate one another.”
“Just because you can work anywhere at anytime doesn’t mean you have to.”
— Kelsey Peacock
KP: “Since we have a newborn, my biggest struggle is currently finding time! Before our daughter arrived, I found it tough to keep designated work hours. Working from home can make a person feel like they need to be available 24/7, although that’s not usually the case. I always say ‘just because you can work anywhere at anytime doesn’t mean you have to’.”
2. Try Different Strategies
What was a method you have tried that you thought would be epic in productivity but ended up not working for you?
TG: “We really thought that tracking our productivity daily would help us stay motivated and productive, but ultimately we didn’t find it to be an accurate or useful tool.”
3. Have a Designated Workspace
For those who don’t have a designated workspace, what should everyone implement to help stay productive?
TG: “If you don’t have a designated work space, I encourage it as it improves focus and can help keep you in the correct head space through the work day.”
KP: “I would recommend having some type of organization and storage. If you’re working 100% online, make sure your phone/computer stays organized. If you have papers/files/etc, have some type of system to keep everything neat and tidy. That always helps my brain!”
Do you have a designated work space at home? What does it look like?
TG: “Yes! A desk in a separate room from my bedroom and living area. I love our guest room. I do not get to be in there often, so I made it my work space as well. It has wonderful natural light, clear desktop, and a door I can shut if I need some extra focus in case someone else is in the house.”
KP: “I do have a desk area I love to work at. However, with a new baby, work happens all over the place - rocking her to sleep, on the floor while she plays, in the car, etc. At my desk, I need everything organized and accessible. Charging cords, mailing supplies, all of it needs to be within arm’s reach and in its place.”
4. Have Your Workspace Be a Place You Enjoy
What elements are REQUIRED for you and your mindset to keep you engaged in your work?
TG: “Required elements for a good focused, productive workspace include: clean desk, water bottle, pen, paper, laptop, ideally a view, a specific space for work, a strip chord, good lighting, temperature controlled or layers easily accessible.”
KP: “Your workspace needs to be a space you enjoy (as much as you can - ha!). And that looks differently for everyone.”
5. Find a Home-Life Balance that Works for You
How does your significant other like you working from home? Do they get stressed by seeing work clutter?
TG: “My husband is so grateful I have the ability to work some from home. I luckily don’t have too much work clutter as I stick to my laptop mostly.”
KP: “My husband likes me working from home! Since most of my work is online, there’s little to no clutter.”
How do you manage work life balance? I know it can be difficult always seeing your work and feeling like its always there
Kelsey and her Daughter
TG: “Yes, definitely. I’ll be honest and say I’m still working on this one. As a new mom, I feel like my whole life is either work, the baby, or laundry. Am I right moms? I’ve been attempting to prioritize self care or leaning in more when possible. Sacrificing a clean living room for a bath at the end of a long day or finding a mommy’s morning off when my Husband goes in full Daddy Day Care mode has been a game changer.”
KP: “It’s tough to manage work life balance - especially working from my phone. The convenience can be both a blessing and a curse. I’ll let you know if I figure out how to balance!”
Unexpected Transitions with Covid
Tess and Her Daughter
Tess and OKSC use Travis Voice & Data’s hosted phone systems. We asked her how a cloud based solution made working from home unexpectedly helped make the process smoother. They use the wifi phones meaning they can just pickup their desk phones, plug in at home, and connect to their home internet as if they were still calling from the office.
TG: “Our [Wifi] phones were a life saver through COVID! When everyone had to go home at the drop of a hat we had a million things we were stressing about and phones/communication with customers was not one of them. The phones helped us stay connected to our sales rhythm better than we could’ve ever imagined. On the occasional days I work from home now, I get by with forwarding my calls from my desk to my cell. I’m a last defense on our phone cascade so that works out really well.”
6. Find a Routine that You Can Stick With
What is your biggest piece of advice for people who work from home?
“Find a rhythm and implement things that make you the most productive/successful.”
— Tess Gosser
TG: “Find a rhythm and implement things that make you the most productive/successful. I thrive in community and sometimes working from home you miss that, especially if you’re doing it for long periods of time. Maybe your day needs to start with a car ride to a coffee shop and then sit at your at home desk. Or maybe a walk or gas station run around lunch time to be out in the world and get that energized reset. Routine was essential for me to stay productive and not get gobbled up by other household needs or distractions.”
KP: “My biggest advice for people who work from home is to stay organized and implement a routine if at all possible. Get out of bed, change your clothes (even if it’s a fresh pair of PJ’s!).”