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10 productivity tips for homeworkers

Working from home has become increasingly popular in recent years. And with the current news coverage, the number of homeworkers is will only increase in the coming months.

However, working from home presents some challenges. At the office you can often easily retreat to an empty room or office. At home, you're often tied to the one workplace you've chosen. So in order to be able to work comfortably at home and be at least as productive as in the office, you will have to meet a number of preconditions.

Whether you work from home regularly or just do the odd day, a people-oriented home workplace is a prerequisite for healthy and comfortable screen work. In this article we have put together 10 tips on working comfortably and productively at home.

1. Start and end your day at a fixed time

If you keep a fixed pattern for when you start and stop working, you will get a lot more done in those hours. When you work at the office, your family and friends respect that you are at work. As soon as you work at home, they are suddenly at your doorstep or expect you to run an errands because you are at home. Be aware of how much time can slip away from these kinds of distractions. It is important to draw boundaries. You can only force people to respect your time if you respect your time yourself.

2. Provide your own workplace

Choose a room in your house to work in and make your work sancturary. Teach your family members that when you sit in this place you prefer not to be disturbed. Working on the couch or at a kitchen table is bad for your body and makes it hard for you to concentrate. Don't know how to organize your workplace properly? Read on and we can help with that!

3. The importance of mental and physical exercise

Your employer attaches great value to healthy and productive employees who work consistently and thus improve their performance over time. Sufficient mental and physical exercise contributes demonstrably to this sustainable performance improvement. Our personal WORK & MOVE coaching software ensures enough alternation between mental and physical movement and concentrated computer work for optimum performance.

By regularly inserting mental and physical movement through the day, you increase your productivity, staying focused and energetic. You will also make fewer mistakes and improve the quality of your work. WORK & MOVE ensures that you get more done during work time and have more energy at the end of your day.

4. Work with the right ergonomic accessories

An ergonomic chair and sit-stand desk offer you the right comfort and the option to alternate between standing and sitting. Regular mental and physical exercise (even if you don't have a sit-stand desk) during computer work are prerequisites for an energetic end to the day.

In addition, the following accessories are essential for a good home workplace:

An ergonomic mouse
An ergonomic keyboard
A separate monitor or a laptop stand

Check out 16 additional tips to make working from home as healthy and efficient as possible.

5. Avoid distractions

Working usually requires good concentration. Whether you work from home or at the office. Don't let potential sources of distraction knock you out of your flow.

Among other things, make sure you:

Put your smartphone away while you're working;
Turn off email alerts on your smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop altogether for minimal distraction and have a time allotted for email follow-up;
Create a quiet work environment. Preferably no music or just play it very quietly in the background;
Use the Pomodoro technique to get your time management in order;
Get plenty of sleep at night so that you are fresh and rested when you start work;
Turn off or ignore news flashes for a while.

6. Make a daily list of the things you need to do

Start the day by making a list of what you want to do that day. You’ll get more done over the course of the day and it feels good ticking items off your list as you go. Prioritize your work so that the most important jobs are done first. The smaller tasks can then be done if time permits.

7. Limit the amount of time you spend on a job

People are easily distracted these days, especially when you have a task that is particularly challenging or boring. If you catch yourself daydreaming, force yourself to work on that job in blocks of 10 or 15 minutes or use the Pomodoro Technique. The fact that you build in an end point somewhere can provide new energy. The other option is to move to the next item in your to do list and come back to the difficult task later.

8. Take enough recovery breaks

Just because you work from home doesn't mean you shouldn't take pit stops. At designated times throughout the day take a walk, grab a cup of coffee or check out the news and make sure you take your time for lunch. The importance of pit stops is that you can clear your head. Sitting in front of a screen all day is not good for your health, especially when your workplace is not optimal.

Take a 5 to 10 minute break every hour. Don't stay in your workplace. Small short pit stops are better for you than a limited number of longer breaks. If you use the Pomodoro Technique, those short breaks will come automatically. The WORK & MOVE software helps with this too.

9. Keep work and private life separate

It is essential that you keep your work and private life well separated. When you're at work, realize that you're there to work. Some people even walk around the block before they start their day as if they’re traveling to work, others dress for work. This psychological change can help separate home and work.

10. Make sure you have a well-arranged space

A temperature-controlled room with sufficient natural light, ventilation and the ability to concentrate are fundamental for your people-oriented home office.

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