Work or Study from home, a task that requires organisation and commitment.

In the mid of year 2020, when the corona pandemic was at its peak the government ordered lockdown for an uncertain period. This brings a revolutionary change in the lives of almost all people of the country and apart from essential services like medicos, police etc. everyone gets restricted to the four walls of their home. Work-study from home is simply a part of this entire process. It is luxurious because of the comfort of home but if it is not planned properly, it can create certain havoc.

Productivity and how to implement it

Certain distractions are present at every step when a person works-study from home. However, these distractions can be avoided if you implement everything according to a proper schedule and in an organized way. In this blog, we will be discussing various tips to increase productivity for students as well as professionals while they work from home.

“Productivity is less about what you do with your time. And more about how you run your mind”, Robin S. Sharma.

1. Get out of your comfort zone: Yes, you read it right! One must get out of his/her comfort zone and this can be done by: 

• You must get ready for class/work as you usually do at times of offline work-study. You must avoid any casual dress and wear formals/uniform to get more productive. This is because when you are in your sleepover dress, there are chances of slight dizziness which is not at all good for your performance. Dressing well is a natural wake up call for the brain to train it for 100% efficiency. Moreover, wearing only formals is not enough, you must take shower and do your hair to look presentable. 
• Apart from the proper formal dress, one must not sit on a bed or any similar comfortable place. A professional/student should use a proper space with a proper desk and chair to avoid any sort of lethargy. Choosing any place for class/work will surely cause distraction which ultimately results in negligible or no productivity.

2.     Technology must be proper: Anyone who is studying/working from home must ensure a few things related to technology. They include: 

• Proper internet connection: Have you ever missed an important event/discussion because of a poor internet connection? Or when your picture presenting quality is not good? All these are quite embarrassing. So next time, you make sure that you have a proper internet connection before going for any online class/work meetings.
• Quality working system is equally important which is very necessary to enhance your productivity. If your system continuously hangs or is very slow then smooth functioning gets difficult which is not a good sign. To avoid all this, invest in a good quality system with a genuine brand and go for its maintenance regularly.

3. Concentration is of utmost importance: Only selecting a proper workspace is not enough, you must avoid certain things around like your smartphones (if it is necessary then go for mute mode), any background noise etc. Such things when persisted are not good for productivity and lower down your concentration. 
4. Organized Timetable: Following a proper time -table is very necessary to maintain a balance between work/study and your social life. Some important key points must be kept in mind while working on your timetable. They are:

• Alarms should be set for everything so that you do not miss any part of your timetable
• Short Breaks are very necessary so do include them
• Do not skip any of your meals. Doing this will cause weakness which means no productivity

5. Sleep well and daily exercise: People usually compromise their sleep for work tasks and social life. This is not a good practice anyway. Proper sleep time must be completed for the delivery of the best results while doing remote work. One must go to bed at a definite time and should sleep at least for 6-7 hours at a stretch and should try to develop this as a habit. Whenever you are not able to complete this goal of sleep, try to take short naps whenever possible as this will help you to avoid stress.

On the other hand, while you do work out, more blood reaches your brain which helps to further sharpen your brain’s productivity. Social isolation can be overcome with this concept of regular exercise. Moreover, exercise increases your endorphin levels which is responsible for wellbeing. So, you must give at least 15-20 minutes of exercise which will keep your body as well as brain charged. 

Key Takeaways 

We hope that all the tips stated above will help to increase your productivity. Remember, work/study is important be it offline or online but not at the cost of your health. You must maintain proper physical and mental health for maximum productivity and positiveness.

Also published on Medium.