Ideas to Enhance Productivity and Efficiency

by Howie Bick

When it comes to working from home, there are lots of distractions and ways to lose focus while you’re working. It’s a major adjustment and difference working from home versus working in an office setting. Whether it’s the friendly confines of your own home, not being in an office, or having trouble making the adjustment, there are lots of ways to get off topic, and see a decrease in productivity. Youu can elevate your productivity and efficiency while working from home by creating a routine and building a schedule.

Creating A Routine

People don’t realize it, but much of their daily lifestyle when things were “normal” were routines. Routines allow us to move from one activity or task to the next and to accomplish a variety of tasks on a daily basis. One of the ways many people are able to stay productive and are able to move from one task to another is by creating a routine. A routine offers you a framework or a guideline for your typical daily tasks, and a way to move from one place or task to another. The series of events you do in the morning, whether it’s wake up, brush your teeth, shower, get dressed, and have breakfast is a routine. That type of structure can help you in creating momentum for you the rest of the day and to stay on task early in the morning. Without having a routine, it’s easy to get off task and lose focus. A routine allows you to build momentum early on in the day, and helps you build a structure to follow day in and day out. The momentum a routine offers you can roll over into your daily work tasks and help you stay focused throughout the day.

Building A Schedule

A great way to keep you focused and producing while working from home is by building a schedule. A schedule is a great way for you to plan out what you need to accomplish, the different timelines you need to observe, and a way to organize each day. A schedule can be a way for you to create a structure for what you need to work on or accomplish on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. A schedule can help you keep in mind particularly important dates, or to keep you working toward a particular result. Working from home, there are a lot more opportunities to get sidetracked. If you build a schedule and stick to it, you will make the time to continually accomplish the tasks and items you’ve added to it. WIthout a schedule, it’s incredibly easy to fall behind, or get sidetracked, especially while working from home.

Conclusion

Whether you’re a financial analyst, a marketing manager, or a salesperson, working from home is a challenge. Creating a bit of structure can be helpful in staying on task, continuing to produce, and being efficient while working from home. Creating a routine can give the beginning of each day some structure, and a predetermined way to keep you moving from one task to another. You’re able to build momentum and keep accomplishing tasks, whether small or large to start your day. Building a schedule can keep you on task and focused on accomplishing tasks on a weekly or monthly basis. Without sticking to your schedule, it’s easy to fall behind or get sidetracked on other tasks. Working from home or in a remote setting is a bit unusual for some, and something that takes time to adjust to. Creating a routine and building a schedule are two ideas that can help you to stay on task, boost productivity, and keep you accomplishing tasks on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.

About the author

Howie Bick is the founder of The Analyst Handbook, a collection of 16 guides created to help current and aspiring financial professionals advance their careers. Prior to founding The Analyst Handbook, Howie was a financial analyst.