How to Increase Productivity and Keep Yourself Busy While Practicing Social Distancing
With the world struggling against the pandemic, most of us are feeling the pressure on how we can get through what is happening nowadays. With our governments urging us to stay at home to be safe from the COVID-19, it’s also a challenge for us to keep ourselves busy while practicing social distancing. It is also a must to find ways on how to increase productivity especially those who are working at home.
Tips to Keep Yourself Busy (and Stay Productive)
Yes, it can be a boring and monotonous schedule when you’re at home daily working on your tasks. However, it depends on how you handle it. If you will stick to a boring routine, then you will be less motivated and inspired to excel in your job. You really want to keep yourself busy, but you can’t find a way to get started. You aim to be more productive yet you always seem to get distracted.
It’s all about your decision to keep yourself busy. And your effort to be creative to make your stay at home fun and exciting.
Here are some tips you can do during this season.
#1 Set your schedule.
Working at home can offer a lot of benefits including the opportunity to work on flexible hours. However, there can also be instances that can lead to distractions. When you’re in the comfort of your home, you can easily get tempted to start working on your tasks for less than an hour and then do the laundry. Or, you can pause your timer for work to watch a new show on Netflix. Youtube videos and updates on social media such as Twitter and Facebook can also distract you from staying focused at work. The way to solve such issues is to create a schedule that will separate your personal life from the time you will spend on your work. A schedule should be followed thoroughly to ensure that tasks will be completed accordingly. It is crucial that you set limits on activities like reading news, checking emails, writing in a journal, and doing home chores.
#2 Practice safety and healthy lifestyle when working at home
When working at home, you need to ensure that you will have a workspace that is comfortable, safe, and ideal for the type of work you are doing. For instance, your desk or table should have the proper height, so you don’t have to slouch. Proper posture is always important when working to make sure that you will not experience back pain, neck pain, and strains. A standing desk and ergonomic chair would be a perfect pair for you to stay healthy at work. It will be also helpful if you can use a vertical mouse to avoid having carpal tunnel syndrome. An ergonomic workstation will help you become more productive because you are fit and safe to accomplish more tasks efficiently.
#3 Set boundaries
Setting boundaries when you’re working from home is a critical thing to do. You should set boundaries for members of the family, pets, and your colleagues. You should have a dedicated and quiet area in your home where you will not be interrupted.
#4 Keep reading interesting books and articles
Your break time can be turned to something productive. Make yourself busy by reading interesting books and articles online. For instance, you may want to improve your financial literacy or acquire important knowledge about entrepreneurship. There are great books about these topics, or download free pdfs from reliable sources. Subscribe as well to reliable and popular websites so you will be updated with their informative posts and newsletters.
#5 Keep a journal
Now that we’re practicing social distancing, there can be more time for us to reflect and create some wonderful insights. These can be about self-development and how to become a better version of yourself. Writing down your thoughts in a journal can be a big help, not only to keep yourself busy but also to improve your creativity and self-awareness.
#6 Start a blog or vlog
This can also be a time to start your own blog where you can post about the things you know to help other people. Or, create a vlog if you want to share your expertise through videos. This may require some time and resources, but it can be truly rewarding. Some ideas include blogging about recipes, motivational advice, financial literacy, self-development journey, online marketing applications, and more. Nowadays, people are searching for quality and original content. Make sure to find the right niche for you and discover how you can stand out from your competitors.
#7 Do some decluttering and organizing
Still thinking about what else you can do at home? Do some decluttering and organizing on your workstation, rooms, and other parts of the house. Get rid of the items that you no longer use. You can also keep them in another container so they will not consume space on your desk. Make sure to have proper storage for all your items in your workstation. Decluttering is one of the best options if you want to spend your time wisely. You will discover how great it is to have a well-organized home that is free from mess and clutter.
#8 Become an expert on a new skill
You can also master a new skill or start a new hobby. There are various courses available online such as from platforms Udemy and Coursera. Some of them are free, so it’s really great to grab such opportunities. You can learn graphic designing, cooking, gardening, blogging, and enhance your marketing skills.
#9 Start a new health journey
Of course, you should not forget your health while staying at home. It can be stressful while practicing social distancing, especially if you’re used to having fun with your friends and family. However, this can be a great bonding time with your family. Perform some daily exercise routine. You can also join a fitness boot camp online and enjoy it with your loved ones. You will not only achieve a healthy and fit body, but you can also improve your confidence and emotional state of being.
#10 Rearrange the furniture at home
It’s also an interesting idea to rearrange your furniture at home. Putting them into a different setup can give a new feeling or ambiance to your home. It’s like recreating the interior designs in your living rooms, kitchen, and other areas in your house. Afterwards, you will be thrilled at how relaxing and satisfying it is to stay in a newly-organized home. This will also increase your work productivity because you’ll be free from stress and anxiety due to an uncomfortable environment.
There’s no need to get bored while staying at home. A lot of things are waiting for you to spend your time wisely and achieve productivity. Keep yourself busy while practicing social distancing — cleaning, working on your tasks, learning a new skill, and more- and experience the wonders they can bring. These activities can be challenging, it’s all worth it.