KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 17 — Working from home or working remotely allows you a flexible schedule and getting your tasks done in your comfort zone.
But there are also pitfalls that come with a home office — it’s easy to get distracted when your big comfy bed is just a room away and Netflix is only a click away.
If you find yourself dipping in the productivity section, here are six tips to help increase your productivity at home.
1. Have a clutter-free environment
There’s nothing quite like clutter to distract you from getting what needs to be done. It’s a good idea to declutter your home and work station so you won’t be tempted to clean up the mess which takes away time from your office-related tasks. You’ll also feel more at ease with a tidier environment.
2. Create a conducive work space
Working from home affords you one of the rare perks of designing your desk the way you want it to look. Whether it’s plush back pillows, a comfortable chair, candles or flowers of your choice, it’s your chance to add a few of your favourite things to create a home office atmosphere suited to your liking and your comfort to help inspire and motivate you.
Beyond aesthetics, compartmentalising your work space from your living space helps you get into work mode.
3. Organise your schedule
It’s normal for office folk to plan out their daily schedules but working from home shouldn’t be any different.
Writing down your goals for the day, deadlines, your start time, breaks and what time you plan to end the day allows you to pace tasks and manage your workload efficiently.
After all, being at home poses its fair share of distractions. Comfy bed and Netflix, we’re looking at you.
4. Get out
When you work from home, it’s easy to experience voluntary house arrest. You could potentially stay at home for days without leaving the house thanks to technological conveniences we have today but at some point, you will miss the human interaction at the office.
Be sure to break up the momentum — take a walk around your neighbourhood, drive out for lunch or why not work at your favourite café for a change?
5. Set a morning routine
Having a morning routine wires your brain that it’s time to work, getting you into the right headspace. Start your day as if you’re going into the office to help you get into work mode — set your alarm as you normally would, have your morning coffee and toast and get dressed.
You don’t have to wear a business suit but you might want to step out of your pyjamas and change into something casual and functional.
6. Invest in reliable gadgets
There’s nothing worse than working with devices that constantly fail. Whether it’s a fast-enough Internet connection or a laptop with a solid battery life, make sure you have the right tech gadgets set up at home before you start working remotely to avoid any stressful situations.
On the lookout for a sturdy work laptop?
Acer TravelMate X3310 is the perfect work-from-home laptop thanks to an exceptionally durable battery life that lasts up to 15 hours, so you are free to work from anywhere at home — from your work space to the dining table or balcony without tripping over cables.
Designed for business professionals and executives on-the-go, this laptop comes with a user-friendly design with a range of connectivity options.
You no longer have to worry about business productivity with its 8th Gen® Intel® CoreTM i processors and Windows® 10 Professional.
Do you have a big Powerpoint deck with images and videos to embed and are worried about a lagging product?
The Acer TravelMate X3310 promises serious productivity and a faster performance with 8GB DDR4 memory (upgradable to 32GB) and 256GB M.2 PCIe SSD.
As we spend more time on screen-based devices, the laptop’s 13.3-inch FHD display is designed with patented Acer BluelightShieldTM and ComfyViewTM not only for clearer images but protects your eyes.
Head over to acer.com.my or call Acer’s Product Infoline at 1800-88-1288 (9am — 6pm, Mondays to Fridays) for more details.
* This article is brought to you by Acer.