5 Quick tips for WFH buddies to stay productive

Leverage these tips to enjoy the virtual office environment

We are in the middle of the year 2020, and I know that you are already familiar with the whole remote working setup. I am not going to lecture about the “5 lettered C-word situation” which shifted almost every business to function remotely and state the obvious facts. This article is all about the tips and tricks to make your remote working culture better.

“Quick tip: Prepare tomorrow’s meals tonight. Thank me later.”

1.Banish morning fatigue with Google Calendar

Get super-organized with Google Calendar

Don’t you just love to plan your daily schedule on a notepad? You feel everything is under control when you have a schedule in hand. Set realistic goals – If you delay something in your schedule by a few minutes, it is okay. To err is human. Continuous improvement is always better than delayed perfection. Save your energy fuel for better goals. You must preserve that energy for solid tasks and actions.

The trick is to complete the easy, less energy-consuming tasks at first and then take up the challenging ones. Remember this formula:

Complete 1 easy task              ->        Result: Feeling accomplished

Now, use this motivation to complete a challenging task.

Mantra to stop procastinating. Take charge of your life.

This way you can complete a handful of tasks by the end of the day, without compromising on the quality.

2.Set up a home office to mimic the ‘office’ office space

Invest in home office to mitigate hassles while working remotely

Respect your workspace by maintaining clear boundaries with family/ housemates during work hours. Setting up an office space is a must. Do you feel your lighting at home is not bright enough for video calls? Not to worry. You can switch on the tv and play a white screen on YouTube and sit in front of it to look brighter. It works well for me.

3.Take regular breaks to stay productive and sane

Regular breaks are salient for physical and emotional well-being

Have some flavoured green tea on the balcony or couch on the sofa to relax. Take a gentle walk across the hall, maybe to the balcony, and just notice the colour of the sky, the vehicles moving on the road, people playing in the badminton court outside. Pay attention to every tiny detail. Close your eyes for a minute and let the gentle breeze lift you off the stress you have. Appreciate nature and pay your gratitude by admiring it. When I am stuck with a task or not able to get creative, I take a break and engage in a leisure activity for some time. Turns out I end up coming with better ways of dealing with it when I take my mind off.

4. Get your daily dosage of endorphins with a jog

Power up. De-stress. Catch up with friends. Explore the outdoors.

5pm means shut your laptop, change to activewear, put on your jogging shoes, and go for a run (or a gentle walk if you are a beginner like me). Many pieces of research have proven that remote working leads to increased productivity. But this also means employees spend long hours working without even realizing it. I have come across a lot of people complaining about how they are getting work-related calls after 5pm.

5. Enjoy team virtual drinks on Friday!

Wrap the week with virtual after-work team parties

The most common complaint by remote working employees is that they feel disconnected. Stay connected with your co-workers using instant messengers and video conferencing apps. Most of them are free or inexpensive. You can start by having a stand-up meeting every day. If it is a Monday, you could discuss non-work topics for a few minutes like how you spent your weekend.

Bonus Tip:

WFH Bingo: The game is on!

Try out this fancy bingo chart with your team.

You might very well ask me, ‘Why should I try on this lame bingo chart?’

• Most of the tasks are easy to accomplish.
  

• By ticking off these tiny boxes, you are more likely to engage with your team virtually and enjoy the perks of remote working.
  

• Accomplishments like these, no matter how small can give you a sense of fulfillment. There is psychology to back up these facts.

Munch on fresh fruits and junk on dry fruits. To productive remote working and healthy lifestyles!

Stay hydrated. Stay connected. Stay safe. You have got this.