Create A Timelog
Start logging how you spend your time every day of the week. Doing this will allow you to pinpoint problem areas and missed opportunities. Click here for a time management tool that will make creating a timelog simple.
Prioritize Your Daily Tasks
Make sure you have your most important tasks as a top priority on your to-do list. Everything else can take a backseat!
Alternate Between Task Difficulties
It is best to handle the hardest tasks when you’re most alert and able to concentrate. However, it’s also important to avoid getting burned out, which means you should alternate between hard and easy tasks with breaks in between.
Do A Daily To-Do List
As more people are working from home, it’s important to structure your day to optimize the work you need to get done. It’s best to create a daily to-do list that can highlight your goals for the day along with what you need to accomplish. Not only does a list hone a sense of accomplishment, but it allows you to break everything down into manageable tasks.
Take Mini Breaks
It’s tempting to hunch over your desk and slave away to finish your tasks, but it’s best to regularly schedule mini breaks. Make yourself some coffee and do some basic stretches to give your back a break and your mind a rest. If you work from home, make sure to let everyone know to leave you alone while you work.
Study Why You Procrastinate
We’re all seriously guilty of procrastinating, but some people seem to do it on a regular basis. It’s important to identify why you procrastinate by paying close attention to your daily habits. Whether it’s a boring task or social media lures you away, it’s important to figure out what distracts you the most and address the problem. If you procrastinate too much, you will eventually end up getting swamped with work.
Manage Meetings Responsibly
Stop scheduling unnecessary meetings! If the people you require to attend can’t, it’s best to optimize your time and reschedule for when everyone can be present.
Manage Your Emails The Smart Way
It’s tempting to check your inbox the moment you go to work, but actually, you can do better work when you don’t! Handle a task you have assigned yourself first and then take small email breaks where you reply to everyone in your inbox. By alternating between answering messages and doing tasks, you will actually get real necessary work done.
**Of course, if emails are a foundation for your job, learn to sort through your messages and prioritize the ones that matter into the correct folders.
Learn To Handle Interruptions
Interruptions are bound to happen to just about anyone, but when you work at home, it’s doubly hard to say no. Figure out how you can disengage a chatty friend, family member or colleague from a long-winded conversation if you don’t have any free time on your hands. This also goes for figuring out how to let down customers easy if they’re holding you up.
Turn Off Distractions
Minimize distractions while you complete difficult tasks. You can do this by working in a quiet zone and turning off your phone, email notifications or anything else that may hinder your ability to get work done. Headphones are a great way to isolate sound when working from home, and it also tells your family members that you’re too busy to deal with them.