The Coronavirus outbreak has modified the lifestyle of the office commuters. As the world is fighting back the spread of 🦠 COVID-19, countries are practicing social distancing and quarantine to control the spread of the disease at all means possible. Most of the companies have implemented work from home policies concerning the health of their employees (Meanwhile some are unfortunate, kudos to the saviors 🙏).
If you are old or completely new to work from home life, it is not as luxurious as it might sound. Staying at home all day (Hello introvert 😃), getting work done effectively and being healthy is kind of hard in the current situation. 
Motivation, minimal distractions, and willpower are essentials you should keep in mind, especially if you are working from home for the first time. We agree none of those things will last long. 

We tend to procrastinate and want to do nothing (Like I don’t even want to move) because of those lousy moods. To make the most of working hours under a single hood, video conferencing is the only way to connect your teammates and work effectively.
But do you know seclusion can either spoil you or make you a better person? You have challenges to confront! By learning to manage and organize your environment and time wisely you can stay more productive, healthy and happy while working from home regardless of having kids, household chores, and noisy electronics around.  
Embracing the current work culture, we got some sane tips that can help you in bringing focus and get things done effectively ⏳ amid the coronavirus outbreak.

1. Organize your Workstation

Creating an actual workspace in your apartment is tricky, you need a space to focus without any clutters. Having a better working environment can trigger your mind to concentrate on the work. Even a messy table or uncomfortable seating position can affect your productive hours. 
Some decorations such as small green plants, motivation posters on the wall or lightings can boost your productivity as well as energy levels. Allow good natural light and close the door to signal your family and kids that you’re busy and handling official calls. Organizing yourself and things around your personal work station allows you to gain more comfort and higher efficiency at work.  

2. Consider a Working Ritual

Maintain regular working hours and try the best to stick to those routines. Working remotely has the advantage of flexibility with both work and personal life. Schedule your working hours, and stick to the schedule, if you really want to increase your productivity while working at home, end it when the time is up. So that you can give some resting time for your brain and stay fresh the next day without feeling exhausted. 
Your morning routines have a great impact on your workday at home. Self-discipline helps us mentally and physically 🧘‍♂️ get prepared for things, it takes tremendous efforts to stay in track. But a few minutes of exercise or warm-up stretches, a cup of coffee or mediation can make us feel more refreshed during our working hours. 

3. Planning is Important

Planning is everything! Make sure to plans according to personal and official commitments. Create a to-do list for the workday. Prioritize things according to the deadlines and don’t forget to include your meeting with your officials or team. If necessary plan your formal attire and looks according to schedule just like you do at the office. Planning a day is not only for remote workers, it certainly helps in organizing daily life activities for better productivity and sufficient balance on both personal and work life. 

4. The Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique ⏳ suggests to work for 25 minutes and take a 5 minutes break. You can repeat this 3 times and take a long break for 30 minutes and get back to the Pomodoro cycle again. It is one of the highly recommended techniques for remote workers. You can also customize this technique by extending a few more minutes and incorporate breaks according to your working hours. 
You’ll need sufficient small breaks and refreshments to maintain your energy throughout the working hours. Sitting for long hours in front of your computer will be too late to realize. Do small walks, work while standing from time to time to avoid any physical pain later.

5. Stop Multitasking 

Multitasking might seem like being productive, but it will slow you down. Avoid distractions, taking a short break is good and but don’t catch up with the household chores. This may also make you feel preoccupied and leads to procrastination. Experts advise focusing on one work at a time can help improve your quality of work with profound productivity.

Do you think multitasking is your cup of tea? Distractions 📴don’t deserve second chances in the productive saga. The only way to overcome multitasking is to fight the urge of it. 

6. Stay connected online for better communication

You also need to be proactive in checking your official DM, mails that help you have collective knowledge about the activities, stay aligned and speed up productivity. Start your workday at home by checking on new 📧 emails and sending replies to those emails. Give no time for spam.
Having online meetings during work can help you maintain a working track and fewer chances for losing interest while working at home. Communicate clearly with other remote workers, schedule a time to clarify doubts and to monitor the productivity of your team. While going through a self-quarantine, socializing and connecting with other people online prevent loneliness and can facilitate good mental health. 

7. Have the right tools

A solid collaborative tool makes our work at home more easy and productive. Employees of a firm connect with tools that allow us to work together. Tools such as Gmail, Trello, Google Docs, hangouts, Skype and many more tools are used for specific purposes. With Zoom and Hangouts, you can schedule and conduct meetings in 🌎 different time zones. These tools can help you and your team stays on the same page and bridge the gaps in communication. 
Here is the list of tools that you can rely on while working remotely.

• Google Drive for Document Management
• Cloudapp for Screencasting
• FYI for finding documents
• Zoom for video conferencing
• JIRA for software development
• Slack for team communication
• Krisp for disabling background noise during calls
• Trello for Project Management

Related

9 Best Tools For Remote Teams to Stay Connected and Productive

8. Be prepared for disruptions

Having kids at home might make your workday at home an impossible mission. It even more challenging if you are with toddlers and babies. Mix up your working hours while your baby is asleep or in the early morning. 
Companies allow employees to work on flexible hours, you can get help from a family member or a co-parent with whom you are isolated. Make your children(Older ones) understand by explaining the situation and involve them with new 🧩 activities that can keep them entertained which will surely buy you some time. Remember the BBC interview that took the internet by storm 😉?

9. Get some fresh air and natural sunlight

Since people are advised to limit contact with sick people, certainly we spend a long time indoors. It is important to keep moving around. Breathing fresh air can relieve stress. Open the windows to let the natural sunlight flow in to help you feel like you’re not stuck inside all day. If you are taking a short time outside be sure to wash hands immediately after you get back home. 

10. Stay Healthy 

Staying home all day, you might gain some pounds in no time. Sitting on your super comfortable couch, munching chips and high sugary foods are often too much to consume. Consider home workouts or yoga or do 30 minutes of exercise from the video available online. 
Get enough sleep, eat healthily 🍎, wash your hands often, maintain hygiene, go for low carb, vegetables and small portions of carbohydrates. Working remotely and practicing healthy eating habits can offer you a better opportunity to manage your activities more stress-free and keeps you more focused on the long run.

Feeling sick 😷? Take some time off and your work will thank you later. Go on self-quarantine and call your medical helpline. It might take a while for you to adjust to new circumstances we hope the situation gets better. 
Keep health as your top priority! Being Productive can follow. Stay safe during the 🦠 Coronavirus outbreak. Ensure that you always,

• Wash your hands for at least for 20 seconds 🧼
• Practice social distancing 🧑  —1m— 👩
• Keep sanitizing 🧴
• Avoid handshakes 🤝
• Lastly, not panicking 😰

That will be the end of it! What are your best tips for working from home? Feel free to share your best tips and your experiences on working remotely.