PRETTY YOUNG THING

Hello, hope everyone is all well? These are some strange times and I know a lot of people are having to work from home so I thought i'd share a few tips on how to work from home productively. I only work part time (2 days) so working from home isn't too bad for me but if you work 5 days a week I would really look at some of these tips to ensure productivity.

• Routine- Get yourself into a good routine, just like you do when you work in the office.
  Get up, get ready, have breakfast etc and then log on. This makes it easier to establish when you will be working. It just gets you up and ready for the day ahead, it can be easy to get into the habit of working from bed or in your pj's and I find I work better if I get up and ready personally.
  
• Office space - Now not everyone is going to have a home office but I really think some kind of office space/ area is such a good way to get your head into work mode. This is a great way to get into work mode and switch off at the end of the day.  I find it more productive to have a seperate space away from others. My partner and child are at home with me at the moment during lockdown so I have set myself up in the bedroom away from them. I also find having my laptop set up on a desk more productive.
  
• Set office hours - When working from home you want to make sure that you are sticking to some kind of office hours. Setting your working hours means you know what time you log on and what time you finish. Some people struggle with not working enough from home but it's actually just as easy to work too much from home as it's harder to switch off, by setting working hours you can log off knowing you are done for the day.
  
• Distractions- It is impossible to completely remove distractions but if you can minimise them in some way then I recommend you do so. This might mean working from a separate part of the home, closing doors, making sure your family members don't disrupt you. These small changes can minimise disruption and increase productivity. 
  
• Have a break - Working too much can actually be a bad thing and it's good to have a break so why not leave your office space and get some exercise, have a cuppa, read a book. It's really beneficial to have a little time away from your work otherwise it can get a little full on and having a break can boost creativity and a good mindset.