As businesses continue to shift to a balance of hybrid working, we are increasingly required to find a way to manage our time effectively when working away from the office. Working from home often requires the skill of optimizing your work day in a different environment. 

There are a number of benefits to working from home, such as removing a long commute. Of course it also comes with a new set of challenges, and maintaining efficiency is something that requires planning and focus. Below we speak to a startup, Doddler, who has actively embraced a hybrid way of working for their staff and today, they outline some ways to help manage your time working from home. 

Create a Designated Workspace

In working from your home, it is easy to find yourself distracted by the goings on of your home surroundings. In creating a designated workspace you can eliminate these distractions and allow you to focus on your daily tasks. 

To maximise your productivity from the office to home, be conscious of the things that distract you and choose a location that is far away from them, such as the television (or perhaps the fridge!). Keep your workspace organized, like you would your office desk. 

If you have the space available, also try to designate this space away from the areas you normally use to wind down in. This will allow your mind to disconnect from work when you need to. 

Schedule Your Day

A vital practice in time management is creating a work schedule when working from home. Block time aside for your work tasks and schedule sensible breaks. 

It could even help to pretend you are going to the office for the day so that your weekly schedule is not totally off. Waking up at your normal time and setting yourself a lunch break can help keep your ‘work clock’ in check. 

Think about when you work best at certain times of the day. Look to focus on more creative work in the morning when you have more energy and save the afternoon for any repetitive tasks. Think of yourself as the designer of your day!

Eliminate Distractions

Once you have created a schedule for your day, think about posting this somewhere physically so that you stick to it. If you share a house, this can be helpful to let others know your working hours and eliminate distractions from them. This can also help from unwanted disruptions to any virtual meetings.

Turn off notifications on non work-related social media that can easily take time away from your tasks. Keeping technology to a minimum, for example muting your phone, can prevent wasted time and allow you to focus on your to-do list. 

It could help to set personal boundaries whilst working from home. For example not completing personal commitments during your work day.

Learn to say No

This is an important tip not only for working from home but also when looking to manage your whole workload. In some instances when managing your business priorities, sometimes it is in fact necessary to say no. It might not be in your nature to turn down an opportunity but sometimes your work day simply isn’t long enough.

Of course this could also be a case of delegating a task to someone else in your team or waiting to complete something until you have more time to give a task the time it requires. This is all part of growing your decision making skills. 

Remain In Contact With Your Office Team

Working remotely has notable benefits however one thing that can be lost is interaction with your colleagues. To prevent feeling isolated, try to stay connected with your team through virtual calls. Continuing a strong channel of communication is also important for keeping your work on track.