How to efficiently work from home- what the experts suggest

Eight seasoned remote professionals share their tips on how to efficiently work from home

With the Covid-19 situation showing no sign of losing its steam, employees around the world are advised to stay at home and work. Of course, we all welcomed the change, as we skipped the stressful commute, and enjoyed the additional time with the family, but now this lockdown has begun to make all of us feel tired and inadequate.

Working from home comes with its own set of challenges, naturally and especially if you have small children. Routine tasks of cleaning up the house, cooking meals, teaching your kids and spending quality time with your family, become a part of everyone’s expectations.

When you’re working, there are communication issues, springing from the lack of not being physically around with your team. The factors that keep you sane, like the chit-chat with colleagues or the synergy of working together for a common purpose, are all lost.

Well, the good thing is that we are all in this together, so we can win over our present locked up situation if we understand our capabilities and are cooperative and sensitive to others as well.

As we continue to adjust to this unusual never-ending routine, we thought, who better to turn to for advice, than professionals who have been working from home, for years together.

They have obviously not been in a lockdown scenario before, but they have established themselves as successful remote professionals who know how to balance work and home.

Heres’ what they have to say-

VANISHA PATEL

A Social Media Expert, Vanisha has been working from home for the past 4 years, helping Network Marketers to create awesome social media content, and enabling them to confidently show up for their business and team.

Here’s what Vanisha suggests to efficiently work from home

• Make sure you have a good morning routine.
  • Mine involves journaling, meditation and yoga and this really sets me up for the day. You’ve got to work out how much time you have in the mornings, to structure your morning routine.
• Clear out your desk-space.
  • Imagine when you’re waking up and see a cluttered desk, it will definitely impact your mind.
• Get dressed for work
  • Just because you’re working from home, doesn’t mean you have to be in your PJs all day. When you get dressed, you come out of your relaxed mode and also get ready for the day ahead, which may involve work-based trainings and e-meetings.

ANUPRIYA GHOSH

Anupriya is a freelance gender and social inclusion consultant and works with a diverse clientele. Though she has been working from home last many years, the quarrantine period has pushed her to revisit some of her tactics. She shares what worked for her.

Here’s what Anupriya suggests to efficiently work from home :

• Try and create a work space as you can manage.
  • Spend time to decorate that, so you feel like going back to it every day. Also this space should be away from the bed.
• Identify your productive hours
  • Generally I used to maintain a very clear professional working time which matched with my clients. But nowadays I take time to figure out when am I most productive and accordingly plan my day.
• Keep checking on your mental health.
  • Crisis or no crisis- self check is important, as we are working away and alone from human interaction. Infact, work from home people should also invest in their own learning. So e-courses, being active on social media actually help in keeping up with the latest updates.
• Don’t punish yourself
  • It is ok if you’re not being able to work, especially in this pandemic situation. Try and figure out the best way for you to deal with that- whether it is by asking additional time or input. Seek help if required.

ASHISH BHARDWAJ

An independent development consultant from New Delhi, India with 20 plus years of work experience, Ashish works from home, on projects related to the development sector and digital space, for International NGOs and social enterprises.

Here’s what Ashish suggests to efficiently work from home :

• Stick to a fixed schedule say 9 to 6 or 10 to 7. You may have a late evening call but eventually stick to the work schedule.
• Manage your tasks your self.
• Observe holidays on fixed days. Whether a Saturday or Sunday or Wednesday, fix your holidays and enjoy them.

SHAILAJA VISHWANATH

A Bangalore based Blogging and Productivity Coach, Shailaja helps bloggers and website owners, grow their traffic and social media presence. She has been working from home for about 13 years now.

Here’s what Shailaja suggests to efficiently work from home :

• Don’t manage time, manage your energy
  • Everyone has different energy levels based on different factors like sleep, work area, family unit etc so self-assessing those levels and prioritizing your tasks accordingly, can help you manage time wisely.
• Use apps like Rescue Time to track your phone and desktop usage.
  • This will help you identify your “distractors” (the apps and websites that are not productively useful and distract you). You can then push these apps to the last screen of your phone and choose to switch off their push notifications, because you really don’t need them.
• For parents with young children-
  • Try to work around your kids’ routine, ensuring that your employer is okay about your availability during odd hours.
  • Seek help from your spouse or other family members, when required
  • Prioritize your tasks.
• Do one thing that you love and is not connected with work, everyday.

RITU TRIPATHI

Director- Operations for M-Power Consultants, Ritu has been working from home for the past 5 years

Here’s what Ritu suggests to efficiently work from home :

Making a schedule is of utmost importance. Every night before sleeping, I make a to-do list for the next day and add to it in the morning, in case I miss out on something. I make my to-do list in 3 categories- office, home and my child’s related activities. This helps me remember and prioritize my tasks else half the day would go just in thinking about all the things that needs to be done.

ROBIN JACOB ABRAHAM

An independent digital communications consultant, Robin is also a work from home dad to a 6 year old darling daughter.

Here’s what Robin suggests to efficiently work from home :

• Take frequent breaks- Walk around, do small chores in between, treat yourself to some chai or green tea or engage with your kids.
• Mark your boundaries- Keep re-emphasizing to everyone at home what those boundaries are in terms of timing and space.
• Use a diary or tools like Google Keep to list your goals for the day
• Sometimes take a power nap in the afternoons. Those 5-10 minutes can refresh you quite a bit.

ANKITAA GOHAIN DALMIA

A freelancer for more than 12 years, Ankitaa works with small businesses and startups to optimize their online visibility and brand awareness.

Here’s what Ankitaa suggests to efficiently work from home :

• Find your productivity zone
  • Figure out what you need to be productive while working from home. I personally love a cool climate and the 90’s Bollywood music blaring from my speakers to work efficiently, while my husband prefers the quiet.
• Avoid impromptu meetings
  • Do not entertain calls from new leads or prospects, family and friends during work hours. Schedule a time for these kind of calls and politely let them know. For existing clients, I usually emphasize on messages more than calls and most comply.
• Reward yourself
  • Lockdown or not, rewarding yourself on milestones achieved, is the only way to stay motivated and work better, while working from home. Get creative on how you want to reward yourself!
• Accept the changes
  • You cannot control every aspect in your life. Sometimes your work may have an emergency situation or your dishwasher may break down, causing you to focus on one thing all through the day, while ignoring the other important tasks. It happens. So accept them and make the necessary adjustments to your schedule.

SHUBHRA MATHUR

A freelance content writer by profession, Shubhra has conceptualized, implemented and driven, marketing, communication and brand building processes-ATL, BTL, PR, direct marketing,at the national level.

Here’s what Shubhra suggests to efficiently work from home :

• I start my housework early and try and finish it ASAP.
• I try and divide my essentials and not so immediately urgent chores between days.
• I try and sit with my assignments by mid-afternoon, unless I need to start earlier. Sometimes then, I have to realign some tasks at home.
• I sometime carry on my work till evening / late evening. I have many-a-times worked late too to ensure meeting my deadlines. That is something I am particular about.
• When I have multiple assignments, I need to divide them into different days so as to meet my deadlines. If there is research to be done for an assignment, I try and copy-paste relevant portions to make it easy for me to refer to it. This is better than referring to the entire article on the net. I get all my pointers together, then I draft the article with due understanding.

Found this post useful? You might like reading these as well:

Tips and resources for the Covid-19 lockdown period

When you have to wait to be with your partner

30+ indoor games and activity ideas for toddlers

What it’s like to be a working mom

Is it possible to avoid toddler tantrums

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Hello!!

I am Rubitah, a former social worker turned content writer and blogger. Over the years through my profession and personal life, I have realized that love and prayers can do wonders to a family life, once you come to terms with your own self and surrender to God. Do you relate to me? Then I’m sure you would like what I post here. Read More