The current pandemic has not only changed the way most of us work, with many organisations now establishing hybrid working environments of both remote and in office hours, but has also created added uncertainty around the job market as the economy tries to recover from its impact.
Neither of these circumstances are conducive to a productive working environment. In fact, one study found that over two-thirds of employees are suffering with symptoms of burnout, during this pandemic whilst working from home.
To try and help you retain your optimum productivity whilst working in this environment, we’ve listed three tips below.
Remember to Take Breaks
As mentioned above, research has discovered that more employees are headed towards burnout whilst working from home. This can be explained by a feeling of being constantly engaged with your organisation, colleagues and workload, because your space of relaxation, has also become your space of work.
To offset this feeling and continue to be productive, it is essential to take regular breaks. The top 10% of productive workers take regular breaks every 52 mins, meaning they only work for 30% of their day – but they make it count! In Third Republic’s recent W.I.T. Republic: Women In Software Engineering event, VP of Giant Swarm and Founder of Tupu.io, Monica Sarbu, talked about the importance of ‘setting up your day’ to counteract the challenges of remote working, and blocking off time in your calendar so that you are able to take those much needed breaks.
One of the best things about working remotely is the ability for a flexible schedule, if you have the option, why not do some workday exercise? One study found that an increase of 72% in completed workload and improved time management on days participants exercised.
Create a Routine
When working either fully remote, or in a hybrid of home-and-office working, it is essential to create a routine, schedule out your day, and stick to it.
A routine provides structure for your day. Having a clearly defined schedule and goals to fulfill, can mentally prepare you to be productive for the day ahead. But your routine needs to be realistic. If you work remotely part of the week and have to work in an office environment for the other days of the week, with office hours, your schedule will be disrupted if you don’t stick to office hours when working from home.
When creating your routine, make sure you work to your strengths. Research has found that employees who work to their strengths are 8% more productive. If you have great communication skills, schedule in more video/telephone calls with your clients and colleagues.
Our body also has a part to play in how productive we are during the working day. According to our Circadian Rhythm, although our energy levels change throughout the day we apply our highest level of concentration in the morning at 10am. Taking this into account, it may be worth creating a routine that focuses on your most demanding work in the morning, with calls and meetings scheduled for the afternoon.
Stay Connected
One study has found that employees who feel lonely are less productive. Whilst it may be difficult to meet with colleagues when working remotely, or only partly in the office, it is important to stay connected.
Use digital technologies, like Zoom and Slack, to keep in touch with your colleagues and check in on how they are doing. Pre-pandemic, industry professionals would have the buzz of any office environment to create a sense of ‘togetherness’ between their teams, therefore it is essential to try and recreate that in this working environment. One way to achieve this is organising virtual meetings not related to work.
With these top tips you can increase your productivity during these uncertain times.
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