We have witnessed a significant shift in the way we lead our professional lives ever since the pandemic. With remote working becoming the norm, people have been grappling with a new set of issues—technical glitches, procrastination, an environment not conducive to work, and more. Another major problem in a work from home set-up is how professional and personal spaces blur. This is also why people often struggle to manage their day properly.
We speak to life coaches from Delhi-NCR who give a few suggestions on how to make the most of one’s time when working remotely.
Improving self-discipline
The work from home set-up can prove to be beneficial only if approached with discipline.Uma Mansharamani, a life coach from Gurugram, addresses the same. She says, “In order to be productive, successful, and satisfied, both professionally and personally while working from home, it is important to set rules and observe discipline in following them.” Shivraj Parshad, a public communication and executive coach from Vasant Vihar, suggests that everyone must spend some time at the beginning of the week to schedule their tasks. This, in fact, must also be communicated to others so that productivity is not compromised. It would be beneficial to make similar task lists for both office work and household duties.
Parshad also mentions that one can follow the Pomodoro Technique while working. In this method, you break your workday into 25-minute chunks that are separated by five-minute breaks (called pomodoros). After four pomodoros, you can take a longer break of about 15 to 20 minutes. “When you are working in a complex and distracted environment, you need to schedule some personal time and some work time. Your productivity will go up because of how focused you stay. Thus, the breaks are as important as the job you are trying to complete,” he adds.
Comfortable working space can boost productivity and also help an individual improve their performance. The same is achieved when one works in a decluttered ambience. Mansharamani suggests that individuals working from home must designate a certain space in their home as a ‘home office’. “Everyone in the house should be told that when you’re in your ‘home office’, you must not be disturbed. If your kids or spouse break this rule, there will be penalties [like helping with chores],” she says.
Making time for leisure
With the pressure of work, we keep putting off the time required for leisure. While this may initially seem fruitful, it quickly results in burnout. Both Mansharamani and Parshad suggest that individuals must list out their priorities and schedule their day around the same to demarcate ‘me-time’.
Addressing the importance of taking time off from work, Peyush Bhatia, a life coach from Faridabad, pushes one to set boundaries in order to include rest and recovery in their schedule. “It is important to think about downtime. To focus on a task, one needs to manage their energy, which will only happen if you take the proper time to rest,” she concludes.
MANAGE YOUR TIME
These simple steps can be followed to ensure you have a productive workday.
Make a task list every day
Work from a designated space
Take frequent breaks
Balance both work and leisure