Create your personal work from home schedule
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Creating a work from home schedule gives remote workers the best chance of career success.
By following one, you will have the right mind to manage your daily tasks, plan your week, achieve your goals, and take care of your physical and mental health.
Lack of a consistent schedule or daily routine is one of the biggest mistakes people make when transitioning to remote work.
When you work from home, you can become more easily distracted, and that leads to procrastination. This is the keyword for the hectic sprints to meet deadlines and catch up on backlogs.
So if you're hoping to find more productivity and motivation, we'll show you how to create a work from home schedule that will keep you on track and far from burning you out.
How to create your work from home schedule
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Everyone has a different type of schedule that works best for them and their business. While it's okay to vary your work hours, setting a daily framework gives structure to your work days so you don't end up jumping aimlessly from one task to the next.
Here is a template to help you create your work from home schedule:
Check your company's WiFi work policy for "in" hours
Before you can create your dream work schedule, you need to know what is expected of you as a remote worker. When you freelance and live the gig life, you have much more flexibility than an employee with other team members.
Employees in remote customer service jobs, for example, are often required to “step in” at certain times of the day and week. This helps companies serve their customers 24/7 and your own working hours may not fit into their schedule.
So check how long you need to be available before you start on your own. If your work hours are 100% flexible, consider this next step.
Decide when you Most Productive
Working from home is all about efficiency. And when you're least productive, you're working least efficiently to complete your tasks.
If you are a night owl, you shouldn't force yourself to wake up at 6 a.m. and sit at your desk. You may not have the intelligence to handle the mental tasks required by your job, which would lead to frustration, stress, and wasted time.
A good rule of thumb: Save your "shallow" tasks (like checking email) for times when you're less focused; do your “deep” tasks when your brain is fired up and ready to go.
It is crucial that you know your personal on/off windows. That's why it's helpful:
- Get a planner to organize your tasks, deadlines, appointments, and other things that come up in your schedule. Find one with a monthly overview, a weekly overview, and a daily breakdown of upcoming appointments. This way you can get everything under one roof, no matter what working hours you choose.
- Decide how you want to structure your days . Do you need a strict schedule or do you crave the flexibility to work mornings, afternoons and evenings? You could even work on a "split schedule," meaning H. You could work four hours in the morning, take a long break in the afternoon to pick up your kids from school, and work a few hours in the evening.
Once you establish the basic start and end times of your workday, it will be easier to plan everything else within and outside of that time window.
Wake up two hours before the official start of your remote work day
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While you don't have to worry about ironing your work clothes and clearing snow from your car to get to work, you still need to get ready for your workday.
Most people don't immediately jump out of bed feeling ready to jump on a Zoom call or dive into spreadsheets. That's why a daily routine before work that consists of intelligent rituals like these helps:
1. Wake up at least two hours before "stamping" remotely . Try to wake up around the same time every workday to form a consistent habit. With two hours, you'll have enough time to complete all or at least most of these "wake-up" activities.
2. Make your coffee, tea or breakfast . The caffeine or food boost gives your body and brain the energy it needs to get going.
3. Get an overview of your day . Check your planner while you eat or drink a cup of coffee. Do you have a big presentation in the afternoon? An appointment with the doctor at lunchtime? A virtual movie date after work? Knowing what's on the agenda will help you mentally organize and prepare for your day.
4. Set a positive intention . Think about what you would most like to achieve today. Achieving this goal should make you feel productive and accomplished, making it easier for you to stop working at a reasonable time rather than exhausting yourself.
5. Complete your pre-work rituals . Maybe you need to tidy up your home or workspace so that clutter and dirty dishes don't distract you while you work. You may also need to play with your cat (so that it doesn't annoy you later). Or maybe you like reading the daily news or gossip to stay up to date. Do what you need before The work begins.
6. A quick workout . Exercise is a balance to all the sedentary time you spend at your desk. Plus, it wakes up your body, boosts creativity, gets your brain thinking, and gives you the momentum you need to tackle all the tasks on your list. You can find free yoga, HIIT, or other cardio workouts on YouTube that will get your blood pumping.
7. Prepare for “remote work.” You'll never feel productive in your pajamas. Shower, brush your teeth, and get ready as if you were going to a friend's house (i.e., dress comfortably yet presentably).
Once you check these tasks off your list, you can get to work. Check out how much you've accomplished so far!
Start your workday with simple administrative tasks
Spend your first 30 minutes on the virtual clock as your own secretary.
Handle administrative tasks such as checking emails, replying to comments in your project manager, contacting colleagues in Slack, informing managers about your work, etc.
This "superficial" work does not require much concentration and is therefore a good transition from the pre-work rituals to the actual tasks at work.
Consider using visual time tracking tools (such as Toggl ), to prevent low-level tasks from taking up too much of your day. This will help you see where you're spending your time and whether you need to change that in the future.
Dive into your most important work
Once you've completed your administrative tasks, your brain feels ready to dive into distraction-free, deep work.
Try do the most urgent or important tasks first because this is the time when your brain power should be at its highest and most focused. Reaching these goals early also means distractions or other unexpected problems are less likely to pop up and hinder you.
Silence notifications and tell others that you are in Do Not Disturb mode . Just hearing or seeing a notification can distract you, so keep your phone and email notifications far away. If you are working at home with your spouse, roommate, or children, make sure they know not to interrupt you. Let them know when you are available so they don't feel left out.
Create a focused atmosphere . Tune into something that helps you minimize wandering thoughts so you can focus. Online tools like A quiet rustling You can set different ambient noises (e.g. thunderstorms, coffee house noises or white noise) to drive away distractions.
You can also search YouTube for streaming low-fi beats perfect for reading, writing, programming, and more. Or search Spotify for your favorite video game soundtracks to fade into the background while your brain is on high alert to tackle tasks.
Take a break for human interaction
Don't miss any breaks when working from home! This constant drudgery leaves you feeling extra pressure, stress, and other signs of burnout. Plus, science says that actually taking more breaks will help you be more productive.
So use a tool like Tomato Timer The Pomodoro Method reminds you to take 5, 10, or 15 minute breaks throughout the day. Stretch, go for a walk, or meet up with others to unwind from work.
Working remotely can sometimes feel isolating. So try to use your first break to connect with friends, family or colleagues, even if it's just a quick hello. Or check social media - but set a timer so you don't waste too much time there.
Get back to work with a quick admin check-in
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If you received emails or messages during your first break while you were focusing on work or socializing, use this transition time to answer them or add these new tasks to your planner. You may also need to reset your priorities for work in the afternoon.
This part of the day is also the best time to plan your virtual work meetings. You should already have some of your own work done, and you have a lunch break plan in place, so your calls or meetings won't drag on forever. After all, we all know Zoom fatigue is real.
Always take a lunch with you
Many field workers work through their lunch break because they don't have colleagues to distract them from their concentration and grab a bite to eat. However, your lunch break gives you time to nourish your body and replenish your energy so that you are better prepared for the afternoon's tasks.
Cooking your lunch at home saves you money, eats healthier, and gives you one more task to do that you can feel good about (which increases motivation during a potential afternoon slump).
Or maybe you want to meet up with another WFH worker and eat together at a local restaurant. This is your chance to support local businesses, some of which have struggled due to COVID-19, and get some much-needed free time.
Work outside of your office and end your day with three tasks for tomorrow
Even though you may have the perfect flexible workspace when working at home, changing your workspace can open up new ways of thinking. If it's a nice day, consider working outside. Or go to your favorite coffee shop for an hour to experience the hustle and bustle of other productive people.
Use the time you're working in a new location to get the rest of your intense work done. However, try to end the day back in your home office, where you are likely to be most productive in completing the day's tasks.
To avoid the nagging feeling that you still have a lot of work to do, set three tasks for the next day. When you know you've got everything done, it's easier to switch off.
Start the removal process and disconnect
Remote employees typically work longer hours than their office-based colleagues. So give yourself a routine to end the day and set a firm boundary between your work hours and your free time.
Check your email, messages, and project management programs one last time. Answer only those that require a quick response; Anything that would open a new hornet's nest can wait until tomorrow.
Conclude with a meditation on all that you have accomplished today. Establishing a daily meditation practice will help you keep your mental health under control and combat stress and anxiety.
After this brief pause for thought, you can meet with colleagues for a virtual happy hour, have dinner with your spouse, roommate or children, or watch your favorite TV series.
There's more to life than the daily grind, and giving yourself this time will make it easier for you to hit the ground running again tomorrow.
Now you are ready to create your personal remote work schedule
This template for creating your personal work from home schedule will give you an idea of how to structure your remote work day for maximum productivity. It contains a healthy balance between superficial and intensive work, combined with mental and social breaks to avoid burnout.
It takes a while to get used to new rituals and habits. That's why you should try different options to find the routine that works best for you.
