By Keri Ferrari
As we shift deeper into 2021, we are all wondering what the rest of the year will bring and how we should prepare so we can make the most of it. Here are some tried and true daily practices and routines that members of the Hireforce team have implemented to increase productivity and positivity in our professional lives.
Get Ready for Your Work Day
The mere act of changing out of pajamas and sweatpants and into ‘real’ clothes should help signal you to wake up and get work done.
Getting dressed includes all the appearance-based tasks — taking a shower, styling your hair, and perhaps putting on some makeup. These factors will make you look presentable and help you take your day (and life!) more seriously.
Besides, you never know when you will need to hop on a video call, or have someone pop by unexpectedly, so freshen up, get dressed, and do your hair!
Make the Most of Your Home Office
What is the best thing about working from home? We think it’s the level of comfort provided. However, that comfort can come at the cost of lost productivity, focus, and achieving goals. So here are some tips for making the most of your home office:
● Invest in a comfortable chair -- You’ll spend nearly half of your day on it, so investing in one you love should make a notable difference in your work life
● Set up in a corner of your room with good natural light, if possible
● A dedicated work environment, be that the kitchen table, a corner of your bedroom, whatever it may be, will enable you to keep yourself oriented to your work by providing an office-like environment.
Maintain Consistent Working Hours
How often do you lose track of time while working from home?
While working from home provides us with the freedom to start our day anytime, you’ll still want to maintain regular office hours if you want to maximize productivity.
Working for a set period of time every day helps give your day structure and routine. You automatically shift into “work mode” when you’re within your set working hours.
Besides improving productivity, it’s good for your work-life balance. Being able to “leave” after your set working hours will help you relax. This also means that you can more easily make time to spend with your friends, family, or a favorite hobby.
Create Healthy Habits: Exercise your Body and Mind Daily
● Eat clean and energizing foods to help fuel your day and drink lots of water.
● Break up your day with exercise – a few short walks outside should help to put you in a positive headspace. Yoga or light stretching will help with blood flow to the brain and muscle aches.
● Try your best to maintain a proper sleep schedule.
● Start a meditation practice. Meditation strengthens focus, improves self-awareness, and reduces stress levels. A program I have recently completed is called Ziva Meditation and has made an enormous difference in the amount of work I’m about to complete during the day.
○ To learn more, check it out here: https://zivameditation.com/
Tada! Now you can kickstart your day with a clear mind.
Prepare a To-do list/Planner In Advance of Your Day
I live by my calendar and to-do list and recommend optimizing yours to get the most out of your day, week, and year!
Creating a to-do list allows you to keep track of your progress efficiently and helps you organize your day. Bonus points if you can set up your to-do list the day before.
You can design the list as per your preference with critical tasks to be treated as the highest priority and earliest in the day.
While you construct your list, think about long-term goals and projects, as well as short-term goals which are the tasks adding up to achieving your ultimate ‘big’ goal. As you are completing one goal after another, check them off the list highlighting the progress you’ve made against those actions and celebrating your wins, big and little.
A planner or a calendar is a great accountability tool to keep track of meetings, deadlines, and appointments. This way, you do not have to devote headspace to constantly remembering all the tiny details that go on in your daily life, inside and outside of work.
Whether they’re professional or personal tasks, a to-do list and a planner are essential for positive reinforcement.
Remote work demands you to hold yourself accountable for every task on your plate, and prioritizing and scheduling your work can give you the best results and peace of mind.