I’ve been loving my work-from-home setup which I have been doing now for more than 2 years. Even when I was younger, I’ve had that desire to work at home or wherever. I think that’s why I tried to do freelance work back then. I could work from home and not be required to go to the office. Working from home can be quite challenging though. I admit I struggled with focusing on the task at hand because I’d always want to read, lie down or just watch Netflix. Add those to the fact that working home also means juggling household errands – both planned and unplanned. If you share this dilemma, let me give you some work-from-home productivity tips that have helped me manage this new setup.
Tip #1: Have a designated workspace
This is my first tip to those looking to be productive while working from home. I think I’m lucky that I’ve had a designated work area even before the pandemic forced so many of us to work remotely. I work from my bedroom. I’d love to have a separate room to be my designated home office but well one has to make it work with what you got.
My photo above is my study desk in my room. I’ve had that since high school actually. Dad bought that for me so I could have a designated place to study. When I became a freelance writer, it was my designated work space to write articles. Now, I use it daily for my full-time job and blogging.
My laptop is always on the desk along with my planners. It’s got a drawer and a cabinet so I have a place to also store other supplies I need like a calculator, pens, and chargers for my laptop and phone. This allows me to cut down time looking for stuff and allows me to focus.
Tip #2: Have a routine
The pandemic has thrown our schedules out the window. We went from waking up in the morning, getting ready, maybe even rushing to get to the office to having nowhere to go. It definitely threw me off and even had me losing my sense of time which of course affected my productivity at work. Good thing I read an article on work from home productivity tips that said establishing a routine will greatly improve one’s productivity.
How does having a routine help? It helps set your mindset that it’s time to work. I’ve actually shared my morning routine previously. You can read about that here and here.
Tip #3: Make a To-Do List
Actually, this productivity tip is applicable whether you’re working remotely or at the office. Making a to-do list is valuable in guiding you to know what your tasks are for the day. I’ve got my Mercury Drug daily planner for that very purpose. I often spend a part of my night writing down the tasks I’ve got to do for the next day. It guides me on what needs to be done. I find this especially helpful as I tend to forget stuff.
Tip #4: Remember to take breaks
At the office, I know I always have a friend who often invited me for breaks. At home, I usually have to be the one mindful of the time so I can impose a break for myself. Taking breaks is also an important productivity tip that’s fitting whether you work at the office or at home. It helps me recharge when I step away from my desk and take a break from work for a bit. This is especially helpful when I have a difficult task ahead that requires a lot of thought. I find that a break clears my head and sometimes it’s during that time that a new idea or resolution to the problem I’m facing comes to me.
And so I make sure to take my lunch breaks and coffee/snack breaks. Sometimes, I just go out of my room for a bit to pet my dogs. I’m ready to tackle my work task again afterwards.
Tip #5: Arm yourself with productivity tools
As a millennial, I like to marry the use of old-school productivity tools and modern ones. I always have a notebook to write my notes down on. While others rely on their Outlook calendar for their meetings and tasks for the day, I use my planner. But I also use digital productivity tools like Evernote on my smartphone for those times I need to write down something and I don’t have a pen and paper and of course, I make sure to have a trusty laptop to use. After all, most of the work I need to do entails the use of a laptop.
Actually whether at the office or at home, having a well-functioning laptop is a must! I know how hard it is to work when the laptop isn’t responsive and hangs a lot especially when you’ve got multiple windows open.
Tip #6: Have a change of scenery
I enjoy working at home. With my bedroom window open, I often look out to see the sky and my plants – that’s my view. But at times, it can get tiring to see the same thing day in, day out. So from time to time, I shake things up. During the height of the lockdown, I would work downstairs in our dining room for a change of scenery. Now that people are going out more, I sometimes like to work at coffee shops instead.
It’s good to shake things up. I find that also gets my creative juices flowing.
Asus Zenbook 14X OLED: Work from Home Productivity Tool
Recently, I got the chance to try out the Asus Zenbook 14X OLED. And after a month of using it, I’m listing down the reasons why this is a good work-from-home productivity tool.
It’s so sleek to look at and so light
I’m not a super techie person so when I look at gadgets, I’m instantly attracted to their look. The Asus Zenbook 14X OLED, made of diamond-cut aluminum alloy, is definitely an eye-catcher! It’s so sophisticated to look at, perfect for a working professional like me.
The Zenbook 14X OLED weighs 1.4 kg and each features a side profile of less than 15.9 mm. It’s lightweight so easy to carry. I find that very appealing. I’ve proven just how light and easy it is to bring recently when I went to the office. My shoulders didn’t feel the heaviness I usually feel when I am carrying a laptop in my backpack.
Big Screen and Vibrant Display
With this ASUS Zenbook, everything is brighter and clearer thanks to its stunning 16:10 touchscreen, which also provides a larger visual workspace. That’s perfect for me when I have to review documents. And the vibrant display of colors makes watching videos or movies on Netflix even more enjoyable for me. It makes the picture come alive even more. So perfect when watching gory movies. I see just how red the blood is!
Oh and did I mention the screen can be pushed back up to 180° to lay flat? That’s very helpful especially when I’m trying to present something to someone in front of me.
Fast and Responsive
I’ve read that multitasking is not advised when you’re trying to be productive. But in my line of work, multitasking just can’t be avoided. Sometimes, I’ll be reading a document on Word then my Viber sends a message notification which I’ll check of course. Or I’d have both Excel and Powerpoint open because I’m reviewing a report which has computations while I also have my Outlook open, you know in case a new email comes in.
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED is equipped with the latest AMD Ryzen 5000 H-series processor which makes my multitasking easy and possible. And it supports up to 16 GB of memory so I can store my files on the laptop and still it won’t slow down.
Long Battery Life
Working from home has its benefits but it also means I’m adding to the electricity bill when I have to have my laptop plugged in for hours at a time. But the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED boasts of long battery life – up to 11 hours so I can work for a day and not have to worry about charging. And when I do have to charge, it’s good to know that it is fast charging. At least when I’m going somewhere in a hurry and I don’t want to bring the plug, I just let it charge for a little while as I prep my stuff.
This is also a great thing when I want to work at a coffee shop. I don’t have to stress about finding a table with a power plug. I just plop down on a comfy area (aka not in front of the aircon), order my coffee, and get to work!
Find out more about ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED from its product page.
Parting Words
Remote work is wonderful, at least that’s what I think. But it sure takes discipline to thrive coupled with reliable work-from-home productivity tools to be efficient at work. I recommend the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED. It’s perfect for working professionals and content creators. You can buy it for Php64, 995. Check out this link for a list of places to buy. For those who use Adobe, check out their Adobe bundle offer.
Lastly, it’s important that one learns to balance personal and work life while working from home to avoid burnout.
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Itís difficult to find experienced people in this particular topic, but you seem like you know what youíre talking about! Thanks