Home office ideas for efficiency and motivation

Author: Zuzana Kocáková

Lifestyle

10 reading minutes

Even working from home can be interesting and motivating. Read our tips on how to make it easier to work from home and not lose motivation and drive to get ahead. The pandemic period has brought with it many changes. The comfort of the office has been replaced by the comfort of our homes. Many feared declining productivity when working from home and how effective remote teams would be at collaborating. But few thought about motivation and how much we would need it in the pandemic period.

Although a home office may not suit everyone, working from home can also motivate and bring positive changes. You just need to know how to do it. The environment around us, communication within the team and taking care of our health and well-being all play a role. If you too are wondering how to manage working from home and not lose your momentum and drive, we have some useful tips for you.

Create the right working environment

The home environment may not be as ideal as the work one, especially if it is not adapted for work. There are many distractions lurking at home that can not only make us nervous, distract us, but also hinder our work. It’s no wonder that tasks that took you a few minutes at work can drag on for up to half an hour at home. By wasting time, we get the feeling that we are not keeping up, which in turn stresses us out. Stress is a common demotivating factor.

That’s why it’s important to create an effective working environment at home. One simple but effective tip is to clear your desk and put away all the things that could in any way distract you from your work. If you live with other people at home, it is very important to set boundaries with them about the need to be undisturbed and to set a part of your day when you will be 100% dedicated to work. This prevents disturbances that can cause mistakes at work.

Don’t forget to take regular breaks from work

I’m sure you’ve experienced a day during this period when all you wanted to do after all the online meetings and computer work was just to fall into bed and get a good night’s sleep. You are not alone in this. More and more people in this period have a problem with a phenomenon called “Zoom fatigue”, which is slang for fatigue and exhaustion caused by video calls. Virtual interactions give our brains a hard time. In addition, we may tend to be online around the clock while working from home. We work on the computer, we communicate via it and many times we spend time on the Internet during our leisure time. The brain is thus continuously exposed to a large amount of information that it has to process and does not have enough time to rest.

So don’t forget to take regular breaks from devices. While it is difficult for someone to maintain constant attention for twenty minutes, another can manage to work for an hour without a break. So the ratio of how much you work to how much you rest should be adapted to your preferences and attention span. During the break we should give our brain a real rest. Instead of browsing the Internet, we should choose to take a short walk, exercise or listen to our favourite music, for example.

We should not forget about our body. Long hours on the computer can also take a toll on your physical health, so make sure you get plenty of exercise during the day. Even a short walk in nature can kick you up more than coffee. In addition, it will refresh your mind and restore your focus.

Communication, praise and recognition

Managing remotely can be challenging. Much of the responsibility shifts into the hands of the employees, who not only have to create their own schedules, but also deal with any technical issues that arise in their at-home work environment. Many people may find it difficult to maintain a work-life balance, which has a negative impact on family relationships or stress levels. The whole situation is made worse by the lack of personal contact and the lack of opportunity to discuss problems with a manager or colleague. This is why maintaining good communication within the team should be key.

Employees need support at this time more than ever. It is through communication that we are able to get this information and make sure that our colleagues have sufficient support. Communication also creates a space for feedback, which we can use not only to direct team members, but also to encourage them and show them that we value their work and contribution. Praise and recognition is one of the easiest and most underrated tools we have to motivate each other. Showing appreciation can increase not only motivation, but also commitment or trust in the team. So let’s certainly not forget about praise and proper communication.

Stay in touch

Teamwork helps us achieve common goals. At the same time, it creates a certain sense of belonging and positively influences our motivation. It’s not just about the tasks and responsibilities that my colleagues and I deal with, but also about informal shared activities, such as team building events or casual conversation over a coffee on a lunch break. These are activities that not only help build good interpersonal relationships, but also allow employees to relax. In addition, low interaction among team members can negatively impact problem solving, the search for new ideas and jeopardize the overall team culture.

Therefore, stay in contact with your colleagues, even unofficially. Find a time when you don’t just spend time together on work-related duties and tasks, but also keep space for informal communication. If you’re used to taking lunch breaks together, you can now join up with your colleagues to create a shared online coffee break, for example. Interesting team-building activities can also be created in the online space, for example through online games or joint exercises. Just get inspired.

Sometimes it can be challenging to stay motivated all the time. Especially on days when nothing is going well and we feel like the whole world is against us. It’s good to pause then and realize that these days are also part of our lives and they won’t last forever. Sometimes you just need to change your perspective, look at the problem positively, remind yourself of your goals and things suddenly look completely different.

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Home office ideas for efficiency and motivation

Zuzana Kocáková

At msg life Slovakia I take care of the company culture, events and I am part of the marketing team. I like a job where I can be creative and contribute to making my colleagues at msg feel good. I regularly prepare for you not only news and interesting things from the world of information technology and insurance, but also from behind the scenes events at msg life Slovakia.