COVID-19: Work From Home? 7 Tips To Boost Your Productivity

With the COVID-19 outbreak, various companies have allowed their employees to work from home. Whether you like it or not, it is the only logical solution at the moment, instead of being at an office filled with employees, increasing your chance of being infected.

But if you have never worked from home before, here are some tips to make your work from home experience better.

Use a mouse instead of a trackpad

A mouse, compared to a trackpad, works 10 times better. It doesn’t matter if you are a Mac or a Windows user. As soon as you change from a trackpad to a mouse, you will notice a considerable difference in terms of speed and efficiency.

With only Rs 250, you can have a functional wired mouse. If you need something a little bit more ergonomic, you will need to raise your budget to around Rs 1,000. With more money spent, you will have some additional buttons for browsing forward/backward or copy/paste.

A bed is for sleeping, not working

One of the biggest mistakes that many people make when working from home is putting their laptop on their lap and working. While this might seem comfortable at first, the next thing you know is your laptop is put on to your bed with you lying down. And then you start dozing off.

We strongly recommend you to put your laptop on a table or a desk. Not only does it prevent you from falling asleep but a good posture will make you feel more comfortable and be more productive.

If there is no desk, a small laptop table is okay even though it can’t replace the feeling of sitting at a desk. But it will at least keep you awake.

Invest in a laptop riser

If you are working on your laptop on a desk, considering buying a laptop riser that will prop the display of the laptop slightly higher.

You can change to the highest setting while using a wireless and mouse to work to have the best results.

Stay connected with your colleagues via Slack, Microsoft Teams, Skype, etc.

Even when you and your colleagues already have a WhatsApp group, you should be using more work-oriented apps instead. The reason is that on WhatsApp, you also have groups for friends, family groups, and a whole lot more of distractions.

Apps like Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts or Slack can not only help you focus on your work but also have tools to enhance your productivity.

Video conference using Skype, Zoom

Since you aren’t in the office to attend meetings, the only possible solution is video conferencing sessions. While many people know about Skype, Zoom is another app that you can take a look at. The app can record conversations while offering clear audio and video. You can always go back in case you miss something.

Noise-canceling headphones

If you do not have a dedicated room for work, you will surely be disturbed and distracted by loud TV noises, kids playing among several other things. When working at home, you need a pair of noise-canceling headphones to cancel out all surrounding noises and to keep you focus on your work.

However, you need to make sure that you are listening to something that is not affecting your concentration. Studies have suggested that you should listen to smooth music with minimal lyrics. In such situations, classical music is your best choice as it will boost your concentration levels.

Miss your colleague? Use video-conferencing to hang out

Coming to an office. It is not only about work but also about the colleagues that work there. If you miss your colleague, you can video call them to discuss work or gossip.

>>> Not COVID-19, Unsecured Networks Put Work-From-Home Employees At Risk