Have you ever:
- Felt as though you had too many things to do and very little time?
- Suffered from being in a rush when you can’t find something?
- Dropped something on your desk while trying to find or grab an item?
- Finished a chore only to realize you had wasted time on something that wasn’t essential?
- Forgotten to turn in a project?
If any of these have never happened to you, you are impressive, and we would love it if you could leave a comment with suggestions and tips! However, if you answered yes to at least one of these and you’d like to learn ways to avoid it from happening again, continue reading this article with “5 Ways To Stay Organized When Working From Home”:
1) Set tasks and subtasks to reach your goal.
To explain this, we’ll use an example. Imagine that you have to make a presentation. Now, let’s divide that into steps:
- Gather information.
- Add a summary of that information to your presentation.
- Proof-read presentation.
- Gather visuals.
- Design presentation.
- Test presentation.
- Deliver presentation.
Believe it or not, this is extremely useful. By organizing every step of the way, you’ll have a feeling of accomplishment while crossing out each activity from your to-do list. Having a to-do list keeps you motivated and productive, and it’s more likely that you’ll finish on time.
2) Keep track of your progress.
We live in a digital era. Accordingly, I recommend you use software online to add your tasks and subtasks. There are a variety of software and apps that track the percentage of completion of your to-do’s and your productivity. However, I will only recommend one tool that you can find online for free.
Trello
This user-friendly software, which you can find online for free, works for either one person or several people working in the same team. It is a sum of boards, lists, and cards. We’ll reuse the last example: You have to make a presentation for your job. Consequently, you will create a board called “JOB” (to keep it simple). Then, you can add lists called “Name of Project,” “In progress,” and “Finished.” In those lists, you have two options. You can either add a card with a checklist or add a card per task. Another feature of this software is that you can upload images and documents to share with other teammates who might need them to work on their duties.
3) Do one activity at a time.
Firstly, remember to write a checklist for all your duties. Also, review your notes immediately to make sure you will understand what you wrote in the future. Continuing with the idea of the header, I do think we can all multitask. However, one way to finish everything in time is to focus solely on one assignment at a time. To do this, you need to PRIORITIZE. Consider the following:
- The impact of the completion of a task within the project or other duties.
- Deadlines or how long it takes you to finish the job.
- What is the most important thing for your boss?
Once you have done this, you can number your tasks and be impressed with your productivity!
4) Rely on time management.
You have your game plan! Now let’s work on the timings. How long does it take you to do each activity? Make it a competition with yourself! Establish a timing for each duty and determine how you can improve your productivity the next time. Remember that the less amount of time spent on one task, the better! Check the time constantly and beat your record time.
5) Organize your spaces.
To do all of the above peacefully and productively, having a clean environment is key. Especially when working from home, there are a lot of distractions. Amazingly, doing housework is one of the biggest distractions when having a remote job. Therefore, avoid doing that by removing all the unnecessary objects from your desk and cleaning every day before starting work. Start a productive day with a clean space!
Are you familiar with other software to keep track of your progress at work? How do you manage to work from home in an organized and productive way? Let us know in the comments, and remember to share this blog entry with someone who needs this “5 Ways To Stay Organized When Working From Home” guide.
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