Working from home can be both liberating and challenging. While it affords you the freedom to work on your own terms, it also requires discipline, focus, and time management skills to be productive. Here are 10 ways to help you increase your productivity, including 10 lifesaver platforms and applications:

1- Set boundaries with anyone who will be home with you

If you have family or roommates sharing your living space, it's important to set boundaries and communicate your work schedule to avoid distractions or interruptions. Let them know when you're working and ask them to respect your workspace and schedule.

Pro tip: Sharing your virtual calendar with your family or roommates is a simple yet effective way to set boundaries. By doing so, you can avoid unwanted interruptions and prevent excessive noise from occurring in the background while you are on a call. There are many calendar platforms available, each with its own unique features and strengths. Here are 4 of them: Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook Calendar, Calendly, and Zoho Calendar.

2- Create a designated workspace

A designated workspace can help you get into the right mindset for work. Find a quiet and comfortable spot in your home where you can focus on your tasks without distractions. A separate workspace can also help you separate work from leisure, give a sense of routine, and facilitates a mental transition into work mode.

Pro tip: Since you’re working from home, make sure to set up a workspace that you’ll actually enjoy being in. With the help of augmented reality (AR), the IKEA Place App enables you to virtually decorate your workspace, allowing you to create an ideal setting that inspires you to perform your daily work.

3- Dress for your workday

While it's tempting to stay in your pajamas all day, dressing up can help you get into the right mindset for work. It can also help you feel more confident and professional during video conferences or client meetings.

Pro tip: Stich Fix is an online personal styling guide (and service) that uses data and technology to provide customized clothing and accessory recommendations. You can also search for specific outfit inspirations.

4- Start your work with task batching

Task batching is a time management technique that involves grouping similar tasks together and completing them all at once. The idea behind task batching is that by working on similar tasks in batches, you can minimize the time and energy spent on task switching and increase your overall productivity ("Check out the next topic, '5- Have a Break,' to learn more about two life-saving techniques).

5- Have a break

Taking short breaks throughout the day is crucial for enhancing concentration and efficiency. Moreover, here are two methods that can simplify your life:

The Pomodoro method involves breaking down work into intervals of 25 minutes and taking short breaks of 5 minutes in between. After four intervals, or "Pomodoros," you take a longer break of 15 minutes. The goal is to work in focused sprints and avoid distractions, increasing productivity. This is a good option for quick tasks that don’t require a lot of thought.

Flowtime Technique is a chill version of the Pomodoro method. Instead of using a set time for work and breaks, you can adjust the intervals to fit your preferences and work style. The goal is to create a state of flow, where you're fully immersed in your work and able to be more productive. 

Pro tip: You can use both techniques and split up your time depending on the type of task you're tackling. That way, you'll be able to get the most out of them. 
 

• Easy tasks (Pomodoro Tecnique) 

• Nesto Pomodoro Timer is an app that includes a timer to facilitate the use of the Pomodoro Technique. Additionally, the platform offers customization options, a to-do list feature, and a history of completed sessions to enable task tracking.

• Deeper-thinking tasks (Flowtime Technique)

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6- Maintain consistent working hours because work-life balance matters

Maintaining consistent working hours is crucial when working from home. It will help you achieve a better balance between your personal and professional life, and stay focused and productive. Ultimately, by establishing a routine and sticking to it, you can create a healthier work environment, reduce stress, and make time for other important activities in your life.

Pro tip: Find the right mood to start off your work day. Headspace App is one of the many platforms out there that offers guided meditations and mindfulness exercises to help you reduce stress, increase focus, and boost your mood.

7- Leave the house and explore remote work-friendly places

Leaving the house and working from a different location can help you break the monotony of working from home and boost your creativity. Look for remote work-friendly places such as coffee shops or coworking spaces in your area.

Pro tip: Workfrom is a platform that provides information for remote workers to discover the best places to work remotely, such as coffee shops, coworking spaces, and libraries.

8- Make sure to enjoy offline life after working hours

After a long day of work, it's important to disconnect and enjoy offline activities to recharge your mind and body. Spend time with family and friends, exercise, read, or pursue a hobby to help you relax and recharge. 

9- Practice self-care to boost productivity

Working from home can blur the line between work and personal life, and it's essential to take care of yourself. You can boost your productivity by taking care of your physical and mental health. Make sure to get enough sleep, eat healthy food, exercise regularly, and take breaks throughout the day to stretch and move around.

Pro tip: Apps like Nike Training App can help reduce stress and increase focus. Also, scheduling regular exercise breaks in your day can help boost energy levels and improve overall health.

In conclusion, working from home has become a new normal for many of us, and it's important to always keep in mind the ultimate goal: work-life balance. We hope these tips will prove helpful and wish you the best of luck in your remote work journey!

Bonus Tip

Have you tried out ChatGPT? In short, the language model uses deep learning to generate text. We put it to the test and asked ChatGPT how it could help enhance guidebooks and articles like this one. Here's what the platform had to say:

As a language model, ChatGPT can help enhance articles in several ways. Here are some ways in which ChatGPT can assist:

1- Improving readability: ChatGPT can analyze the text and suggest ways to improve its readability. This could include identifying and simplifying complex sentence structures, suggesting alternative vocabulary or phrasing, and flagging potential issues like wordiness or jargon.

2- Generating additional content: ChatGPT can generate additional content based on the existing article. This could include providing additional details, offering alternative viewpoints or perspectives, or presenting relevant examples and case studies.

3- Fact-checking and accuracy: ChatGPT can help to fact-check and ensure the accuracy of the article. This could include identifying any factual errors or inconsistencies in the text and suggesting additional sources or references to support the claims made in the article.

4- SEO optimization: ChatGPT can help optimize the article for search engines by suggesting appropriate keywords and metadata, and identifying ways to improve the article's ranking on search engine results pages

5- Personalization: ChatGPT can help personalize the article based on the intended audience, taking into account factors such as their age, gender, interests, and location. This could include suggesting language and tone appropriate for the intended audience

Overall, ChatGPT can be a useful tool for enhancing articles by providing additional insights, identifying areas for improvement, and optimizing the text for different purposes and audiences.

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Deeper-thinking tasks (Flowtime Technique)