How to Craft Your Most Productive Work From Home Schedule

The modern era has blessed workers around the world the ability to work from home. Whether you’re freelancing or doing company work, having the capacity to work at home is more than just a blessing. For some, it can be a burden. Without having a manager looking over you, you may struggle with time management, thus needing assistance in improving your productivity. You can upgrade your home schedule, but to what degree? Do you know where to start?

If you don’t, then perhaps this guide can give you some essential pointers. We do more than just offer valuable equipment, for there are also guides to improving general work productivity. Applying some of these guides can assist you, but it may seem overwhelming at first. Hence, the best parts of those guides are condensed into this article for your convenience. Useful aspects include various facets ranging from comfortable things to sit on to how you can make your own work schedule.

First things first, identify what kind of work you plan on doing. How efficient can it be done at home, and does it require you to go out at any point? What additional work from home equipment do you need to complete your assignment? Work varies from person to person, so only you can answer all of these questions. Even if what you do may be completely different from the norm, there’s always a solution to making it easier for you to handle.

1. Figure Out What You Need Help With Regarding Work

First, think of how others do the work you do. Are you missing something vital? For example, a music producer needs software related to their business (such as music composition apps).

If you’re currently using software relevant for your work, you must ask yourself, “Is this the best way for my work?” With dozens to thousands of options available to assist you, you need to research what are the best, specific tools for your job.

2. Figure Out Why You Need to Increase Productivity

Unless you have an alternate way to move up the corporate ladder, you need to improve your work rate. Higher productivity means you can take on more work, which in turn means you can get paid more. It may be a simple reason, but it’s one of the best reasons to consider it.

Of course, you can always have other reasons for doing better at home, but that can be a tad too broad for a simple article.

3. When You Can Incorporate A Better Schedule

You can always improve your work from home schedule at any time. As you’re working from home, you should have a ton of flexibility in your work hours.

Think of it like this: you always have access to your home. Considering that fact, you should then choose hours with the least amount of disturbance. Keep in mind some jobs force you into certain hours, but you should generally have some control over how you handle your schedule.

4. Work From Home Schedule Template

There are many templates to consider what may be the best way to work from home for you. For instance, this article shows you a way to balance working at home while being a parent. Like all other work from home scenarios, you need to balance your personal life and workload without disrupting the other too much. In the above situation, you work when your kids cannot bother you (either because they’re sleeping or preoccupied with something entertaining). If you don’t know when to work, you must plan ahead and remember the schedules of those around you.

The following is an example of what a work from home flexible schedule may look like. With the assumption that a new day is when you wake up as opposed to it being midnight, you start the day waking up. You do your necessary hygienic activities, eat some breakfast, and check your emails and texts. When you’re reading your emails, you may notice that sometimes you get a massive workload and sometimes get a light load. Regardless of which one you get, it would be best if you planned out your work schedule.

Assuming it’s the latter choice, you might as well get started with it (considering it’s probably easy, meaning you can relax more later). First, find a room where you can work in peace. If you have other people living with you, you need to let them know not to bother you. Should you be unfortunate enough to have noisy neighbors, you need to close the windows nearby to limit noise interference. Next, you should organize your workspace to limit clutter and your movement in and out of the room. As jobs differ from person to person, you’re going to need to use your professional knowledge on what equipment you need for this assignment.

Believe it or not, music can significantly improve how productive work schedule you are in your job. Preferably, you won’t play a catchy tune that makes you sing along, as that’s a distraction. Ideally, you choose instrumental music that’s mellow, such as lofi music. Get to work for roughly an hour, then take a 5-10 minute break, and repeat the process until you’re done. Remember, you don’t want to take too many breaks!

If you have a ton of work, you need to continue working with a positive mind. Otherwise, it’s the same as working with a light load. It may come as surprising to some, but work is work, no matter how much of it is there. Of course, you need to know when your work is due. If it’s due in a week, set aside six days of reasonably intense working sessions. You need a day off somewhere as an overworked person does not perform well. Likewise, “reasonably intense” is used as you don’t want to kill yourself with overbearing stress. More stress equals worse work, and worse work equals less pay.

5. Adjust The Template to Your Lifestyle

Naturally, it would be best if you worked hard in order to be productive. However, you shouldn’t let your child stay at school all day until you’re done to pick them up. Balance your life with your work. If you find yourself picking people up or doing something else too much, then you need to work more to counteract that. However, working too much is another problem, so you need to delegate some responsibility to other people in your life. Friends and family can make your life easier, so let them do a favor for you whenever possible.

Some people are night owls, waking up around noon and sleeping at around 5 AM. Working late allows you to work in peace, as it’s highly unlikely for your neighbors to disturb you at those hours. However, if you enjoy night activities and want to work in the afternoon, then you need to shift the schedule around. Remember, working at home gives you plenty of flexibility for your assignments!

6. Other Tips For Working From Home

You can always improve your remote work schedule little by little. Figure out what is the best working hours for you to do your job. Do you prefer the serene atmosphere offered at night, or do you need a little bit of light in your life to perform exceptionally? For example, we wrote this article in the afternoon at our leisure. We identified the need (a guide to improve productivity), why people need it (better financial opportunities and time management), and when they can incorporate these aspects into their life.

Some extraneous objects may assist you in performing better. For example, a better sound system can make the instrumental music sound a lot more pleasant to your eyes compared to a shoddy $5 headphone. Most people who work at home tend to do so on a desk, so perhaps you might be interested in our article on how to improve desk efficiency? Although that article is about college students studying, you can easily replace studying with working and get the same effect!

There are also ergonomic accessories that can act as an efficient catalyst for your work. These can include desks, keyboards, and, most importantly, a chair. Unless you’re using a standing desk, a chair is one of the most crucial parts of your work at home. However, you need a reliable chair to support you throughout the arduous hours you may need to overcome.

6.1 ErgoChair 2: The Chair For You

ErgoChair 2 is an ergonomic chair specially designed by us at Autonomous.AI. With several adjustable features, workers from all stations of life should be able to find a setting most comfortable to them. The chair’s flexibility is excellent when you’re stressed from work, as its Korean mesh back can alleviate any potential back pain.

A top-notch chair can go a long way in making you more productive at home. With the capacity to carry up to 350 lbs and 360-degree movement options, you can slide around and exercise on the chair to get your blood flowing. Somewhere within your remote work schedule should be a break or two, and this is when you could get up and stretch around. You don’t want to sit around all day, regardless of the chair you use.

6.2 Sitting Down While Working

Your sitting posture can heavily influence how well you work. Even if you have the best schedule around, your health plays a crucial role in your success. Our ergonomic guide for sitting while working may help you out in increasing your productivity. This includes how you place your monitor on your desk, additional sitting tips, and the basic fact you should always move about to keep your blood flowing.

6.3 Desks matter 

Assuming you’re using a computer for most of your in-home assignments, you need a desk that can hold it while being accessible and convenient for you to use. Desks are amazing, for you can place plenty of work utensils on it. If you’re an artist, you can keep rough drafts on it. If you’re a musician, you can have music sheets or lyrics on top of the desk. Likewise, most jobs can appreciate the value a desk can bring to your work and how you setup your desk for productivity.

There are two desks worth mentioning on this guide: the SmartDesk 2 and the L-shaped SmartDesk. The latter choice is ideal for workers who value the convenience a chair can bring to you. Its special L-shape design allows you to turn around and store all kinds of objects on it. This can include food, documents, photos, etc. and can always be used outside of work. If you’re ever unsure about the desk’s quality, you can still use your five-year warranty for potential fixes. Outside of that, the desk is fully adjustable, so it’s an excellent choice for somebody who needs a lot of space to be productive.

SmartDesk 2 is an excellent choice if you need a standing desk for your home office. Standing desks, in general, are a modern trend designed to increase productivity. Through the action of standing, you’re forcing blood to flow throughout your whole body as opposed to restricting some of it while sitting. Like the previous desk, there’s a five-year warranty attached to this fine desk. Aside from that, it’s a smart desk that can be adjusted by the simple act of a button if you need to raise or lower it. Its dual-motor system is robust, so it’s undoubtedly more stable than some of its counterparts on the market.

7. Pros & Cons to Adjusting Your Work Schedule

There are many ways on how to be more productive at home. We’ve gone over equipment, guides, and some suggestions on how to work around your work schedule.

Assuming you take all of this into consideration, there are some pros and cons to doing so.

Pros:

• Increased productivity
• More money potential
• More time to spend with your loved ones
• A healthier lifestyle
• You may be able to help others with their productivity issues.

Cons:

• May require you to purchase some additional items.
• May take a while to get used to

8. Final Thoughts

In a nutshell, everybody’s schedule may be different from one another. However, you should always aspire to better yourself through a more productive plan that benefits your work. Consider how much time you’re willing to invest in each day. You cannot force productivity overnight, so incorporate some elements every day until you reach a critical point of maximum efficiency!

Avoiding outside distractions is one of the most crucial elements of productive work, so make sure your home schedule does not interfere with your work. For example, if you need to drive to pick something up every day, it is advisable not to plan business in that time frame. On a related note, you cannot work yourself to death! Everybody needs a break from time to time, but remember not to take too many breaks. Time management is an important skill to have, so you need to allocate when you are available for work accordingly. 

Finally, you need to have the proper equipment for your job. Some objects operate better than others, so always seek to use the best possible choice for your budget! In one scenario, the Autonomous standing desk can perfectly complement the ErgoChair 2. You could have a massive workspace while allowing the freedom to adjust your seat, however you feel pleased. Regardless of what you have at your home, it’s all about adaptation.