At Hit Creative, we were working remotely for more than five years before it started trending. There are few pursuits within what we do that cannot be conducted effectively from within the confines of one’s own four walls – save for shooting on location of course. The rest, well if you have a decent laptop and a bit of internet, you’re pretty much golden.
However, there are more distractions at home. More temptations perhaps, and more freedom that comes when your boss can’t actually see what you’re doing the whole time. So there is an element (a large element) of trust that comes with an employer handing its staff the opportunity to work from home permanently. Without the pandemic, and the hand that forced, this level of trust was never likely to be granted by as many organisations as it has been. But at Hit Creative, we’ve always been all about that trust. Maybe it’s because the work we do is so interesting, it’s hard to become distracted. Maybe it’s just because we know our people are the best. Maybe it’s because we have the coolest boss (raise?)…
But for everyone else working remotely, it’s probably still a fairly new concept. It’s unquestionably going to be a big part of life going forward, and so using our expertise on the matter we’ve come up with 10 tips for how to stay productive all day every day. We all know about the temptation to stay in bed an extra hour (or two) when you don’t need to be in the office. The opportunities presented by just having Microsoft Teams on your phone and not switching on the camera so you can rest your eyes some more (or do other stuff). The quick after lunch nap that overruns until 4pm. The new two-hour JCS video that he just uploaded to YouTube (we know, they’re getting rarer).
Well, it can take a lot of willpower to avoid some of these temptations. When you think about it, the fact that your route to a lifetime of distraction and entertainment happens to be contained within the very same box (computer) that you’re supposed to use for productive work, well it doesn’t necessarily seem that well thought out now, does it?
Onwards…
1. Lists
,Lists are great. And they’re important for more than one reason when you’re working from home. First and foremost, at the start of each day, or even week, we always compile a list of every task that needs to be completed that day (or week). It helps us to remember it of course, but it also gives a great deal of satisfaction being able to cross that item off the list when it’s complete. We use Microsoft’s To Do app for our lists. It’s simple and easy, and t’s right there on your phone. You can set reminders, and when you’ve fulfilled the task on question you get a nice little “Bing” when you tick it off. It’s really quite satisfying honestly.
2. Workspace
A great workspace reflects your personality, is streamlined for the kind of work you want to do there, and is set up so brilliantly, and with such comfort, that you won’t ever want to leave. The workspace, or “productivity space” as some like to refer to it, is one of the most important components of this list. There is no set rules or regulations for where you should position the area in which you intend to carry out your daily tasks and tick those items off the To Do list. But common opinion suggests it might be somewhere with pleasant surroundings, peaceful, tidy, with a window for a bit of natural light. All of those things might not all necessarily work, be required or be available for you, but what we think will always work for you is a designated space with some decent equipment to facilitate your productivity. What this means is a good, spacious desk, a comfy chair, some notepads and pens, a fully functioning laptop or PC, and maybe chuck in a nice plant or something for your wellness level. These kinds of things.
It all starts with the desk. We love this adjustable height desk from fully.com.
It’s made from sustainable bamboo, and the electronic adjuster allows you to position the desk at pretty much any viable height you may need. From fully fledged standing to sat on the floor crying about your impending deadline.
The chair is next, and apologies in advance, but spare us the standard, ugly office chair vibe. We love this leather Bosmiller gaming chair, for the sheer comfort and its classic aesthetic. It’s fitted with built-in adjustment technology and ergonomics to support and make you comfortable.
Everyone has their own ideas on the kind of space, furniture and equipment they want. And that’s fine. But we can’t emphasise enough how important it is that you actually create a space which you look forward to going to and starting work. If it’s no good, like a space at the dining table for instance, where’s the incentive to get over there and get cracking?
3. Get out
Walk away, you know? Just get out of there for a bit. Get some fresh air or something. As far as we know, that’s still allowed right? There’s. a lot to be said for taking some time away from eth screen. For instance, the other we were looking for some nice classical music to complement the striking architecture we had been filming for a client. Frankly, after two hours of not finding that captivating build up we were looking for, it was time to leave it there for a bit. So we went out for a walk (without any music). When we got back, as if presented by the ears of the Good Lord himself, the winning piece was the first thing we found. Coincidence? Never.
4. Enjoy the bonus of home life
There’s loads to enjoy about working from home. But one of the best is being able to easily do stuff that you wouldn’t be able to do in the office. That could be something like a baking a cake or whatever, or just listening to the music you want to listen to without having to adhere to office tastes/politics. Some people like to even have This Morning on in the background while they work away, although since Eamonn and Ruth got the boot there’s not much decent happening on that show, let’s be honest. If you’ve got pets, feed them, or walk them. Make the most of it all, fit a couple of activities into your daily routine that you wouldn’t usually get the opportunity to do if you were in an office. It’s a great thing to do.
5. Maintain discipline
Having said that, it is vitally important to remain disciplined at all times. It’s, for some mad reason, still relatively unorthodox to have the luxury of home working in your life, and some people can go too far the wrong way. Try to keep to the work activities when it’s work time. Put the phone on the other side of the room, don’t fall down an Instagram video rabbit hole.
6. Stay communicative
Working remotely needs you to communicate. You need to be across those apps (we love Slack of course) sending in your work, having a bit of camaraderie with your colleagues, feeling connected to things. The trouble that comes with remote working, is sometimes depending upon your circumstances you could end up feeling isolated or left out. That can’t happen. It’s up to you to get messaging your work pals to make sure they’re ok and that they know what you’re up to. Nothing wrong with a bit of a gossip also. It’s healthy.
7. Biohacking
Biohacking emerged into the semi-mainstream with films like Limitless around a decade ago, and some of the most brilliant minds in tech use the concept of hacking one’s own biology to enhance their productivity. Essentially, if you go fully into biohacking, you’re taking control of what goes into your body, like the kind of coffee you drink for example, but that’s pretty extra for a curious beginner. The component of biohacking that interests us is the supplements many use to enhance cognitive performance – nootropics. Nootropics are nutrients that usually come in the form of supplements, and they are also sometimes known as smart drugs or nutraceuticals. There are many categories within the nootropics family, but for the most part they have all commonly been observed to improve brain performance and general health. Piracetam is the original nootropic, and it’s actually what the movie Limitless was based on. Having taken it on and off for years, we can confirm that it really can position you in a zone where your productivity level is through the roof, and you barely even realise it. Combined with a couple of Vitamin supplements, your health, wellbeing and of course productivity could easily go up a notch or two. Read more on nootropics in our article here. Nootropics and stacks of supplements (two or three per day) are different for everyone, and the effects can vary. We’re not medical professionals, so if you are interested in testing the effects of combining supplements to enhance cognitive performance, you should start with low doses and see what works best for you.
8. Essential oils
One potential impact of being indoors all day is the kind of pent-up need for a release. Some can become quite wound up when confined to the same four walls, perhaps because of a huge task or impending deadline. Instead of burning the candle at both ends, how about having the scent of some essential oils to ease yourself through the day? Clarified research shows that there are a number of essential oils that do just that. Lavender, sweet orange, rosemary, lemon, spearmint and bergamol essential oils have all been found to suppress agitation, anxiety and stress, and improve cognitive performance. If you’re a fan of a morning yoga routine, adding some essential oils into the session will take your early stretches to a whole new level. Trust us on that one.
9. Get dressed
Walking round in your pants is one of the perks of the home work life, right? Wrong. What that is doing is telling your brain that you’re not really doing much today. When do you normally never get dressed? On a dark cold weekend? With an incurable hangover? Well, those days are not conducive to work. Get dressed, have a shower first. Get woken up properly and prepare for your day as though you actually are going into the office. Because you are. It just happens that your new office is a 10 second walk rather than a one-hour commute. Lucky you.
10. Don’t work late
As well as the temptation to not bother getting dressed, there is also the danger that you may never quite switch off. It’s not like when 5:30 pm swings around and you’re all packed up waiting for the elevator to come and whisk you down the building to start the process of getting you home is it? Well it should be. As soon as you reach the end of your usual work time, the laptop gets closed, computer switched off. Get up and get out. Go shopping for dinner, or cook it if you already have the ingredients. Spend time with your family or housemates. Make the most of the extra time you have when you’re not commuting to catch up on something leisurely. Go for a run. Whatever it is you want to do, make sure you’re doing it at the time you’re supposed to finish work. One thing about remote work is that you’re being given the gift of time. Don’t use it for work.
Work/life balance, yeah? Don’t ever forget that.