It has been a couple of weeks since the start of quarantine due to the spread of COVID-19, binding us to work on our Tesla projects from home. We wanted to share a couple of tips to help you with focus and productivity while working from home.
Have a dedicated work space
Where you can sit down and focus. Personally, I have been utilising my dining room table as my designated work area. After I am done with work for the day, I make sure to clean it and put all of my notebooks, planners and tech devices away. It can be hard to differentiate between work and home; therefore, it is important to have a separate area, while keeping it clean (up to your standards).
Set your work hours
The last two weeks we’ve spent most of our time writing and implementing feedback for our project plans. However, deadlines have since passed and we’re moving onto next stages of our projects. We recommend you set your work hours to match your team members for project work and the planned activities in the Tesla calendar. Remember that the minor is designed to focus 60% on project work and 40% on other fun activities. Just because we are working from home does not mean that you need to work more hours. For example, you could work from 9:30 am to 5 pm, including a lunch break from 12-1 pm. If you are not a morning person, you can adjust these hours accordingly.
Take breaks
Having several calls per day, among other things that you need to get done for your project, can be exhausting. Don’t forget to take consistent breaks while working and go on that mandatory once a day walk too!
Create to-do lists and have daily stand-ups with your team
We hope that you’re utilising the scrum method for your project work and keep up with daily stand-ups. You can schedule calls and discuss your team’s to-do list at the start of the day. Breaking down big tasks into smaller and more manageable tasks will help you make progress on your projects. You will definitely feel accomplished once you start crossing items off your list!
Stay focused
If you’re struggling with focus while working at home we recommend you try utilising the Pomodoro technique. It’s a time management method that uses timers to break your work into intervals. These intervals can be between 25-30 min to 1 hour in length separated by 10-15 min short breaks in between. There are many digital tools available or you can simply use a timer on your phone.
Some of our favorite app recommendations include Forest, Flipd, Self-control and Focus Keeper.
Reward yourself
It’s hard to be isolated, not having any social events to look forward to, but you can treat yourself with small acts of kindness every day. Make yourself a nice latte, go for a walk, make a nice meal, have a dance party to your favorite song or watch an episode of your favorite TV show/movie. These are all of the things that you can look forward to while working from home.
We hope that we are not too late with these tips and that you find them useful. Stay sane while maintaining productivity. If you think that we’ve missed something important or have other great productivity app recommendations do not hesitate to share it with us in the comments!
