We would all love to be more efficient at work, but sometimes we do not know where to start—especially those of us working from home during the pandemic because, let’s be honest, our house are awesome because that is where all of our stuff is. Check out these tips to work smarter, not harder so you can increase your productivity while decreasing your stress!

1.      Control your environment. When working from home, it is easy to get distracted. If you live with others, create a system with them so they know not to bother you unless the house is on fire. For example, you can close a door, put up a “Do Not Disturb” sign, or wear headphones to signal that you are busy.

2.      Take a break—without technology. Not only is it better for your overall productivity to take breaks, but eliminating technology keeps you from mindlessly scrolling through emails (some of which might be work related, defeating the point of the break) or through social media which, if we are honest, is stress inducing and not all that relaxing. Things will not explode if you put down your phone and step away from your computer for ten minutes—switch off and pet your dog or enjoy a cup of tea.

3.      Learn to prioritize tasks. Each day has a finite amount of time in it. Take a few minutes at the start of your work day to identify what the top three or four tasks are that absolutely need to get done that day. If you finish those, you can move on to other, less pressing tasks, but learning to prioritize will help keep you on schedule and keep you from feeling overwhelmed.

4.      Respond quickly to correspondence. Look, we are all guilty of this at one time or another: an email arrives and instead of taking two minutes to write back, it just sits there in the inbox for three months while the anxiety monster sits on our shoulder and reminds us that we still have to reply but we do not because everything is stressful and we are all out of spoons. Do your best to reply quickly to correspondence—you can even set reminders throughout the day to remind you to step into your email inbox to do so. The people with whom you work will appreciate the quick response and you can get that annoying anxiety monster off of your shoulder.

5.      Make meetings productive. We have all been in meetings that leave us asking, “Why wasn’t this meeting an email?!” Small talk and chit chat is inevitable, but you can work smarter, not harder if you stay on topic. Before the meeting starts, write out a short list of bullet points that need to be discussed and when the conversation starts to drift, gently pull everyone back. The meeting will be more efficient and everyone can get back to doing what they need to do.

6.      Master time management. Time management is a skill that you can develop; you are not a lost cause just because you do not have the practice. Block out your schedule, use a timer, do whatever you need to do in order to focus yourself during the day. You can also make technology work for you—Google calendar and similar apps can function as a virtual assistant to remind you of appointments and meetings so you can focus on the other things you need to do. Another big part of time management is to be off the clock when you are off the clock—slowly working when you are done for the day will make you feel like you never leave work.

7.      Eliminate stressors. Similar to controlling your environment, it is important to eliminate stressors throughout the day. Keep your desk neat so you know where things are, give yourself to ignore the dishes in the sink, whatever you need to do to feel more relaxed and focused at work.

8.      Pick your battles. This one is exactly what it sounds like. Some battles are not worth having and you can work smarter by letting go of the petty issues that you know will not be resolved in a satisfactory way.

9.      Establish a closing routine. Even when you work from home, it is important to establish a closing routine so you can transition successfully from work time to personal time. If you are a fan of The Office, you might remember Andy singing and dancing to “Closing Time” by the Wallflowers as a way to end the day at the office. You do not have to go that far, you could just take time to straighten your desk and power down you computers for the last ten minutes of the day, but if you want to sing a song we are not going to judge you—do whatever works for you!

10.   Prioritize your mental health. Working from home can be awesome, but it can also take a toll on your mental health if you are not taking care to separate work from leisure. Ensure you take time to relax, exercise, take your daily dose of Strong OG, and reach out to a mental health professional if you would like. Even the most hardcore workaholics need to stop working to eat and sleep; prioritizing yourself means you will be in a better position to work effectively.

            What are your favorite tips to work smarter? Tag us on social media @therealbodepro and let us know how you slay your side gig!