The COVID-19 pandemic has indeed turned our routines upside down. Millions of people were forced to stay at their homes, adjusting to a new reality. Those who were not used to working remotely saw it as a real challenge.

First of all, many people could not keep their productivity and efficiency levels high at home. They claimed there were too many distractions preventing them from focusing on work. Also, the uncertainty and worries about the future affected people’s ability to concentrate on their work and studies.

Fortunately, many soon realized that working and studying remotely can be quite manageable. Since the lockdown took months, some people put themselves together and reached even greater success than ever before. Others failed to adapt to the new reality and complained about being lost in procrastination and disengagement.

For these people, we have a few tips on how to keep productivity high while working remotely.

Keep Your Routine Unchanged

When studying or working at home, you have the benefit of saving lots of time you used to spend on commuting. However, many people waste it. They prefer staying up longer, working at odd hours, and then sleeping till noon. It all ends up being totally unproductive.

However, if you try to maintain your regular office hours when studying remotely, you may find yourself productive like never before. Wake up at the same hours you used to. Do your morning routine and enjoy some time for yourself. Start your studies at the same time you’d have your classes at school. You’ll see how sticking to your time habits can boost your energy.

Track Your Progress

Thinking that you are unproductive can be misleading. That feeling can be caused by the absence of usual progress trackers. For example, you could compare your knowledge and skills against those of your classmates. Now, this has been made hard to do or impossible.

Therefore, to measure your progress, you should both track your achievements and reward yourself for small victories. You can develop a system that works the following way: “now I’ll write my paper, and then I’ll have some time to watch my favorite TV series as a reward.”

Such motivation will keep you more alert and inspired to concentrate and work harder on your assignments. At the same time, you will not burn out with lots of obligations you might have.

Maintain A Healthy Work-Life Balance

Unfortunately, many students lose their battle for greater productivity when they mix their studies and personal life. Working longer hours becomes regular, taking over most of their free time. In other words, their education spills into their home life entirely.

This is totally wrong. That is why maintaining your work-life balance when studying remotely is so important. You can’t study all the time because it derails your productivity. Instead, plan your day for it to have enough time for studying and leisure. Your energy levels will recover, and you’ll see that having breaks is actually helping you to achieve more.

Plan Your Day, Week, Month

Getting organized and planning your day can really make you more productive. You’ll have fixed hours dedicated to each project, assignment, and task. You’ll know when you have to do it to submit it right on time.

Also, such planning will keep you on track and motivate you to complete your assignments efficiently. You’ll know that you’ll have no time to work on them later. Bringing structure into your day will teach you how to value time and accomplish more.

Steer Away From Distractions

Indeed, people working or studying at home need to learn to switch off from the rest of the world. Otherwise, their flatmates, loved ones, friends, as well as other people will keep them busy and distracted.

Let everyone know about your working hours. Find a quiet place with a door to get isolated and work productively. Turn off your phone except for emergency calls. Make sure you do everything to maintain your focus and concentration levels unchanged.

Eat And Sleep Healthily

Productivity depends on your energy. If you feel constantly tired, sleepy, or disengaged, it will not do any good for your academic success. The first rule to regain your energy is to have a healthy meal and a great nap.

Nothing works better on our body than eating and sleeping healthily. If you add physical exercise to it, you’ll get a major energy boost. You have to take good care of yourself to get energetic enough to study remotely.

Final Words

Working and studying remotely does not mean you have to spend the entire time writing, reading, and learning. You are not a machine, so you should approach your productivity from a different perspective. Analyze what it is that your mind and body need and help yourself with arranging your routine. The result will follow immediately.