9 Ways to Boost Efficiency When You Work From Home in Ireland
With remote work becoming mainstream across Ireland, mastering productivity away from traditional office settings is essential. Recent surveys show that over 50% of Irish employees now work remotely to some degree. Getting your stuff done, when at home, means you might have to make a bit more effort, and work a bit smarter to stay on point.
We’ve got a solid list of research-backed techniques to sharpen up your focus, juice up your drive and whip into shape your organisation as a remote employee based in Ireland.
Music
While blasting Straight Outta Compton might have got you a few side-eyes in the office, at home you’re the DJ all the way through your workday. A 2018 study by Spotify (do you think maybe they’re a bit biassed?) found that over 70% of remote workers reported increased productivity and engagement when listening to motivational, personally selected playlists. I personally recommend “focus classical” or “lo-fi reading” or “instrumental acoustic” for working or reading etc. Even as I’m writing this, I’ve got Spotify going, for better or worse, you decide.
Automate
Leverage tools like Zapier that take the drag out of the dull or repetitive things. Automating tasks like this (with or without your manager’s knowledge - up to you) can chop down your work time and free you up for other things. Whether that’s more work or a full manicure/pedicure on work’s time, up to you.
Connect
Set aside time to join in or organise regular video check-ins to collaborate and socialise. A survey by NUI Galway in 2021 showed that 71% of remote workers felt more connected and productive after adopting weekly video conversations with colleagues. Remember the days of pub quizzes and Zoom family catch ups? Bring back some of that fun into the digital era.
Dedicated Workspace
Lying in bed, eating a Maccies breakfast and with Netflix in the background, may have sounded like the dream 5 years ago. Mate, no judgement, it may even be your dream now. And who am I to judge? But here's one thing for sure, you need a set space to get the most out of your day. Have a specific desk, seat, whatever. Just make sure you have an “at work” and “not at work” mode. It’s good for the mind.
Miss your Commute?
Didn’t think so. But it did serve the purpose of easing your mind into work mode, you can replicate this by “mimicking” your regular commute. For example make sure you’re up before you need to start, plenty of time for breakfast or workout, you’ve showered, dressed and had a little time to read the newspaper or a bit of a book AWAY FROM YOUR DESK, like you would on a train or bus into work, get yourself fresh for the day rather than waking up at 8.59am and signing in on your phone then going back to sleep for an hour.
Multitasking?
Focus on one task at a time. Don’t give me this nonsense about women being better multitaskers or whatever, it’s not a decent excuse. It’s a well proven fact that if you jump between things, you do 5 things to a standard of average or badly, rather than one thing well at a time. Focus, finish, then move on.
Distractions
Get that flight mode or do not disturb going. The endless pings that a smartphone has, are designed to keep your eyes on the screen, it's a tough war to fight against the likes of Zuckerberg and co. But try saying to yourself “at 55m past, I’ll allow myself 5 mins of scrolling, then get back to it” and stick to it, soon you’ll not crave it.
Plan Breaks
Every 20 mins or so, try to stand up, stretch, grab some water, make a tea, wack on some laundry, whatever. Just split up your day and you’ll find it flies by. Plus you can also get all your household stuff done, without feeling guilty.
Define Work Hours
Set firm work hours. Working from home actually makes it easier to stay late or do extra hours to “make up for your freedom”. This is BS. If you’re being paid hourly/salary, then stick to your hours, do the work you’re supposed to and head home. If they need you for longer, then serious conversations need to be had about overtime or better management or more staff. It’s not a charity when it comes to them giving you free money, so why should you give them free time? You can always earn more money, you can never earn more time.
With Ireland's remote work revolution showing no signs of slowing, keep yourself on task and wrestle psychologically with this new experience of the home office. If you’re looking for support finding remote work then get yourself over to Workclass and sign up now. Doing well and staying in remote roles in Ireland will depend on how well you can balance your life, so make sure you’ve got a good balance.