4 ways to WFH and stay productive: Rants With Kiki – Ep 3

It’s 2023.

Things have changed.

From electric cars to spy drones, medical robots, rumors of AI about to take over people’s jobs (😑) and the best one yet- working from home!  The Covid-19 Pandemic did that one good thing. 

We get to lounge in our homes and work without the frustration of Lagos traffic, early morning curses from angry drivers, LASTMA drama…the horror list goes on 😭

WFH is a dream come true. No need to wear that suit or wear those painful pair of heels (Ladies, how do you do that?). No need to fuel your car every other day or fight with another bus conductor for change. No need to endure rush hour traffic, get home by 9 pm, too tired to do anything else but sleep. So yes, most people prefer working from home!

But with a very heavy new-year calendar and busy-ness, how do you WFH and not get carried away with all the comfort, stay productive and remain your boss’s favourite?

Well, read on for practical tips.

1. WFH – could also mean work from other spaces 

This is probably my best advice for working remotely (works all the time)

Working from home can be tiring. No human interaction,  more interaction with the couch for most people…not good, not good.

So here’s the solution- try out workspaces. Shuffle home and workspaces, and you’ll be fine. You could try a quiet park, a cool bar with soft music, or a super cool official workspace like CAFE ONE! A little birdie told me they have one of the best coffee in every city they are present in – Ibadan and Lagos for now.

You also get to connect with other professionals from different fields, and the Wi-Fi is faster than the speed of light. No kidding.

So yeah. Get a change of scenery. You’ll be more inspired and motivated to do productive work. 

2. Act like you’re going to work…because you are! 

That cozy home feeling can play a fast one on your nerves when working from home. You naturally relax more than usual, join meetings late, skip deadlines… until you get that one ‘check-up’ text from your boss, and you are like “OMG!”  

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So, what can you do? Act like you are going to work! Set an alarm for 6 am or 7am…whichever works.  Take a shower and get out of your PJs (You see, PJs have this low energy to them. Like hey, it’s bedtime!) You want work time! Get something to eat, coffee or tea in hand, and get started with the day’s work. You’ll get more done in good time.

3. Set up your workspace 

STOP. WORKING. ON. YOUR. BED! (read that 5 times so it sinks)

Starting the day on your bed or even on your couch can cause a drag on your day. And you’ll most likely procrastinate. (this piece will  help you stop procrastinating)

Get yourself a comfortable chair and desk. Perhaps, a chair more comfortable than what you get at work. Set up your own little office and get creative with it, decorations and all. You may not know this, but the moment you sit in that space, your productive super power switches on and you’ll be out slaying briefs.

4. Don’t forget your team!  

Working remotely is just about the best way to test your communication skills. It’s normal to forget you need to give someone feedback or that you need to have a meeting with someone when you aren’t seeing them pass by you all the time. Don’t forget to carry your team members along. Set reminders to check up on your team.  

Also, make sure you have a backup plan for power and internet connectivity. Imperium can help you with that at low costs.

Make sure your phone isn’t on DND, and your ringtone is loud enough (Just in case you are away in the kitchen cooking some spicy chicken).

With these tips, queries would be less, having your inbox filled with 99+ emails unattended would be rare and you’ll remain your boss’s favourite😇.

Last thing, don’t forget to rest well (WHEN NECESSARY👀).  

See Ya!

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