Last Updated on May 1, 2022 by Chin Yi Xuan
Dear friend,
Working from home (WFH) is really a norm that requires some getting used to.
Even as someone that has been WFH for 2 years, I still find it challenging to be productive & balance my life at times (to make things worse, I am a workaholic).
Fortunately, I’ve developed 3 techniques that have been serving me well especially in this crazy year of 2020. For the record, these WFH techniques have helped me to:
- 1. Maintain my blog with at least 1 – 2 articles/week.
- 2. Produce 2 videos/week on my newly established Tik-Tok channel.
- 3. Train consistently for at least 2 hours/day as a developing trader, PLUS;
- 4. Exercise for 30 mins everyday.
- 5. Squeeze in a 20 mins power nap everyday.
- 6. Catch up on my favorite Youtube videos daily.
In this week’s newsletter, let’s explore these 3 techniques one by one:
#1 Intention: Be Intentional with Your Time
WFH makes it extremely easy for our work to eat into our personal life. Hence, it is crucial for us to be intentional with how we use our time.
The best way to do so is to plan our day by breaking it down into multiple time blocks.
Essentially, you’d want to allocate each time block to a specific work (eg. meeting, reply to emails) or personal to-do (eg. rest, exercise, social media, meals) so you’ll always be aware of what you are doing with your time.
Ultimately, just think of your time (24 hours) as a currency where you have to budget for different purposes everyday.
#2 Cue: Build Your Cue for Work and Personal Life
At times (actually very often), we’ll still get distracted by different things at home (eg. Youtube & Social Media), even after having everything planned out beforehand.
As such, it is important for us to reinforce our planned schedule by having a cue for both work and personal endeavors.
As an example, while working, I’ll be wearing an active noise-canceling headphone as a cue for me to work. The headphone will be used purely for work and nothing else (eg. entertainment) – and will be put away after work.
#3 Transition: Allow Breaks & Transition in Between Work and Personal Life
Lastly, it is important for us to have a specific focus for the day. Generally, the lesser things you have to focus on for the day, the more productive you’d get.
I’ve also found that having breaks & transition in between focuses make me more productive and retain information better.
This may sound counterintuitive, but I am actually more productive at home if I slot in a power nap in between focus/task-switching for the day.
So here you go: 3 techniques that I personally use to help improve my balance and productivity while WFH – definitely give them a try!
Do you have any ideas/tips that have improved your WFH experience? Feel free to share with me at the comment section below!
Till next week (and stay safe)!
Yi Xuan
