Get the most out of hybrid work – increase your work productivity and your free time – with our hybrid working tips.
Hybrid Work – what is it?
Hybrid work consists of working a few days in the office and other days from home, or any other place where you can work remotely from. This model allows employees to have a flexible schedule and more control over how they spend their days.
While working from home, you get to wake up a bit later, you can cook your lunch, and you can even work in your pajamas… but over time it also comes with feelings of social isolation, disconnection from your co-workers, and can even lead you to work more hours than you used to, resulting in a lack of productivity.
With the hybrid work model, you get the best of both worlds!
In this article, we’ll be giving you some hybrid working tips on how to increase your productivity so that you can get the most out of hybrid work and actually enjoy its many benefits.
5 Hybrid Working Tips to Increase Your Productivity in Hybrid Work
1. Recreate your office’s setup at home
If you’re splitting your time between your office and your home, recreating your office’s setup at home can improve your productivity. This reduces the need to constantly try to navigate a different workspace every few days, allowing you to save time and energy to focus on your actual work.
Try replicating your office setup as much as you can, from the place where you keep your supplies to what you usually have on top of your desk. Even if you can’t mirror it completely, having a similar layout will make it easier to pick up where you left off when transitioning from home to the office.
2. Make sure you’re comfortable
Offices are usually prepared to provide comfort for people who work long hours, so it’s natural that you’ll feel a difference while working at home, since your desk, sitting arrangement, and even your tools might not be the best for long hours of work.
Make sure you invest in a desk with the right height to maintain a good posture, get a comfortable chair, and try out an ergonomic keyboard and mouse to properly support your hands and wrists. Since you’re working from home, you can always put on your favorite sweatpants and some cozy slippers for maximum comfort and productivity.
3. Manage your day with time blocks
It’s tempting to turn off the alarm clock when you’re working from home, because you feel like not having to get ready and out the door to go to work will give you plenty of time to start, however, this usually ends up with you working late. To avoid this, try to create time blocks that specifically determine when you need to buckle down and work.
You can enjoy the time you’d usually spend commuting on things that you enjoy doing like a hobby, a passion project, or spending time with your family and friends. For those in hybrid work that enjoy complete freedom in their schedule when working from home, you can even plan your working hours according to the time of day when you feel the most productive.
There are plenty time blocking apps that can help you make the most out of your day, or you can try to figure out how to manage your time on your own through different methods like, for example, the Pomodoro Technique.
4. Determine when and where to perform specific tasks
For some hybrid workers, performing a task better or faster will depend on when and where they’re working from. Some people might enjoy doing specific tasks from home while others would prefer to do them in the office.
We asked two programmers how they prefer to do their job and these are their answers:
I prefer coding in the office, where I can easily reach out to a colleague if I feel stuck. Regarding SCRUM ceremonies (such as Sprint Reviews, Sprint Retrospectives, Sprint Planning, etc) I prefer to do them remotely, through a virtual call. I find them more efficient than in-person meetings. – Pedro Fonseca, Software Developer @ KWAN
The other programmer we talked with has the opposite opinion.
Planning meetings (such as sprint reviews and sprint retrospectives) because they are long meetings, I prefer to do them personally, as opposed to writing code, which I prefer to do at home because it’s less noisy, and so I can be more focused. – Gabriel Cunha, Software Developer @ InvoiceXpress.
Determining where and when you perform certain tasks better will help you plan your working days ahead and allow you to get the most out of hybrid work.
5. Plan your office visits with your co-workers
If your company allows hybrid workers to choose the days where they come to the office, it might be nice to coordinate your in-office workdays with your team. Not only will you be able to catch up face to face, but you’ll also have the opportunity to schedule important meetings or other group tasks for those specific days.
Enjoying the company of your co-workers will make you feel reconnected, less socially isolated, and it will give you a nice boost when it comes to productivity.
Hybrid work can be a very freeing work model, as it gives you schedule flexibility and some more time to work on your hobbies, passions, or spend with your loved ones. But not everyone can adapt to it fast enough, which can result in a lack of productivity.
Fortunately, here we’ve presented you with five hybrid working tips that’ll help you feel less socially isolated, disconnected from your colleagues, and even burdened with work. By committing to a few changes like recreating your office’s setup, creating time blocks for work time, and even planning your office visits with your co-workers you’ll become more productive and be finally able to get the most out of hybrid work.
And if you’re looking for a new challenge, at KWAN you’ll find the flexibility to choose a project that fits your background, experience, and personal taste.
Which includes the working model you’re most comfortable with.
Fill in the form, talk to us, and let us know how do you want to work!
