You’re working from home and struggling to stay motivated. What can you do to keep your energy up?

Acredito que para manter a produtividade trabalhando em casa como gerente de contratos, é essencial estabelecer uma rotina consistente, definir metas claras e prioridades, utilizar ferramentas de gerenciamento de projetos eficazes, manter uma comunicação transparente com a equipe e partes interessadas, fazer pausas regulares para descanso e recarga de energia, e garantir um ambiente de trabalho organizado e livre de distrações, de preferência onde você não seja interrompido por outras pessoas da casa.

To keep your energy up while working in a WFH set up, it is important to have a fixed routine. I would suggest following to remain focused and energised during WFH : 1. Create a dedicated workspace for you with proper lighting, charging points, high speed internet, ergonomic chair and spick & span desk. Ensure sufficient ventilation in the workspace. 2. Keep taking breaks between your meetings and work. 3. It’s important to have a fixed meal routine during WFH as you have in your office. 4. Work from home gives you flexibility to spend time with your family and focus on your health too so leverage it to the fullest. 5. Always be well-dressed and presentable during WFH.

While working from home, integrate short, purposeful breaks to step away from your workspace. A ‘five-minute window gaze’ or a ‘quick plant watering session’ can surprisingly recharge your mental batteries. These moments of detachment can provide bursts of subconscious problem-solving and a fresh perspective when you return. It’s about smart pauses as much as it is about consistent effort. Try it; the results may just energize your day and your work!

Working from home presents challenges in maintaining motivation and productivity. Establish a routine with consistent work hours and breaks, and designate a dedicated workspace to minimize distractions. Take regular breaks to rest and recharge, set clear goals, and celebrate achievements along the way. Stay connected with colleagues for support and camaraderie. Change your work environment occasionally to combat monotony. Practice self-care by prioritizing physical and mental health. Limit distractions and seek inspiration to stay motivated. Reflect on your progress and make adjustments as needed to optimize energy and productivity. Finding a balance that works for you is key to sustaining motivation while working from home.

Working from home offers the flexibility to tailor your schedule to your personal preferences and needs, highlighting the importance of establishing and adhering to a personalized routine. A consistent routine aids in demarcating work and leisure time, mitigating stress, and enhancing productivity. Aim for regularity in your wake-up, work start, and end times. Pre-planning tasks and setting priorities, along with utilizing calendars or to-do lists, helps manage deadlines and milestones effectively. Incorporating breaks, meal times, and physical activity into your routine is crucial for maintaining balance and well-being.

You don't need much to set up a proper workspace! I find extremely useful only a few items: 1. A good and ergonomic chair. You want to be comfy while working and don't want to reach evening all stiff and in pain. 2. Light, light, light! Find a place in your house with plenty of natural light. It helps regulating your circadian clock and tells your brain that it is day and it is the time to be productive. 3. Amenities. Water, phone charger, laptop charger, headphones, loudspeaker, they all need to be available. Green plants will help your mental wellbeing and reduce stress. In 2024 I don't find printers and scanners useful anymore. I would rather invest in a big screen! Reviewing contracts on a 13" screen might be tiring!

To maintain motivation while working from home, try incorporating short, energizing breaks into your schedule ⏰. These breaks could include quick exercises like jumping jacks or a brisk walk around your home 🏃♂️. Additionally, setting specific goals for each work session and rewarding yourself upon completion can boost motivation 💪. Utilizing ambient background music or sounds can also help create a conducive work environment 🎶. Remember, maintaining a healthy work-life balance is essential for sustained productivity and motivation! 🌟

Ter um espaço separado para trabalhar em casa é fundamental para manter-se motivado e focado. Quando você está num ambiente com muitas coisas que chamam a atenção e que são mais interessantes do que o trabalho, você acaba achando ele chato e sem graça, perdendo assim o interesse e a vontade de continuar.

Standing workstation is great, get enough cables / stands for your laptop, tablets, mobile phones etc. Make sure there is sufficient light and ventilated to get you through the routine.

Your at home office is important to your jobs success. Making sure you are in a space where you can concentrate and not get distracted can be difficult. Making an area that is both calm and clean will help you with that. Keeping standard items that you need close by will help you to not take extra breaks and keep you going.

As I made the shift to working from home, I found it quite difficult to stay motivated. But I soon discovered that the secret to maintaining my enthusiasm was efficient communication. I was able to regain motivation and drive by keeping in regular video conversations with coworkers, exchanging progress reports, and creating a positive online community. Accepting communication kept me motivated and engaged, resulting in a productive and satisfying working every day.

I believe the need to communicate effectively applies to both contract managers working in office and at home. Set up regular short meetings with your team and internal business units for a quick update. Be concise and go to the point, but be flexible for some friendly chat with the counterparty. Let people know on what you are working on, perhaps by updating your Teams status, so that they don't feel frustrated if they don't find you available. I usually put a busy or do not disturb status and mention "reviewing contract conditions" or "writing EOT claim" to achieve to goals: less interruptions and better communication with colleagues.

🧠 From a behavioral standpoint, human communication is deeply nuanced, relying heavily on non-verbal signals such as tone of voice, facial expressions, and body language to convey context, emotion, and emphasis. In computer-mediated communication, these cues are often diminished or entirely absent, leading to a higher likelihood of misunderstandings and a sense of emotional distance between communicators. A couple tips: 1. Emphasize clarity and conciseness. 2. Use video when possible 3. Establish a comms protocol 4 Foster social interaction 5. Practice active listening

Choose the right channels when you communicate with colleagues, partners or clients - whether phone call, video call, conference, email or IM. It is becoming a norm to always message first before you call to inform what would you like to discuss about.

Working from home, easy. Communication effectively with clients, customers, and stakeholders from home, not so much. It’s important to understand your customers needs on a personal and professional level. Take time to reflect on topics outside of the those at hand when appropriate during meetings, and share tidbits of personal information to establish rapport. Utilize digital resources, and schedule reminders to complete tasks. Set expectations for the relationship early on, and stay consistent with your approach to communications.

It's hard to embark on a journey where you have to take the initiative to learn new skills by yourself. - Make a note of the skills and habits that you want to inculcate. - Evaluate each of it as per priority - Find sources that are credible - Practice consistently -Track your progress

This is always the exciting part of working from home. A lot of online courses are available and offered at affordable rates. Learning new things involving contract management, or other interesting topics will motivate us to stay energized. We need to have this opportunity to be flexible enough to put this into our schedule and try not to heavily occupy certain commitments we have for our jobs.

I found extremely useful attending courses to improve productivity while working remotely. Very effective a course about "Managing Contract Negotiations Remotely", which covers the main difference between online interactions and face-to-face ones. You may also want to improve your knowledge in using collaborative tools. I found very useful working on OneDrive cloud and sharing collaboratively files with colleagues. So we could work at the same time on the same document. Without training, you'll find yourself isolated without a suitable way to foster collaboration within your organization.

While you are working from home, you are at the comfort to do some reading or listening to podcast to help you explore and enhance your softskills.

It can be difficult to chart your own path through professional development. There always seems to be new courses, certifications and webinars. Wading through all the noise and finding the right path might seem impossible, but it’s important to remember even the most qualified, certified, and experienced professionals started without any. Consult with your professional mentors and trusted superiors for their guidance, and chart a plan for your continued education be development.

I would recommend to reward you with healthy choices. You have performed well while working from home, it is time to allow you a longer lunch break and go (walking preferably) somewhere nice for lunch, maybe meeting some friends. Enroll in group classes, like Body Combat, yoga, pilates, scuba diving, hiking and the like, where you can meet people with same interests, keep fit and learn something new. You are already spending a lot of time at home and it would be very beneficial to mingle with people! This will make you feel much happier than buying some items or watching another movie on the TV!

Keep some snacks or refreshment with you. Coffee lovers would want their coffee tumbler on their working desk. It keeps you awake and energised to keep up.

🐒 From an evolutionary perspective, rewarding oneself taps into the brain's reward system, which has developed to reinforce behaviors essential for survival and reproduction. When we accomplish a task and reward ourselves, it triggers the release of dopamine. Applying this understanding to modern work environments, especially when working remotely, involves setting personal milestones and rewarding achievements. Simple rewards like taking a short break to enjoy a favorite snack, indulging in a hobby after completing a significant task, or even celebrating the end of a productive day with a relaxing activity can significantly boost motivation and satisfaction.

Don’t forget why we work in the first place. Enjoy your lack of a commute home, and give the time saved driving home to your family and friends. While you may not receive as much praise at home as in the office, make up for it with a treat or a break when appropriate.

I've worked from home for years. What has helped me is I need to step away from the computer, room, environment for decompression moments. Go to the gym, bike ride, walk, physical exercise, read a book (I like leadership books and the Bible), go for a walk, listen to music, etc. Allow yourself an hour or two if able, and then come back refreshed. Some people take a quick 15 min. nap (I've never done that). The important thing is to refresh the mind, get rid of the cobwebs. By taking a bit of time for yourself will make you energized, be more productive, and possibly develop some new insights on the tasks at hand... Good luck. Just find something for yourself.

Decide precisely how important working from home really is to you? If you find yourself continually distracted and unable to focus, it may be a sign that you need to "get a real job". If working from home is a priority, prove it with your actions, your discipline, and your focus. In other words, earn the right to work from home. Truth is not everybody has the qualities necessary to succeed with an entrepreneurial lifestyle. As harsh as it is, step up, or step aside...

Understanding where to start can sometimes be a block…. Creating paralysis. Watch a Tony Robbins video on “changing your state” and the blood flow from your heart to your brain will get the mind going!

Just prioritize contracts that are to be drafted newly. If templates are available for contracts, just replace some important clauses and details Meditate Sleep Read Draft Review Proceed

Go into the office. Surround yourself with like minded people which if you’re working for the eighth company will be your co-workers. The energy and support you can get by connection and interaction is powerful. In the age of work from home, never discount or forget this. Also, rewarding yourself (#5) is the last thing you should do. You must not reward inaction.