Digital Productivity and Remote Work Focus, Tools and Boundaries at Home and Online

The market for productivity tools is vast, and many people spend more time choosing and configuring them than they save. The first lesson of digital productivity is that the best system is usually the simplest one that you will actually use.

Productivity is not about doing more things. It is about spending your limited time and attention on what matters. Research on interruptions suggests that when we switch between tasks, there is a cost in time and quality, and that frequent switching increases stress. The modern working day is full of sources of interruption: email, chat messages, notifications, meetings and the temptation of social media. The main challenge is therefore to manage attention, not to find a new app.

Begin by being clear about what matters. At the start of each day or week, decide the two or three most important things that you need to achieve. Everything else is secondary. Then arrange your tools and routines to protect time for those priorities, and to handle the rest efficiently.

For most office workers, communication tools are the main source of pressure. A few habits can reduce the burden.

Check email at set times instead of constantly, for example three or four times a day, and switch off notifications between those times. Use filters and folders to sort messages automatically, unsubscribe from newsletters that you do not read and ask to be taken off unnecessary distribution lists. Write clear subject lines and short, specific messages, and put any request or deadline at the top. Use the two-minute rule: if a task takes less than two minutes, do it immediately, and otherwise schedule it. You do not need to reach inbox zero. A manageable inbox with clear priorities is enough.

For chat tools such as Teams and Slack, agree norms with colleagues about what is urgent and what can wait, and what each channel is for. Set your status when you need to concentrate, and use scheduled sending to avoid pressuring others outside their working hours. Use the phone or a short meeting for anything complicated or sensitive, because long threads often cause more confusion than they resolve.

Much valuable work, such as writing, analysis, design and problem-solving, needs long stretches of concentration. Digital work environments make that hard to find.

Block time in your calendar for focused work, and treat it as you would a meeting. Choose a time when you are most alert, and put your phone in another room or in a mode that silences notifications. Close unnecessary tabs and applications. Work in focused sessions of 25 to 50 minutes, with short breaks, a method often associated with the Pomodoro technique. Use a written list to capture distracting thoughts so that you can deal with them later.

Plan your day. A simple to-do list, ordered by priority, is more effective than a complicated system. Break big projects into small, clear steps, so that you always know the next action. Review your list at the end of the day and set up the next. Avoid multitasking, which is largely a myth: people usually switch rapidly between tasks, and perform each one worse.

Look after your body and mind. Take regular breaks, move around, drink water and rest your eyes. Productivity depends on energy, and energy depends on sleep, food and movement. The ebook on digital wellbeing in this library covers more.

Meetings can be valuable or a drain. Making them better is one of the most effective ways of improving productivity for everyone.

Before you hold a meeting, ask whether it is necessary, and whether a message or a short call would do. If it is necessary, define its purpose, invite only those who need to be there, share an agenda and a time limit in advance, and set aside time for decisions and actions. Start and finish on time, and end by recording who will do what, and by when. Consider shorter meetings, such as 25 minutes in place of 30, to leave breaks.

For video calls, test your equipment, find a quiet space with the light in front of you and look at the camera. Mute your microphone when not speaking. Use the chat for questions and links, and encourage everyone to contribute. Be aware that video calls can be tiring, sometimes called video fatigue, so take breaks, and avoid back-to-back calls. Where possible, keep some meetings audio only, or take walking calls.

Be inclusive in hybrid meetings. Make sure that remote participants can see and hear, and give them a chance to speak first. Share documents in advance, and keep notes visible to all.

Working from home brings responsibilities for security and health that are easy to overlook.

For security, follow your employer's policies. Use work devices for work where you can, keep software updated, use strong, unique passwords and two-step verification, and lock your screen when you step away. Be careful with confidential information, such as talking about it in public places or leaving screens visible to others in the house. Use your employer's approved tools for storing and sharing files, and avoid using personal email or messaging for work data. Secure your home Wi-Fi, as explained in the ebook on home Wi-Fi and broadband. If you use your own device, check what is allowed. Be alert to phishing, which often targets remote workers with messages that appear to come from colleagues or IT departments.

For comfort, set up a proper workstation if you can, with a chair that supports your back, your feet flat on the floor or a footrest, the screen at eye level and arm's length, and a separate keyboard and mouse if you use a laptop. Employers have the same duty to protect the health and safety of home workers as of office workers, and the Display Screen Equipment regulations apply, so ask your employer about a workstation assessment and equipment. Take regular breaks to move and rest your eyes.

Know your rights. Under UK employment law, most employees have the right to request flexible working, including home working, from their first day of employment, and an employer must consider the request reasonably. Check your contract and policies, and talk to your manager if you have any difficulties.

When your home is also your workplace, the boundary between work and the rest of life can disappear, and so can the contact with colleagues that gives work meaning.

Create structure. Keep regular hours, start and finish at consistent times and have a clear end-of-day routine, such as shutting down the computer, tidying the desk or taking a short walk, to mark the transition. If you can, keep work in a dedicated space, and out of the bedroom. Turn off work notifications outside working hours, and take your breaks and annual leave, including time truly away from email.

Stay connected. Remote working can be isolating. Make time for informal conversation with colleagues, arrange occasional in-person meetings, use calls instead of messages for conversations that matter, and be visible, by sharing progress and asking for feedback. Build social contact outside work, with friends, classes and groups, and consider using a co-working space or a café for a change of scene.

Watch for signs of burnout, such as exhaustion, cynicism about work and reduced effectiveness. If you notice them, talk to your manager, use any employee assistance programme and speak to your GP. Sustainable productivity depends on rest, relationships and a life that is bigger than work.