COVID-19 forced many companies to work from home. Even though it wasn't easy at first, it seems like we're getting used to this new habit. Working from home can increase productivity, research says. 

According to USA Today, the 54 percent of respondents who said they were more productive at home attributed the improvement to factors such as time saved because they didn't have to commute, a decrease in distractions from coworkers, and less time spent in meetings.

"We need to spare time for traveling from home to office, and vice versa. But in work from the home condition, we can use that time to do our task. Therefore, the work time is more flexible and easy to coordinate" Audi Lumbantoruan, an expert of career development says. 

For a long time, companies with strong remote-work programs have reported excellent productivity, and our surveys year after year find that people who work remotely say they're more productive or as productive at home," said Brie Weiler Reynolds, career development manager, and coach at FlexJobs, a Boulder, Colo.-based resources and jobs site for flexible and remote jobs. "What is most surprising about this is that productivity has remained strong amid the worst conditions for working remotely," she added. "Consider those remote workers during the pandemic have also had to deal with the intense stress of a worldwide global health crisis, and the compounded responsibilities of having children, partners, spouses or roommates at home, and yet they've been able to remain productive or increase their productivity."

Mason said that as employers first sent people home in reaction to the spread of the coronavirus in February and March, many faced challenges with getting employees the equipment they needed and optimizing their VPN networks to ensure connectivity. "Once these issues were resolved, it was smooth sailing for many," she said. "But this is an area to continue to monitor for sustainability. Other research is showing that employees are working three hours longer per day right now, so there is some question as to whether productivity per hour is declining, and these longer hours raise concerns around burnout."

Adapting to work from home

For people who can increase the productivity when working from home, they try to create a sense of routine or ritual working from home, such as:

- Having a dedicated workspace. Avoid working from your bed or an easy chair. Work at a table or desk, ensure the space you are working from is well lit and ventilated.

- Dress in your regular office wear to get into work mode.

- Follow your work and break timing, just as you would have if you were working in the office.

- Ensure you have clear boundaries between work and your life at home , so that you’re not spending all your waking hours on work.

- Keep track of your meeting schedules. It can be easy to let meetings slip while working from home, so schedule alarms or sync your work calendar onto your phone if you need to.

- Keep track of your professional and organizational goals. 

- Stay in touch with your colleagues. Check-in with them every day, so you can stay connected to them.

Whether you’re enjoying working from home or not, the way you think about a workspace could be changed forever. If you can’t be around your co-workers, try to increase your social time through your virtual time. For example, there is a video conferencing app on your phone or social media.