After these many months, do you still feel unsettled working from home? Maybe not feeling as productive as you should be? Meeting professionals are trained to focus on the needs of others, so it can be easy to overlook small things that could make your own work life easier, more productive and more satisfying. work smarter

So, in the spirit of “there’s always room for improvement,” simple fixes could be just a few adjustments away.

Dress the Part

Research published in Journal of Experimental Social Psychology suggests that professionals perform better when wearing clothes with “symbolic meaning.” Researchers found when tracking doctors’ performance, they were more focused when wearing a lab coat.

For meeting planners, donning appropriate attire could boost productivity, and make you feel more “authoritative, trustworthy and competent,” as respondents stated in a study by Joy V. Peluchette and Katherine Karl in Human Resource Development Quarterly.

Have a Dedicated Workspace

You know all too well that working from home can blur the line between home space and workspace—and making your bedroom your workspace is the worst of all. Working in bed can confuse the brain, says Lauren Holliday, founder of Freelanship. “After repeatedly using something for a certain purpose, our brains begin to associate an object with a purpose,” she says.

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To “reinforce the mental association between your bedroom and sleep,” Harvard Medical School’s Division of Sleep Medicine recommends keeping TVs, computers and work materials out of the bedroom.

Get a Comfy Chair

If you’re anything like the average planner, you may be spending 7-9 hours a day in a chair. Being in a seated position for long periods of time can bring about a host of bodily problems, such as increased blood pressure, high blood sugar and abnormal cholesterol, according to Mayo Clinic, not to mention just general discomfort. Sitting in a bad chair will just exacerbate these problems.

Kitchen chairs get the job done, but a real work chair can not only give you comfort but offers back relief like no other. Standing while working is a proven beneficial option, as well.

Stretch it Out

wellnessWorking from home frees up a lot of time that was once spent commuting or chatting with coworkers. Why not spent it engaging in healthier activities, whether outside or in a makeshift space in your home? Mayo Clinic recommends 30 minutes of daily moderate physical activity.

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Taking breaks to get up and get active is not only good for improving health and well-being, it can also increase your ability to focus, according to researchers at University of Chicago. Whether it’s your living room, kitchen or even the front yard, taking time to stretch out those stiff muscles will be well worth the time invested.

Increase Your Internet Bandwidth

A survey by Stanford found that only 65 percent of Americans had fast enough internet to handle video calls, with 42 percent of those working from home. Meeting planners are often juggling several things at once, making a premium internet connection a necessity.

Having slower internet not only means it takes longer for things to load, but it leaves you open for distraction during the waiting game. Granted, not everyone can afford to make this upgrade, but you won’t regret it.

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