Over the past couple of years, many of us transitioned to a full-time work from home model, thanks to the global COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, many employees reported a number of positives about working from home: the flexibility in working, the ability to better focus — and the commute to your home office can’t be beat. 

Now that more businesses and offices are beginning to fully reopen their doors, you may have even returned to in-office working. If so, you likely remember all the perks of working in the office, as well, such as social interaction, the community coffee pot that’s always ready to go, and the collaboration among your colleagues. 

Many companies are now offering hybrid working, allowing their employees to have the best of both work worlds, allowing them to choose how they split their time between working from home and working from the office. However, hybrid working is only the perfect solution if you find the balance that works best for you, combining your hours in a way that maximizes your productivity while also focusing on your personal wellbeing. But how? 

To help you devise a hybrid work plan that works for you, here are some things you’ll want to consider. 

Track the metrics that matter

To develop your plan, you’ll want to track your productivity in each location where you work. In order to do this, however, you need to first decide what metrics you should be tracking. Think about your work output in specific measurements, such as the number of calls made, the number of tasks completed or business opportunities won, and be sure that you’re keeping up with how your time gets used. You can also log other contributing factors to your work day, such as your mood or how accomplished you felt at the end of the workday. 

As you work from home, track these metrics every day for a month or so. At the end of the month, you will have a baseline that gives you a good idea of how productive and satisfied you are working from home. As you return to the office, track the same metrics. You’ll be able to quickly get an idea of where you’re the most productive — and the happiest. 

Look for specific patterns

Once it’s time to really dig into your numbers, it’s not enough to quickly glance at your metrics and call it a day. Check for specific patterns, especially if your productivity or mood seems to fluctuate to a large degree. Is there something that correlates with these outliers? Perhaps it’s the amount of sleep you get, the number of meetings you have in a day, or something similar. 

Also, examine any differences in your work from home days versus your in-office days. Are there any specific tasks that you seem to perform better in one environment over the other? Do the hours when you’re most productive change, depending on where you’re working? Once you have the answers to these questions, you’ll be better prepared to decide how — and where — you spend your days. 

The right solution for you

By thinking through measurable metrics that matter to you and tracking specific patterns in your output, you’ll be able to be your most productive — and avoid frustration and burnout, no matter where you’re working. By taking ownership of where and how you work, you’re on track to becoming a more productive and satisfied version of yourself. 

To stay up to date on hybrid working or other commercial real estate trends, be sure to explore the RealNex Blog.