9 Simple Ways To Stay Productive While Working From Home
Hello Planning Mashers!
Working from home can be pretty hard to get used to, especially if it’s a completely new thing for you. But don’t you worry!
I’ve been working from home for quite a while, and I’m here to give you my best tips on how to stay productive even when you’re surrounded by distractions.
Let’s start with some good old honesty: working from home is always challenging!
It’s your home; you automatically want to wear pajamas the whole day, order takeout, and watch Netflix (and maybe chill, if you’re lucky!). At least, I do since that’s what I love doing at home.
How can you ever focus in such an atmosphere, especially when it’s not something you planned to do? And these days, with everything going on, general stress knocking on our door, and quite literally, half the rest of the world stuck at home… yeah, it can be tricky and even harder to concentrate.
Well, there are some little and pretty simple techniques I’ve been using, and they’ll help you stay concentrated and get your work done.
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Start Your Day With Good Attitude
It’s all in the attitude. Wake up and start your day right – do some yoga, have a hot cup of your favorite wake-me-up, and get yourself in a positive mood.
Wake up feeling optimistic about working from the comfort of your home. The circumstances might not be entirely ideal, but we have to do the best we can with what we have.
Dress For The Door
The next thing you might consider is your dress code.
It might seem like it’s a good idea to work off your pajamas. As comfy as it sounds, though, you should try to avoid it.
The way you dress influences the way you feel, and if you can get an extra boost from even the smallest thing for your working-from-home situation – you should go for it!
Get into your work clothes to be sure you’re in the work mindset and ready to rock your tasks for the day.
Create A Clean and Minimal Workplace
The final detail of your daily setup is your working place.
It’s so easy to get distracted at home – you have all your favorite things, your Netflix account, and probably all those pens in your collection. It might be a craft table more than a desk (that’s what I have).
But when it’s time to put on those working hours, it’s crucial to get rid of as many distractions as possible. So be sure to clean up space and have just the minimum needed for you to complete your work tasks.
For more radical measures, It’d actually be even better if you could temporarily block your Netflix account and all access to those fun websites that are a perfectly evil distraction and killers of productivity.
Work Regular Hours
Working from home? That’s awesome! That means you can stay up late binge-watching that show you started and begin your working day around lunchtime, right?
Well, no, it actually doesn’t!
To keep the work done and yourself organized, try keeping up with the same working time you had when you worked at the office.
Define your ideal working time and when you will knock off. And don’t forget to plan a lunch break!
Be sure to follow the schedule and not to slip and have a 2-hour lunch and a nap. As seductive as that might sound – it’ll just decrease your productivity and break your rhythm, which is VERY important.
Take Breaks
That being said, having breaks is very important to make sure you don’t overwork and overstress yourself.
Just like you would do at the office, take a break to get yourself a cup of coffee (or give me a cup of coffee if you’re feeling generous!), or maybe even stretch or meditate.
It’s essential to take a breath and reconnect with yourself before you are back working on something important.
Set Boundaries
Working from home can be very challenging, especially when you have a family. Personal life can get in the way and distract you.
Be sure you set clear boundaries early on when you do work-related things and when you do personal things, like laundry or cleaning the kitchen.
Create your perfect schedule for these things and follow it to the T. Allow only work to be in the work time and fun during personal time.
It might take some effort for the family to get used to it, but once they know when you’re free and that you actually turn off work altogether for family time – you’ll see them being extra understanding.
Make Plans and Lists
Planning is the key to many things, but it’s especially crucial when you’re trying to get organized and work from home.
When it comes to being productive, nothing beats a task list, and it only takes a few minutes at the beginning of the day to set your priorities.
It’s all pretty easy – at the beginning of the day, sit down and create a list of all the things you need to work on. Then check which ones are the 3 most important and start there.
This will help you get the most important things done, feel accomplished at the end of the day, and stay accountable.
Stay In Touch With Co-Workers
Working from home can feel pretty isolated and a bit depressing, but remember that you’re not alone.
Stay in contact with others, and share your goals. It will help you feel connected and can also be an extra layer of accountability.
Create a chat room, or maybe a mastermind group – someplace where you can all support and help each other.
Try Different Productivity Hacks
Maybe it’s time to give a try to some new productivity hacks. Here are a few I personally find very useful:
- Time Blocking. Create a daily schedule and block out times to work on certain tasks. When you set certain time limits, you’ll see that you do much more than if it’s just one of the things on your list.
- Pomodoro. This is an incredibly simple yet effective technique. Set a timer for 25 minutes and work on the task without any distractions. Then take a 5-minute break to allow your headrest before you go into another 25 minutes of intense work.
- Eat That Frog. The meaning behind this one is basically to start your day by working on something important. Start your day with your most difficult task, and you’ll get a boost of accomplishment and motivation for the rest of the day.
You can natively add those elements to your Bullet Journal weekly spreads, check out my post with Bullet Journal Weekly Spreads To Skyrocket Your Productivity.
Working from home doesn’t have to be a horrible experience. It can be challenging, but it can also be a chance to try something new, work on your productivity, and improve your concentration.
Let’s make the best of what we have and try to look at the bright side.
I hope you’re staying safe!
Free Printables
You know, I’m always saying that your Bullet Journal can help with everything, including staying sane while working from home.
I know now everyone wants to spend time thinking and creating pages in their Bullet Journal, so I got some free printables in the Resources Vault.
Be sure to sign up below to get your access and start using the power of planning right away.
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And remember: Keep Bullet Journaling, and Don’t Be A Blob!
