Working from home is one of the best ways to earn your income. Being able to work from literally anywhere in the world, getting rid of that annoying morning commute, and setting your own work schedule can be some of the most rewarding parts of working from home. The only downside is if you’re not a very self-motivated person, working from home can be one of the most difficult things you’ll ever do.
Without a boss to drop by your cubicle to see if you’re doing your work, you become your own accountability partner. Staying productive while you work from home can be extremely challenging, but it’s not impossible. Here are some tips on how to be productive working from home, so you can actually get things done.
Create a designated workspace
When you first start working from home, you may be tempted to hop on the couch with your laptop and get some work done. Both of us did the exact same thing at one point or another, and let me tell you, you won’t get nearly as much done from the couch. A couch has too many distractions, even if you have a pretty minimalist living space. The TV is usually right in front of you, you’re a little too comfortable on the couch, and you will be less likely to get up and walk around during breaks.
Create a designated workspace where you will focus on getting your work done, and ONLY on getting your work done. You don’t need to have an entire home office set up to create a designated workspace. If you live in a one bedroom apartment, convert just a small corner of the room into an office space if you have to. When you sit down at your designated workspace, you are in the work zone. If something on your desk is not going to help you get work done, you need to avoid distractions by removing it from your workspace entire;y.
Keep your workspace minimal
The more you have on your desk and in your nearby work area, the easier it is going to be to get distracted and get off task. Take periodic breaks every now and then to remove some of the clutter from your workspace, and use that time to stretch your legs if you need to. I keep a bin just under my desk where I can store notepads and other items that I need for work. This leaves the items on my desk limited to only the things I need to accomplish each task.
Get dressed every single workday
One of the perks is that when you work from home, you don’t necessarily have to get dressed up for the day. Technically you could roll out of bed most days and head to your computer without anyone else knowing! In the beginning, this is what I did. Some days I didn’t even get out of my pajamas until at least noon if not later.
If you don’t want to do your hair or makeup that day, don’t feel like you have to. Focus on your clothing first and gradually work your way up to everything else. It takes just as much time to put on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt as it does to put on “real” clothes. Even just the act of brushing your hair or shaving your face in the morning can get you on track for the rest of the day.
Create routines for yourself
Routines are not only going to help you get into the “work mood,” but they will also help you keep on track of your tasks for the day. Create a morning and evening routine for yourself, even if it has nothing to do with work. Use these two chunks of time to get stuff done around the house, do something for yourself, or just prepare yourself for the day. Here is a snippet of how we start and end each day:
Lindsey’s morning routine:
As the alarm goes off at around 8 am, I kindly remind myself that I chose to wake up this early and force myself to wake up. If it was a night when I got very little sleep, I try to force myself up out of bed to avoid falling back asleep. While still laying in bed, I check around my various social media channels as well as my email to make sure that nothing urgent came up during the night.
I finally get up for the day around 8:30 am and start getting ready. In the mornings, Steven and I go for a walk so I get ready for my workout during this time. Before we leave for our walk, I try to get at least one or two quick household tasks done. At around 9 am, we head out for our walk for the day to get moving and sneak in a little bit of exercise each day. After our walk, I take my shower and get ready for the workday. This may entail doing my hair and makeup, or just finding something to wear and calling it a day.
Steven’s morning routine:
As the alarm goes off around 8 am, I kindly remind Lindsey that I am not done sleeping and immediately go back to bed until roughly noon.
Ok... as nice as it sounds, that’s not quite what happens. In reality, I’ll roll over and grab my phone so I have something to focus on. If I just lay in bed without doing something (no matter how menial the task) I will very likely fall right back to sleep without even realizing it. Around 8:45 I will finally make my way out of bed to freshen up and get dressed and ready for our morning walk. Once we return home I check my email and other messages, and start work while Lindsey showers. Then I’ll shower, get dressed, stretch a bit if I need it, and sit right back down at my desk for the day.
Our evening routine:
It’s very rare that the two of us finish work at the same time. Since Steven is more productive in the evening, he tends to work later into the night. I am most productive in the morning hours, so I typically both start and finish work a few hours before him. While Steven is finishing up his work for the day, I take the time to get a head start on a few tasks around the home. This includes doing a quick tidy to pick everything up and put it back where it goes, doing the dishes, and maybe tackling a few bigger cleaning projects around the house if time allows. Once he finishes his work for the evening, Steven jumps in to help out with whatever other household tasks need to be done, like surface cleaning or vacuuming.
After our home is nice and clean (an amazing way to finish off the night and start fresh in the morning) both us get ready for bed. This usually entails putting on pajamas, brushing teeth, and all that other good stuff.
Set a work schedule
You don’t need to have a set in stone work schedule, but a set structure is going to help you be more productive. For us, we do our work in blocks of time. Our schedules are very flexible to allow time for errands we may need to run during the day, or other things that might come up. Regardless of what we have to do each day, our work schedule looks something like this:
Morning:
Morning walk
Get ready for the day
Run errands (if needed)
Work
Afternoon:
Eat lunch
Work
Personal time (this might involve running errands, spending time together, or taking a small nap)
Work
Night:
Dinner
Work
Cleaning
Personal time
Even if the time of day for any blocks get moved around, we still maintain roughly the same work schedule each day. By doing our work in blocks during the day we are able to get everything done when we are most productive, without the distraction of what we need to do outside of work.
Get in the work zone
When you decide you are ready to start doing work, sit down and get in the zone. Start by taking a look at all the tasks you have to do for the day. Are any tasks related? Can you do any at the same time? When I sit down to do my work, I use our time blocks according to when I am most productive. I do my best writing late at night or early in the morning. This means that during those blocks, I focus on only tasks which require me to write. If you find you are able to complete certain tasks during specific times of the day, get in the zone and get it done during those times!
Get an early start or a late start
Knowing what time of day you are most productive will be the biggest game changer in your career. If you like to take your day a little more leisurely, start your day a little earlier. This will allow you to slowly work through each task on your to-do list, and even allow you a little extra time if you get done early. If you prefer to work under a time pressure, start your day a little later. On the days when we slept in or had to get a late start, it forced us to prioritize to make sure that everything that was needed to get done that day did. We had to move things around and it was a lot easier to burn out, but it got done. Make sure you allow yourself time to get everything done regardless of when you start.
Get out of the house
Make sure you carve out time each day to get a little sunlight and get out of the house. For us, even if we don’t have any errands to do that day, we try to go on a walk each and every day. The fresh air, the sunshine, and the exercise helps us get a little movement in our day and get out of the house for a little while without having to spend money. Schedule time each day to leave the house, even if it’s only for a short while. If you can’t think of a place to go, just step outside onto your porch. Make your to-do list and drink a cup of coffee outside, or go for a walk.
Make a to-do list
This is probably the oldest trick in the book, but knowing what you have ahead of you for the day or the week can make a HUGE difference. This will not only allow you to break up larger tasks over the course of a few days but help you figure out what you need to be doing. Before you go to bed at night, jot down a to-do list for the following day.
Get out of your chair and take breaks
It can be hard to force yourself to take a break. With no scheduled lunch hour or clear end of the day, you could spend all day doing work if you’re not careful. Force yourself to get up every so often and take real breaks. Do a few tasks around the house or go run errands if you need to. Set specific meal times so you have to break for at least long enough to eat.
When I drink my coffee in the morning, I look for a quick task around the house I can do while the coffee is being made. Once I’ve finished my coffee, I force myself to get up and clean out my mug and do something else while I’m up. If you aren’t used to taking breaks, every time you need to get up to use the bathroom, take a break. When nature calls, you’ll know it’s time to quit working for a few minutes.
Take time off
Whether you are working for yourself, working for someone else, or just working remotely, it can be harder to justify taking time off when you work at home. You don’t need to take a vacation every single month, but at least give yourself the grace to take weekends off. Give yourself time to recharge and really take time off. Set up an automated message and unplug from work for a few days. No matter what kind of budget you have, try to plan at least one or two vacations a year even if they’re small. Getting away from the house is going to be a great way to relax and detach from work for a little bit.
There are so many things you can do to help kick-start your productivity, and while this list could still be longer, the trick is finding your groove. Take the time to really evaluate the conditions which help you get work done better. You may even be surprised to find that your way of getting things done is different from the norm or what you thought it would be. You can still be productive working from home no matter what kind of person you are, it just takes the right combination to make it happen!