How to Stay Productive While Working From Home

Remote working has been appealing to many of us even before the pandemic forced us all to work in a home environment. It seems though working from home has been a blessing for some and hell for others. It is undeniable that being able to work from home has its advantages and disadvantages. The greatest benefit probably is the unlimited options to make serious income and become a successful freelancer in one or more of today’s lucrative fields. From digital marketing, working on the most popular webcam sites to direct sales, there certainly is no shortage of extremely profitable job options and side hustles even in times of pandemic.

Staying productive and motivating yourself to work, whether you are your own boss or an employee, is not easy in a home environment. Therefore, here is some seriously helpful advice on how to achieve great productivity and stay on track when working from home.

5 Ways to Stay Productive Working From Home

Keep Regular Working Hours 

Not having to leave home for work sometimes makes us feel as if we have all the time of the day to start and finish the daily tasks. In most cases, this leads to procrastination until it’s too late to be productive enough. To help yourself with that, it’s important to have regular working hours, as if you would if you were working in the office. This way you will be more disciplined when it comes to sticking to a working schedule and strive to finish the daily tasks until the end of the working hours. Having a designated working time is very important if you wish to maintain a good work-life balance and still have the time to socialize, spend time with family, and finish other chores around or outside the house.

Organize Your Time and Tasks 

Having a to-do list with the task planned for the day and hours assigned for each task helps you stay organized and finish working on time. When you are at home, there is always a possibility of taking longer breaks, or stop working when you get overwhelmed and stuck with a problem. To avoid problems, keep your daily schedule visible on your desk or use magnetic planners to keep up with the hours assigned for certain tasks. This will keep you motivated and focused, as taking satisfaction from getting it all done on time will keep you on the right track. 

Maintain a Morning Routine

To achieve what was mentioned above, work only in the designated working hours of the day, it’s advisable to have a strict morning routine. Getting up at the same time each morning, finishing your daily workout, and starting the work after you’ve had your morning coffee will help you have a productive workday. On the contrary, if you do not have an established morning routine you might sleep until late or feel less motivated to start working, which will affect your productivity and limit your free time. Most successful people credit their success to strict routines for the working day. So, if you are working from home and you have a family, start the day early, spend one quality hour with the kids, have a coffee and breakfast and you will feel motivated to start working. Moreover, it’s possible that you would be very productive, looking forward to a lot more spent with your loved ones later in the day, once you have finished off all of your work.

Home office & morning coffee

Have a Designated Work Space 

Not all people can enjoy the luxury of having a separate room as a home office. However, this shouldn’t stop you from creating a special workspace for yourself. It is proven that our psyche is affected by the environment we are in and it can help or harm our productivity. So, make the best of the space you have available and designate a corner of the house where you “go to work” Make sure you have a chair with proper back support too! This will help you achieve a deeper focus and eliminate distractions. Working in the same space where you sleep or chill does not help your mind focus. Contrary to that, it will wander off thinking of relaxing and slack time. 

Work on Your Concentration - Practice is Everything 

Although we’ve mentioned that the best way to stay productive is to have a specific place to call it your office, you should aim for immense concentration despite the environment. Especially if you have children around, if they are not too young of course, you can still be in the same room with them and work while they play around. It might be hard at the beginning but as with everything in life - practice makes it perfect.

Not all tasks can be completed in a noisy room or with people around, but start with something that is easier and does not require too much attention. Once you get used to multitasking, meaning doing some work while watching the kids, doing some work then finishing the meal in the kitchen, you have mastered working from home. Although this is not something you can do all the time, it certainly is a great skill that can help you achieve maximum productivity, and stay on track even when you have a lot on your plate regarding family, kids, or house chores.