Being productive while working from home isn’t as hard as you might think, instead it allows you to play with all the possibilities that you have at your disposal and you might end up with quality work, done in a fraction of the time which you used to take before.
So here are the top 5 tips on how to be productive while working from home.
5. The Morning Routine.
Unlike an office environment where you have a fixed routine on how to go about things, while working from home you don’t have a routine, that is until you make one.
Without a routine your day might just fly by leaving you with a feeling like it never really started in the first place which means slower starts and longer finishes. Working from home comes with a touch of freedom but freedom without routine can mean procrastination, laziness and being unproductive which is not the goal here.
No, you don’t have to plan each second of your day or say no to a change, you still get to make your own choices but having the power of a simple morning routine by your side can do wonders for you.
Having a morning routine can look like setting an alarm and getting up at the same time each day, taking that cold shower (which has tons of advantages on its own), having coffee, exercising or meditating for 10 minutes a day can fill you up with energy and provide clarity to the mind which might be clogged.
Do whatever feels natural but make sure to change clothes and not to remain in the pajamas which you slept in as it can trick your brain into thinking that it’s time to relax, which is not the mindset we need when we are starting our day. This simple transformation can prepare you mentally for the day.
Define your morning routine and start off on the right foot.
4. Eat The Frog.
The frog a.k.a your hardest, most important task for the day.
The first part of your day should be spent doing the highest leverage thing that you’ve got for the day i.e., eating the frog. There’s a reason why it’s important to do this early on the day as oftentimes our willpower wears out as the day passes by.
Leaving the most important task for later in the day can invite procrastination which can trap you easily in its vortex as you are more likely to be distracted at the time and have less willpower. That’s the reason why when you come home from work and you’re tired and went through a busy day, it’s a lot easier to give in to your bad habits like eating junk food or sitting on the couch all day and not being productive or not hitting the gym.
Often willpower is highest in the morning but as the day goes on it gets depleted.
Identify your frog, figure out the highest leverage thing for the day and eat it, put the time and attention into doing it for the first 2 or 3 hours, you’ll be amazed how quickly small steps taken consistently add up to big accomplishments.
3. Have a Designated Workspace.
Having a designated working area can help you stay focused and productive, if you don’t have a setup you’re going to have to improvise, you can set up your workstation on the kitchen table or turn your dressing table into your new remote desk.
It is extremely important to have an exclusive remote work location because if you choose to work on a table on which you do all sorts of stuff like playing video games for example or having lunch or dinner or just Netflix and chill, whatever it may be, the thing is when you’re in a location where you have done so many other things, your brain will associate this location with all those things.
Unconsciously your brain will have several habits tied to this place, and whenever you’re there you’ll be constantly reminded to start those habits, most of which are gonna be much more pleasurable than your work and because of this it becomes extremely easy to get distracted.
And thus with an exclusive work location you can check-in when you need to get something done and when you get up, you can mentally check-out which is really hard to do when you’re at home.
2. Beware the Temptation to Work When You Shouldn’t.
Once you’ve started and indulged fully in your work, after a while it will become hard for you to stop, the thoughts will catch up wherever you go, to the bathroom or when hanging out with friends or maybe while just trying to sleep and get ready for the next day.
The thought of ‘Oh I should have done that’ or ‘Why didn’t I do that’ are all what you want to avoid once you have mentally checked-out from your workplace.
Now if something which seems really important comes to your mind, you should at once take it down either in a physical notebook or just use a notes app(whichever preferred) but don’t make the mistake of just letting that thought linger in your mind as it might seem like ‘just a thought’ but soon it can turn into a loop of never-ending thoughts and eat up your zen time.
Not enjoying your breaks or free time is the No.1 mistake that you can make while trying to be productive, which brings us to our final and the most important tip.
1. Take Breaks.
It might seem pretty obvious but it’s very powerful. You might feel like skipping this sometimes, maybe when you’re on a deadline, but don’t make that mistake.
Breaks are very important to avoid burnouts which is a very old enemy of productivity as a single day’s work won’t change much but consistency would.
Consistency + Productivity = Actual Long-Term Results.
Without breaks burnouts are inevitable as the mind will eventually give up for it not being rewarded for the work it has done, which is why you need to enjoy your much-earned reward i.e., your breaks.
Go take a walk outside, remove yourself from the work environment, make sure to free yourself both physically and mentally and come back 10 times stronger.
We know that sometimes it’s hard to just walk away from all of that work even when it’s just for a while but in that split-second decision you need to choose yourself above anything else.
Wrap Up!
Now that you’re well equipped with some tips for being productive from home, you’ll be able to prove that working remotely is actually beneficial for everyone.
Remember if all of this seems like a lot, you can always start small and make little changes in your daily routine tip by tip. You don’t have to do all of this right from Day 1 if you don’t feel like it, but you can definitely work your way up to it.
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