How to stay Productive while Working from Home
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Working for yourself and getting to stay home all day can be awesome, but sometimes it can mean the death of productivity. With everything going on in the world, I felt like it was more important than ever to help you stay on top of your to-do list while you work from the comfort of home, so this episode is my best tips on how to increase productivity, avoid distractions, and stay focused so that you can be hyper-productive without leaving your house.
1. Stick to your routines.
You have to set routines and strictly follow them when you’re working from home. This means getting up around the same time, having a morning routine that you follow, eating meals around the same time every day, and ending your work day (roughly) around a certain time. You have to treat working from home like it’s still a work day, because IT IS. While working from the couch in your sweats while watching Netflix might sound amazing (and is, every once in a while), it can really keep you from ever getting work done or accomplishing any goals.
Whether you’re a morning person or not, decide on a time that you’ll get up and a time that you’ll actually start work. Get dressed! If you really want to stay in your tee and leggings, then at the very least, put on a different tee and leggings. At least this way you’re tricking your brain into believing you got dressed. If you feel like you started the morning off right and have on “real clothes” you’ll already feel more productive before the work day begins.
2. Find a good place to work from.
This is not your couch. It is also not your bed. If you have an office in your home, that would be ideal. If you don’t, hopefully you at least have a desk or table you can use. The important thing to remember here is that you need a space away from distractions. If you’re working from home temporarily or have small kids, then having zero distractions may be impossible, but you’re trying to minimize them as much as you can. That means a space away from a TV, preferably a space with a door that can separate you from the other people in your house (assuming your kids are old enough to be alone for a little while).
It’s also important that your space (even if it’s a makeshift table in your bedroom) is not a community space in your home. The kitchen table for example, where everyone will eat lunch is not ideal, unless there’s no one home with you all day. You need a space that allows you to truly stay focused and void of distraction.
It also helps to set the mood in the space with music. While I wouldn’t put on your absolute favorite jams that make you want to dance around and sing every word (we’re trying to be productive, remember?), I would find some music that you enjoy listening to and put it on in the background. Make a few different playlists on Spotify or Apple Music with songs (or podcasts) that you’ll enjoy and will keep you focused.
Related Post: Stop looking for Balance and Live a Well-Rounded Life instead
3. Time block your day
Time blocking is exactly what it sounds like. You’re blocking out chunks of time in your schedule and assigning them certain tasks or activities. In this case, you want to account for every minute of your work day. For example, if I start my work day at 9am, then I’ll work on Task #1 from 9-11. At 11:00, whether I’ve finished the task or not, I’m moving on to the next thing on my list, which I might work on for 45 minutes. At that point, I’ll give my brain a break, with 10-15 minutes to scroll Instagram, check emails, or do whatever.
The important part of this is to remember that you can only work on the assigned task during it’s time slot. Nothing else. And when time is up, you have to move on. Block out your lunch, brain breaks, time for emails, scrolling Instagram, stretching, etc. It may sound a little uptight, but you’ll really start to get used to it. Be realistic with the amount of time you give to each task. When you train your brain that you only have this limited amount of time to get something done, you’ll be amazed how much faster you work instead of focusing on distractions that you normally gravitate to.
At the end of the day, set aside the last hour to finish off any tasks for the day that you didn’t get complete. If you finished everything, use that hour to get s head start on the first task for tomorrow. It also helps to “theme” your days. For me, some days are podcast themed. On those days I’m strictly doing interviews, editing, and planning podcast-related content. Some days are client themed. Those days are strictly for coaching calls, working on clients’ social media, etc. I also have one goal setting day, one content planning day, and two financial check-in days each month. Those days are strictly set for me to plan out those things for the whole month, and keeps me from using other time during the month on those more mundane tasks like paying bills or planning Instagram posts.
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