Working from home can be very flexible because, in theory, you’ve got the freedom to balance work and family life. But in reality, it can also throw up a lot of distractions. And before you know it, your productivity is pretty much non-existent.
When you’re not productive, it can be extremely stressful. You feel a ton of anxiety since you’re falling behind. And because your ‘office’ is also your home, there’s a lot of temptation to work during all hours of the day and night.
Staying productive is super important for a healthy work-life balance when you’re working from home. See how to do it below😊
Have a Dedicated Workspace
Although working from your couch or bed is incredibly convenient, it’s not always the smartest option.
When you’re working from home, having a dedicated office space that’s strictly for work is a huge plus!
Being able to shut the door on work is actually an underrated mental shift. It’s super hard to do this when your workspace is also a leisure space.
Schedule Your Time
You are your own personal manager when you’re working from home, but this can quickly become a double-edged sword.
With no boss to keep you on track or tell you what to work on and when, it all falls on you.
Scheduling blocks of time to focus solely on specific projects is one way to eliminate stress and prevent distractions from de-railing your efforts.
Overestimating the block of time you’ll need for each project gives you some built-in flexibility and means you’re not scrambling to get things done if they take longer than expected.
Planning your schedule the night before will save you significant time in the morning. When you settle down to work, you can jump straight into your first blocked off session for the day.
Adopt an Office Routine
Being in a good routine goes a long way for getting started on time daily and keeping your work day structured effectively.
Since you don’t need to commute and you have a lot of flexibility for meetings and projects, it’s really easy for routines to go out the window.
Having breakfast and starting work at a similar time in relation to a standard office schedule is key for getting a good routine up and running. Tempting as it is to work in your pajamas, getting dressed also helps getting into the work mode.
Work When You Are Naturally Most Productive
Of course, an office-esque routine won’t work well for everyone and that’s fine.
By playing around with different schedules, you may find you get more out of your day if you start work earlier in the morning and finish earlier!
Finding out when you’re naturally the most productive and then planning your schedule around it is an incredibly smart move.
Complete more complex tasks during your most productive time slots and schedule easier tasks for when your energy is starting to wane away.
Take Regular Breaks
It sure can be tempting to power through your work day without taking any breaks in the mistaken belief it’ll make you more productive.
For most people, it generally has the opposite effect. Breaks are super important for recharging and refreshing your energy. The end result? It’s a whole lot easier to get more done the rest of the day!
With no breaks, you can easily find yourself working longer but not getting much done at all. Definitely not the outcome you were anticipating, right?
How you spend your breaks matters too, especially if you tend to immediately hop on social media.
Ditching social media can free up a ton of time. Scrolling social media for a quick break may seem harmless but it’s really just a major time suck- not to mention that it’s a distraction from your bigger goals.
If you can’t resist social media breaks, it’s time to get ruthless. Look at tools that restrict or block your access to social media sites while you’re working. Don’t allow social media to rob you of your creative thinking time and cause you to start jumping down proverbial rabbit holes!
Prep Meals In Advance
On the surface, this one may not seem to go hand-in-hand with productivity but it’s another secret weapon for giving it a boost.
Prepping and cooking meals and snacks can take a ton of time if you’re doing them from scratch. It’s a major culprit for eating into the time you have to work. And that can be seriously bad news for your productivity.
Preparing meals in advance can free up lots of valuable time. Batch cooking and freezing meals that you can heat up later on means you’re not spending half of your workday in the kitchen – and you can enjoy nutritious meals that help make you more productive and more healthy to boot!
Set Boundaries With Other People
When you work from home, it’s quite common for other people to see you as being freely available if they want company or need errands run.
Ask other people to respect that you’re working and aren’t available during your set office hours, just the same as if you were away at another location in a physical office.
This sets important boundaries and expectations, which can help avoid spending time in non-productive ways when you should be working.
Improving your productivity when you’re working from home is critical for stress reduction and striking a good work-life balance. Taking charge of your routine, time and energy is a large part of this and truly goes a long way to help make working from home a benefit, rather than a stressor.
I hope you enjoyed the last two blog posts about working from home. It’s a valuable skill during these times for sure!
‘Til next time!
Jenn💕
