Try these techniques to stay motivated and be productive.
If you work in an office, your day might already be planned out, with your coworkers giving you social interaction and your boss giving you accountability.
However, working from home is much different. How can you get work done without any of this help that you would normally receive from coworkers?
Wake up early. Think of it like this: When you’re working from home, you’re still going to work, but the commute to your desk is much shorter. Set your alarm and make an effort to get up and get ready for an early start. You may find that you’re more productive earlier in the day, as your mind may be sharper.
Get dressed. However tempting it is to work in a pair of comfortable sweatpants or pajamas, you may be more productive in regular clothes. Research has shown that how you dress sends psychological signals, so if you want to get work done, it’s important to dress appropriately.
Have your own workspace. Setting aside a regular space to work sends a signal to your brain to work whenever you’re in your workspace. Plus, having your own workspace will help keep distractions to a minimum.
Create a schedule. A work schedule also helps to motivate you, get you going each morning, and be more productive while you work. With a schedule, you’ll know what to get started on the moment you sit down to work. Then, you can depend on it to guide you throughout the rest of the day. Your schedule will depend on your own job, but, for example, if you were a blogger, you might write in the morning, before editing and posting the content in the afternoon.
Take time to exercise. Set aside some time each day to get some exercise. Regular exercise is good for both your body and mind. Most office jobs are pretty sedentary but working from home may be even worse. After all, you only need to travel a few feet to visit the restroom. With this in mind, it’s important to ensure that you take extra care to look after your physical needs.
Reward yourself. Since you’re working from home, it would be easy to just sit in front of the television all day and not get any work done. But for obvious reasons this is not the best idea. You can bypass such temptations by using rewards to increase productivity. For instance, you could work for two hours straight and then reward yourself with a short, 30-minute episode of your favorite show.
Go outside. Not leaving your house for days on end can negatively impact your mental health. Not only is sunlight good for your health but seeing and interacting with others is important too. Your mood will be uplifted, and you’ll get more work done after a short break for getting out into nature and socializing with others.
Avoid social media. If you find yourself browsing Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram instead of working, you can take steps to avoid these distractions.
Try deleting these bookmarks from your browser or installing a plugin that will block you from visiting those sites.
Turning off notifications on your smartphone while you work also helps to stop distractions.
Working from home isn’t for everyone, but if you love the freedom of making your own schedule, then you may love it.
Follow these tips and you’ll be able to stay motivated, maintain discipline, and get all of your work done while working from home.