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Working at home versus working in a business/office setting can be a tough transition to overcome. Being at home has so many more distractions. It’s hard to keep work life and home life separate when you literally work at your house. Being productive working at home can really be difficult at times.
I work a full-time job outside of my house and only work part-time at home. I have found that these 4 things have really helped me be more productive working at home and more motivated while working part-time at my house.
Get ready for your productive day
If I have the day off from my full-time job, I get ready regardless of if I’m going anywhere or not. If I have any intention of being productive, I get ready. I don’t always put makeup on but I always change out of my pajamas and fix my hair.
If you work at home, it’s very easy to get distracted by the TV or to sit on the couch for a little bit too long. I think it’s easier to sit down and be lazy when you’re still wearing pajamas at 3 pm. Getting ready for the day makes it feel like another work day and not another lazy day.
Make your bed and open the curtains
I think that making your bed in the morning can really make a huge difference in your entire day. It just gives me the mindset of being productive and having it all together.
Crazy to think that taking two minutes to make my bed can make or break my mindset for the day! I also open all my curtains and let in as much natural light as possible because I feel natural light has a positive effect on my mood.
Have a designated workspace
Keeping my relaxation area separate from my work area really helps. I used to write posts while sitting in my bed or on my couch, but it’s so easy to be lazy that way. I created a separate workspace for working on my blog. My husband built us a desk and we created a separate office area. This has made it so much easier for me to keep work and home separate in a sense.
When I sit down at my desk, my brain goes into work mode. When I sit down on my couch, my brain goes into relaxation mode. It can be difficult to balance the two so having separate areas has helped me tremendously. If you don’t have the means to have a separate office or desk, you can use a table or counter as well. I’ve just found that avoiding the couch and bed has helped reduce my laziness and procrastination and has increased my productivity.
Set a timer
When I’m having trouble getting work done, I start a timer. I pick an amount of time, like fifteen minutes. Then I pick a single task that I need to work on for that amount of time without doing anything else. I can get a lot done in fifteen minutes if I set my mind to it but sometimes it’s really hard. For some reason, if I have a timer, I hold myself more accountable.
It also helps to break up my tasks and things seem a lot more manageable. The timer works both ways. I use the timer for work-related things but also for distractions. If I feel like I want to use my phone and check social media I will allow myself fifteen minutes to do so and a timer helps hold me accountable for that. It can be so easy to get sucked into distraction, like your phone, and have an hour wasted.
These four tips have helped with my productivity once I started working at home. It is not always easy to transition to working at home, but if you focus and find what works for you, it can be an amazing opportunity.
My biggest challenge was holding myself accountable because there was no one else to do it for me. These tips have helped to do that and get a lot more work done on a day to day basis.
Are there any tips you have to increase how productive you are working from home?
It’s true – working from home can be a challenge – there’s so many distractions! Happily, I can forego watching TV; and you’re right, the bed or couch is the very last place to be productive. Avoid at all costs! I do like working from my kitchen table on my iPad. If necessary (and sometimes it is) I work at my computer…
Those are all great ideas! My part-time work and full-time work are both at home, so it can be tricky to manage both. I’ve heard lots of productive people all make their beds in the morning – something about that task can change a whole day!
At my job, I am allowed to work from home one day, every other week. I LOVE it, mainly because it takes the commute time out of my day. I practically get out of work an hour early–even though I still clock out at the same time. But designating a work space is definitely key to keeping me focused.
Love the post.
Working from home with my kids home can get me distracted very fast. I definitely need to work on staying in my designated work space. Thanks for the information.
I built a dedicated work space and even though it is in my bedroom, it means business for me. It helps me focus on my work. When I’m ready to just play on facebook or ebay, I’ll get my laptop and sit on the couch or in bed.
Yes! I have worked from home for the past 6 years and it is challenging to separate work from personal time in that situation. I was motivated by not wanting to find myself working in the evenings. Some days my ADD would win but for the most part it was helpful if I made a priority list and crossed things out as I went.
Also, the tip about making your bed: yes!