For people who work from home, working from home can be a blessing and vice versa.
A blessing in the sense that you get to do anything you want to do without being told, being controlled or feeling pressured to get a lot of work done in a short time, but there are also downsides to a work-from-home job.
This post is directed at freelancers and full/part-time staff who work from home.
If you are also wondering what kind of jobs you can take up online these days, this post is definitely for you.
Juggling house chores, the view of your bed just right beside you, the laziness that comes naturally with working from home, and tons of others can be a great barrier to your productivity when you work from home.
So what do you do when you have deadlines pilling up, you keep giving excuses to your clients and employer, you are hardly sending in any work, you’re finding it hard to juggle home activities with work, or you have kids that won’t allow you concentrate on the job paying the bills (lol)?
I will tell you.
I will be giving some tips to help you stay productive as you work from home.
And when I talk about being productive, I mean meeting deadlines, finding time to rest and relax, finding time to do other activities around the house, finding time for family (if you live with one) and friends, and also getting to do other things you love in the process.
I highlighted these because several people think being productive means working and working and working.
But that is not productivity.
Productivity cuts across all the areas of our lives. Productivity is balancing every area of our life and doing great at all of them.
Productivity is working well, doing what you love, having time for family, and still getting a reasonable of rest everyday.
So, here are ten (10) tips to keep you productive when you work from home.
1.
Get a Home Office
One important way to be productive when you work from home is to get a home office. So many distractions can come from working on your bed, in the sitting room, or dining room.
So if you can, get a home office void of distraction and the comforts of home.
Preferably, get a place with a door so you can shut out the noise from outside.
Also, get a place with all your equipment handy so you won’t have to keep standing up to get them while working.
Little things can cause distractions for you while working, so ensure you design your home office to reduce or eradicate distractions.
As a freelancer, one blog post you should read on home office decor and productivity is this article: Home Office Ideas For Freelancers and People Working From Home. Check it out for more.
2.
Shut out Distracting Apps
You know those vibrations and occasional beeps of your phone and computer while you work, they can be an ally to unproductivity.
For me, one app that distracts me the most while I’m working is Whatsapp.
I get occasional pop-ups and vibrations from my phone that affects my concentration and could even make me forget a new idea I just got.
So what I do is, (I use Gb whatsapp) turn off my WhatsApp.
So Gb whatsapp has this feature that allows you to turn off your whatsapp to stop receiving notifications.
And the moment I do that, I stop receiving messages and whatsapp calls.
And this has been really helpful.
You can also get an app called Freedom that allows you to shut down distracting apps when you want to concentrate.
You can use it on IOS, android, Mac, and windows.
3.
Get a Productivity App
Get a productivity app or two. In my resources for freelancers, I have a project management section that is constantly being updated.
I listed apps that will help you to be productive while working from home. You can check it out.
4.
Get up Early or Get up at a Designated Time
For you to work productively, try getting up early or working at a designated time.
For me, I only get up early when I have a deadline. But I do have a designated time to work, and because I’m a night person, I am usually more productive at night.
Which is something you should also know as a freelancer.
Are you a day or night person?
Knowing this will help you know when you’re more productive.
But for employees working remotely, getting up early or at a designated time will be a better option for you, as you might not be able to do most of your work at night (unless your work is exceptional).
5.
Do Something you Love
This is not about doing the work you love.
Not at all!
This is a tip on creating time to do the things you love outside of work.
Take out time to take a walk; talk to loved ones; take a break; watch a movie/series etc.
Just do something you love doing.
You can take breaks between work to do these things.
Also, try to not be at your work desk 24/7 because finding time to do other things (you love) will help your brain relax (except you love brain teaser games, lol).
It will also help you to be more productive when you resume at your desk to work.
6.
Have a Daily Routine
Another important tip is that you should have a daily routine. It could also be a wellness routine.
It should consist of your personal hygiene, eating breakfast, an exercise routine, cleaning up your desk, and other healthy activities.
If you maintain this healthy lifestyle, you will not only have a healthy work life but also a healthy personal life.
Like me, do you always forget to eat breakfast? This is something a wellness and healthy routine would change.
7.
Stay Organized
This can be a major issue for people who work from home.
But I believe this will help:
Clear out your desk before you start the day’s work.
When you get to your desk to work at whatever time you choose, the first thing you should do is to clear your desk, clean your office, put everything in place, and discard the trash.
This is important because our minds mostly work better in an organized area.
As seen on Stanford BeWell,
“Researchers at the Princeton University Neuroscience Institute published a study (The Journal of Neuroscience, 2011) which analyzed the effects of uncluttered and organized living.
According to an article by Erin Doland which referenced the study, “Multiple stimuli present in the visual field at the same time compete for neural representation by mutually suppressing their evoked activity throughout visual cortex, providing a neural correlate for the limited processing capacity of the visual system.”
Paraphrased in non-neuroscience jargon, this means that when your environment is cluttered, the chaos restricts your ability to focus.
The clutter also limits your brain’s ability to process information.
Clutter makes you distracted and unable to process information as well as you do in an uncluttered, organized, and serene environment.”
8.
Have a Work Schedule
It is important to have a work schedule but not compulsory.
But I’m suggesting this because it will help you greatly.
When you have a schedule that is likened to that of a traditional office, you would create enough time for work, for lunch, dinner, and rest.
This is important because while working on your desk, you could lose track of time and end up working for the whole day.
9.
Get Dressed
I know this might seem strange or funny but it is important.
Changing clothes everyday to work at home can help you feel productive and ready to work.
I know for most people who work from home, you sometimes work in your pajamas or the clothe you slept in overnight but you can do better by changing your clothes and dressing like you’re going to work.
This will aid your productivity.
10.
Have a Productivity Planner
If you read my blog a lot, you will know by now that I always emphasize the importance of planners.
Having a productivity planner can change a lot about your life and schedule. With a planner, you can achieve your goals and have a balanced life.
To be more productive, you should also set weekly and daily goals on how much money you plan to make for the week (for freelancers), this will determine how much work you want to do and if you will take on more clients or not.
You should also set goals on your extracurricular activities, also set exercise routines and so on.
Doing this will help you to be more productive.
And if you need a guide on how to set your goals the right way, live more productively, and on how to achieve your set goals and plans while still staying on top of your ‘work game,’ then you need to get this planner guide. It is a free ebook on how to plan your life in a simple and productive way.
Get the free ultimate planning guide.
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For people who work from home, it is easier to live unproductively while thinking you’re making progress.
Think of a person who works for 22 hours (unintentionally, just because they don’t have a plan or schedule) and also takes rest or does other things in just 2 hours.
Think of how tired and exhausted you will feel at the end of each day.
Unproductive right?
For you, it might not be in that ratio, but if you discover that you barely have time for anything else but your work, then you might be more unproductive than you think.
Take steps today to live productively and lead a better and healthy life by following the tips above.
