I’m not going to lie to you- working from home is amazing. The perks definitely outweigh the negatives, but it can be hard to stick to a set schedule and keep yourself productive throughout the day. Here are my top 5 productivity tips for anyone who works from home!
1.DECLUTTER
The key to being successful when you work from home is to create an environment that allows you to focus on the tasks at hand. The hard part about working from your home is that the will always be “stuff” around that reminds you of the things you need to get done, which can be extremely distracting. I cannot tell you how many times I will be elbow deep in an email and I look over and see dishes in the sink and I lose all my concentration and get up and do the dishes. My advise is to aim for your workspace to be as clutter-free as possible the night before, this way it will help you stay focuses on your actual workload and not on your chores.
2. GET DRESSED
I’m sure many people think that the work from home life is basically pajamas all day life. And hey, it may be for some, but not for me. If I don’t get up and get dressed first thing in the morning, i’m setting myself up to be lazier with my workload. You don’t have to put a pencil skirt and a blazer on, but throw a sweater and a pair of jeans on and get the day going! Below is an example of an everyday outfit for me!
3. SET A SCHEDULE
Keeping a schedule is CRUCIAL when you work from home. Before you clock out for the day, take 5 minutes and really asses and create your schedule for the next day. It will save you so much time in the morning! Find what times you are most productive, and work accordingly! If you know that you are more productive in the morning, schedule your more grueling tasks for then, and leave the easier, more mindless tasks for the afternoon. What works best for me is working on one task for 30-60-90 minutes, then taking a 10-15-20 minute “break”. Breaking my days up into smaller blocks of work helps me with my overall concentration, rather than looking at it as an 8 hour day. Keeping a schedule like this can help you maximize your time while you are working at home.
4. USING A DEDICATED WORK BROWSER
This one was a GAME CHANGER for me. I now use 2 different browsers on my computer. I use safari for casual surfing, and Chrome for work. As I’m sure you know, the casual browser is FIILLLLLEEDD with all different types of distractions. On the other hand, my work browser is only used for work related things such as my blog website, email, and any extensions that help me stay productive. This has helped me tremendously decrease my aimless browsing of the internet, the less distractions the better for me! Try it out and let me know how it goes! Added tip: I also put my phone on the other end of the table (out of arms reach) face DOWN so I don’t get distracted by incoming text messages/DMs.
5. GET OUTSIDE
You have the perks of working from home so why not get the most out of it?! Enjoy the freedom you get from working from home and get outside and take a 10 minute walk! Fresh air (and hopefully sunshine) is amazing for stimulating new ideas! You’re also not tied to your chair- so once a week change up the scenery a little and hit up a local coffee shop for an hour or two!
This picture was from a matcha place in Weho that I went to the other day with my friend and fellow blogger, Carly. The change of scenery was great for both of us and we got to bounce ideas off of each other which is an added plus!
If you work from home I’d love to know any tips you have for staying productive throughout the day!!
