15 Work From Home Productivity Tips
15 Work From Home Productivity Tips
Missing out on your goals? Here’s a list of 15 work from home productivity tips. Understand which areas you need to improve, and make the most out of your day!
Many decide to work from home for its benefits. It’s different from traditional office work—no dress codes, no road traffic and the need to commute, and you can stay near those you care. There is so much comfort in working right where you most prefer.
But, it presents a challenging opponent: self. It’s so easy to relax when you are very comfortable with your situation. You could end up missing deadlines and delaying projects.
Focus is a skill that you need to strengthen, and so is discipline. Both concern three main areas: time, work space, and health.
Time
Everyone has the same amount of time every day. It is fixed, and never ends. Like everyone else, remote workers thrive in the bounds of time.
Projects come and go. The need to balance priorities and manage schedules are most critical. If you fail to finish a task that you’re supposed to achieve in a day, your projects could pile up quickly than you expected.
Here’s how you can be aware of your time and manage it wisely:
1. Start Early on Schedule
As the saying goes, “The early bird catches the worm.” It pays to start early when you have lots of things to do. You don’t want to miss deadlines or suffer from pending projects.
Whether you are working on regular hours or on a night shift, take note of the time you’re supposed to start. The key is to get your body used to your working hours. According to research, the timing of sleep matters.
“People whose performance peaks in the morning are better positioned for career success, because they’re more proactive than people who are at their best in the evening.” -Harvard Business Review
It does not necessarily apply only to those with day shifts. If you are on a night shift, the night could become your morning. This is possible by sleeping early and waking up before your work hours—change your body clock.
Also, dallying on tasks could cause you to miss out on other good things. Start early to free up time for other priorities or hobbies.
2. Have a Goal in Mind
Know what you are expected to do. Check your list of projects, and list down urgent projects. Have a goal in mind to finish those that are due for the day.
“The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.” -Bill Copeland
When you know which projects to work on, it’ll be easy for you start. You can plan to list down your goals the night or morning before your shift to get ahead of time.
3. Take One Task at a Time
Worrying about many things at the same time doesn’t help. It just stresses you out, and keeps your mind wandering to those that aren’t even there yet. Learn to concentrate on your work, and take one task at a time.
It’s alight to admit that you are no superhero. It’s perfectly alright to admit that you have your own limits. Give yourself room to grow. Worry just drains your energy and wastes your time.
Check your first goal, and focus your mind and energy towards achieving it. In the end, you’ll find that you’ve already completed everything.
4. Spend Breaks Wisely
Avoid spending time on those that aren’t beneficial. You can take in-between breaks during work, but avoid attending too much on unnecessary things. Consider how much time you only have for work. You won’t finish a lot by wasting it off. Doing so places your projects and pay at risk.
5. Prioritize
What keeps you busy outside of work? Sometimes you could be so full of other responsibilities that you find it difficult to manage in a day. Don’t let them get in conflict. Know what’s important.
Here’s what you can do:
- List down your responsibilities
- Identify which one is most important
- Rank your list from most important to least important
- Schedule when to accomplish each responsibility
- Be flexible when necessary
- Cross out each completed responsibility
Work Space
What does your work space look like? Sometimes you could easily get distracted with the things on your desk or your surroundings. The perfect work space enables you to perform at your best. Sometimes a messy space may just fit right.
1. Have Something that Inspires
For whom or what do you live each day? Inspiration motivates you to do better. It excites your mind and spurs you to action. The comfort you get for working at home gives you enough energy to complete your tasks. With inspiration around the corner, projects simply won’t be a bore.
“If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?” -Albert Einstein
Have something near that could motivate you. In some cases, a messy environment could be good for you. For others, a tidy room could work. What’s important is that you make yourself completely comfortable and happy.
2. Organize Files and Folders
How long does it usually take you to find a file? You could be spending much longer on searching for missing folders than on working on a project. Simplify your life.
Create a system that works best for you. Think about how you could easily access necessary files. When it comes to passwords, you can store them in password managers such as LastPass.
3. Hide Social Media
People are naturally curious and want to stay in touch with the world. It’s difficult to break away especially when it’s become your habit to check on current trends and stuffs. Unless your work requires you, stay away from Facebook, Twitter and other social networking platforms. You can check on them during breaks or anytime you are free.
4. Update Client of Day’s Accomplishments
Transparency is important especially when you are working far from your client. You want them to equate the trust that you gave them. For that, you build and strengthen the work relationship you have.
At the end of the day, you can notify them about completed projects. This keeps you updated, and helps you set goals for the next day. A regular assessment of your performance makes you more aware of the need to be productive.
5. Let People Know about Expectations
Get along with your companions at home. Let them know about your needs. Inform them of what you’re supposed to do at work and of how they could possibly help you to do well. This way they can avoid disturbing you with noise and all other mischievous things they could think of.
Health
Your body is your investment. You can work as many hours as you can, but you shouldn’t neglect your body’s welfare. Keep yourself in shape.
1. Exercise Daily
Studies indicate that daily exercise helps your lungs, heart, muscles, and bones. The more you move around, the stronger they become. Take time to stretch and go for a run to maintain good health.
2. Take In-between Breaks
Your mind can slow down when you aren’t completely in your best self. Don’t stress yourself too much with work. If you do tasks consecutively, your productivity would slow down, and ultimately make you lose your train of thought. It is advised that you take 15 to 20 minutes of break, enough for you to refresh your thoughts. Take time to smell the flowers and see how beautiful around you is.
3. Converse with People
Avoid isolating self. Strengthen friendships. Join activities outside of work. Communicating with your family, friends, and colleagues is critical not only in your work but also in your personal life. It is unhealthy to keep things to yourself and not reach out to others. A lot of things can result from building networks. One of which is that the people around you will help you sort out your thoughts and give you fresh ideas. Always value communication because it will make you better.
4. Eat Healthy
Eat food that’s good for you. Don’t just eat whatever is set on the table. You only live once, and you should make sure that you live a full life by feeding what your body needs and not what it wants. Plan out a balanced diet and discipline yourself to abide with it. Don’t keep on eating at fast food chains. It is still best that you cook your own meal at home. Eat fruits and vegetables and don’t eat red meat all the time. There should always be a balance in everything.
5. Remember the Things You Love and Do Them
You only have 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. If all you do is work, work, and work, then you’re not living at all. Always allocate “me time” in your schedule and do what you love. Remind yourself that there is more to life than doing the daily routine you are used to. If doing what you love makes you happy, don’t allow yourself to be the hindrance of that happiness.
Working from home can get so stressful, especially because you’re all by yourself in your work space. Avoid losing yourself by following these productivity tips. Nothing is going to be missing if you choose to go along with the aforementioned items. Instead, you’ll gain a whole lot more.
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About Jaime Jay
Meet Jaime Jay – a man who wears many hats, and wears them all admirably. He's a master connector, an entrepreneur extraordinaire, and a published author who knows how to get things done.
Before he found his way to the business world, Jaime served his country as a brave paratrooper in the U.S. Army. But that's just the beginning of his many accomplishments.
He's the founder of the renowned Bottleneck Distant Assistant Services firm, and his book "Quit Repeating Yourself" has become a must-read for entrepreneurs everywhere.
When he's not busy building his empire, you can find him on his beloved Harley Davidson, cruising through the countryside and taking in the invigorating effects of Uitwaaien – a Dutch practice that involves facing the wind to boost health and relieve stress.
He enjoys spending his free time outside building stuff with his wife, Nikita the dog and their two kittens (for now at least) Tommy and Tater.
He is ‘over-the-moon’ happily married to his wonderful wife Sara, his amazing daughter, Jessica, who is serving our country as a United States Army soldier. Jaime and Sara are the proud grand parents of two beautiful little girls.
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