Working from home is something that is becoming more and more popular, and with good reason. The flexibility it allows you is perfect for people who want to fit their work life around their personal life, instead of the other way around. However, there will always be times you find it tricky to try and stay productive. This can prove even more difficult with the many distractions that working from home can offer. Here are just a few tips that I use to try and remain as productive as possible, whilst making the most of the joys of working from home.
Stick to a routine
Although one of the great benefits of working from home is the freedom it allows you, I still find it so helpful to set myself a routine for each day. As appealing as lounging around in your jammies for half the day sounds - it's not exactly conducive to a productive business.
Break up your to do list into smaller sections
I love the feeling of being able to tick items off my to do list. On a day where I’m feeling slightly less productive than usual, I find that it is helpful to break up my to do list into smaller pieces. This means I am able to complete the items more quickly, resulting in more ticks, which encourages me to keep going throughout the day.
Regular exercise
I’ve recently joined a CrossFit gym and am feeling pretty smug with myself. which is the main reason for adding this tip to the list. But, bragging aside, we all know that regular exercise is good for you and this becomes even more important when a large portion of your job involves being sat in front of a computer for hours each day.
Keep off social media
We are all guilty of being glued to our phones and hours of time can be lost to scrolling. However, I also know how important the role of social media is in small, independent business so I aim to keep my social media interaction to two times each day – once in the morning and once in the afternoon.
Move on to another task if you get stuck
We all have moments where we aren’t feeling particularly creative and the ideas just aren’t there. Staring at your screen and willing ideas to come to you generally doesn’t work and just ends up wasting your time. When I find myself stuck, I stop what I’m doing and start something else. Whether that is going to make myself a cup of tea, or moving on to another item on my list, this break in activity really helps me get back on track.
Make sure you get out of the house at least once a day
I’m sure I’m not alone here, but I feel awful if I go an entire day without leaving the house. As its name suggests working from home does mean that we end up spending a huge portion of our time at home – potentially by ourselves. I find it so helpful for my productivity if I pop out at least once a day. This can simply be just nipping to the shops for some milk or going for a walk around the block.
These are just a few ideas that work for me but I would love to hear from you in the comments if you have any other hints or tips that you find helpful.
