A Simple Guide to Staying Productive When Working from Home

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The advent of the Covid-19 pandemic saw a surge in the number of us working from home. As the peak of the pandemic passes and we get used to living with Covid, many of us are still working remotely for at least part of the time.

Making the shift from working in an office with an organised, structured environment to working in the comfort of your home can be tricky. There are many potential distractions present in the home that aren’t there in an office, such as interruptions from family and the ever-present temptation of social media. There is also less accountability and less communication than there is in an office. Fortunately, there are many ways you can ensure you stay productive.

In this guide, we’ll share tips on how you can stay organised and productive when working from home, regardless of whether you do it all the time, or once a week.

Without further ado, let’s jump in.

Best Ways to Remain Productive When Working from Home

There are some easy ways you can ensure your productivity doesn’t fall off a cliff when you’re not working in the office.

Here are some of the best tips we’ve come up with.

Create a dedicated workspace

It’s essential to create a space that you use solely for work if you want to do so effectively from home. While it may be easier to sit on the sofa with your laptop, taking this approach may make it harder to resist distractions and get stuff done.

Instead, you must work in a place separate from areas of the home your brain has come to associate with relaxation. That way, your brain will see the newly created area as a place of work and will switch into work mode when you enter that space.

When your brain gets used to going into work mode, your energy levels will shift. In consequence, you will feel more alert, confident, and organised.

Check out our post on creating a fab work-from-home setup for more.

Think you will be able to resist the manifold distractions you will encounter and thus don’t need to set up a workspace?

Think again. Let’s pinpoint some you’ll be faced with, even if you have a home office.

Mobile phones

A notification pops up on your phone. It won’t take a minute to check that Facebook message. Next thing you know, you’ve spent 15-minutes doom-scrolling before you re-focus on work. We’ve all been there.

The trouble is, when working from home, it’s easy to fall down an internet rabbit hole because you have no manager or boss keeping an eye on you. Similarly, you will feel the pull of that daytime TV programme you can’t usually watch.

With practice, you will become more adept at resisting digital distractions, but remember to cut yourself some slack.

Family and pets

Do you have young children? Does your partner work different hours than you do? Got a dog?

It is often necessary to become accustomed to remaining productive when members of your family are at home. Even if you ask not to be interrupted while you’re working, the mere fact of their presence may prove a distraction. Not to mention sometimes having to tune out the dog’s barking so you can focus.

Jobs around the house

Are you the sort of person who’s liable to get distracted by jobs that need doing around the house?

If you find it difficult to work when there are chores that need doing, set aside time to do them before or after work. If you do a few jobs before you start, it can make the day feel less overwhelming. On the other hand, doing a few chores at day’s end can help you de-stress.

To minimise distractions, you can:                       

• Keep your desk free of clutter.
• Close all tabs that are not related to the task you are working on.
• Use noise-cancelling headphones to minimise distractions caused by others moving around the house.

Soon, we’ll talk about the importance of planning your workflow. For now, let’s discover why keeping regular working hours is essential if you want to be productive.

Have set working hours

One of the most important things to do when making the switch from office to remote working is to set regular working hours and stick to them.

But surely it doesn’t matter what time you start, take breaks, and wrap up for the day when you work from home, right?

Wrong. You are actually doing yourself a disservice by not keeping a fixed schedule. By setting yourself regular working hours, you make yourself accountable. It also makes it easier for work colleagues to contact you as needed.

Here are a few tips to help you set the perfect work-from-home schedule:

• Consider times when your boss and colleagues will be available.
•  When your boss expects you to be on hand.
• Consider times when you are most alert and productive.

This doesn’t mean you need to work from 9-5. It may be better to work during the hours you’re most alert, energetic, and productive — provided that those hours align with times that your boss needs you to work.

Create a list of tasks

Make a list of things you wish to accomplish and then use time blocking to divide the time you have available amongst the tasks based on estimates of how long it will take you to finish each one. Tick each one off your list as you complete them. If you want to stay productive, remember to include break times in your schedule to give yourself chance to recharge, refresh your brain and refocus.

Tackle more complex, important tasks when you have more energy, and take care of easier, less demanding, and more trivial tasks when your energy levels begin to dip.

Don’t extend your workday far beyond what you planned

If you consistently work far beyond the time you planned to stop for the day, you’ll put yourself at risk of depression and burnout. Check out our post on how fatigue affects productivity and work performance to learn more.

When working from home it’s crucial to keep your work and home life separate. This helps you be productive at work and feel less anxious when you’re not working. Say you want to spend evenings with your family, inform people that you won’t be checking or responding to emails after a certain time.

During working hours let your family know that you are occupied to minimise interruptions and make them aware that you are not free for long unscheduled breaks. You are responsible for setting boundaries and setting your own schedule.

It’s time to highlight the importance of planning your workflow.

Planning your workflow

Planning your workdays is a sure-fire way to remain productive when working from home. There are several ways you can do this. One of our favourites ways is to use the Ivy Lee Method to help prioritise tasks for the day ahead.

Estimate how long each task will take you and decide how you will spend any extra time you may have at the end of the day. You can make planning your day part of a productive night-time routine if you think it will be beneficial. Doing so may even improve the quality of your sleep because you won’t be worrying about what you must do the following day.

Here are a few top tips for planning your day:

• Tackle your most important, urgent task first.
• Consider your energy levels and do more complex, difficult tasks when you have the most energy.
• Reward yourself when you reach milestones in projects and complete tasks. Also schedule breaks throughout the day, so that you will remain motivated and productive. You will also be less likely to fall prey to distractions.

This leads us into discussing why you must always break up your day if you want to remain productive.

Break up the day  

A 2011 study discovered that workers who took a couple of short breaks remained more productive when asked to complete a specific task than those who took no breaks at all. In fact, they became markedly less productive over the course of the task.

Therefore, taking time away from your desk is crucial. Taking breaks to get some fresh air, eat a healthy snack, and have a quick chat with someone will refresh you and get you ready to face the tasks in front of you.

Always plan to exercise during some of your breaks, as it’s easy to become lethargic when working remotely because you don’t need to move from place to place for meetings and the like. It is possible there’s a link between fitness and work performance, so remember to prioritise it.

Block social media

You know how tempting it can be to fall down the social media rabbit hole. But before you know it, you’ve spent hours of your day there when you could have spent that time doing something far more productive.

Instead, use a website blocker to help you resist temptation. You could also use a productivity app to avoid distractions. You can even freeze social media on your mobile phone so you can focus on your work.

Use music to help you

One advantage of working from home is that you can’t distract your colleagues. You can play music to get you pumped up and motivated. If you’re feeling stressed, why not try some soothing music to keep you calm.

Music can be particularly motivating when you’re engaged in repetitive tasks, so if you think it will help you focus on your work, go and choose some of your favourite music.

Next, we’ll point out why it’s vital to communicate with others.

Keep in touch with co-workers

Working from home doesn’t mean you have to lose the ability to collaborate and socialise with others. Catch up with your colleagues at least twice a week and be sure to connect with people on a personal level and encourage others to do the same. This need not take a lot of time.

Have a way to relieve stress

When you work from home you can have a way to de-stress on hand nearby. You can have a cup of tea to help you relax for example. Keep a stress ball on the desk, take a walk, and schedule breaks to give yourself time to decompress.

After all, you can’t be truly productive if you’re stressed.

Wrapping Up

Whether it’s your first time working remotely, or if you’re an old pro, we hope you can find something in this guide to help ensure you can stay productive when working from home. Why not try your favourite items on this list to see how they suit you? You can then adjust and personalise your work-from-home routine and show the world what you’re made of.

Good luck and thank you for reading.