There’s a huge incentive to start making money working from home. There are no weather delays, no traffic jams, no office drama, and, best of all; you get to see your friends and family more. Getting started with WFH is often a smooth experience, save for work-at-home scams.
Working outside of a conventional workplace does, however, present its own fair share of challenges. Sooner or later, you’ll realize that you cannot focus entirely on the job at hand. Between crying kids, plundering pets, and house chores, there are too many distractions that can severely hamper your level of productivity while working from home.
I’ve compiled six practical tips on how to stay focused and maintain high level of productivity while working from home.
#1. Act As If You’re Still Working in a Traditional Office
What motivated you to work extra hard in your former office job? Bring the same mindset to your home office. Perhaps you need to create an actionable schedule and stick to it.
While working at home sure gives you the freedom to start and end work whenever you want, it’s crucial to maintain a certain degree of order. Wake up and prepare for your tasks as if you still going to work. By doing this, you’ll kickstart your system into thinking it’s time for work.
#2. Have a Dedicated Work Area
Even if you don’t have an office in your house, you need to choose a quiet, secluded spot dedicated to working. The last thing you want, however, is to confine yourself to an area the size of a bed. Ideally, the workspace should not be an area where you spend most of your time with your family or sleep.
#3. Prepare and Dress Up for the Occasion
You see, your home was specially designed to offer utmost relaxation and comfort. That means everything therein is excellent for kicking back and relaxing, but not so much for work productivity. As such, your body associates “home clothes” or pajamas with downtime. So, if you want to stay focused and be productive, consider flipping the switch into “working mode.” Oftentimes that means putting on a pot of coffee, taking a thorough shower, and wearing clothes that pass as work-casual.
#4. Minimizing Distractions
It’s okay to have some background music playing, but TV can be distracting. Switch it off. Talking of pets, a quick pat once in a while can do the trick, but a cat straddling all over your keyboard is a big no-no. Instead, consider a crate for your pet to boost your productivity.
#5. Take Breaks In-Between Tasks
When working from home, it is natural to power through 5 hours or more non-stop. But, it’s paramount to take short breaks to get your mind rejuvenated. It might seem counterproductive, but disengaging for about 17 minutes after every hour of work can do wonders for your overall productivity.
#6. Get Help Whenever Possible
Making sure that kids and pets are entertained, house to-do list is completed, and still have time to work can sometimes take a considerable toll on your body. Consider hiring a house help to take some pressure off of you.
