How to Effectively Work From Home

Are you working from home? While it may sound like a luxury to work from the comfort of your own house, you’ll find that it gets old pretty quick. As important as it is to stay home to stay safe, keeping the same motivation you had at work may be hard to maintain. Below are a few surefire ways to stay motivated.

Stick to your routine.

To some, working from home means shrugging off getting up early and just rolling out of bed to the home office right when work starts. While that sounds awesome, it doesn’t get you in the same mindset as sticking to your normal schedule. I strongly suggest waking up at the same time as if you were going into work and actually putting on real clothes. As much as I love to lounge in sweatpants, they don’t get you in the same mindset as if you put on a pair of jeans and a sweater. Something as simple as what you wear can help you get into work mode.

Have a home office.

You may believe that you can be just as productive by sitting on the couch, but that’s wishful thinking. It’s hard not to be distracted with the TV remote just a few feet away. Instead, get away from the distractions and set up a home office. It could even be as simple as a few card tables/tv trays in a spare bedroom. It’s also recommended to have your home office in a different room than your bedroom. Working in the same room as where you sleep can confuse your brain, causing you to vacillate between relaxed mode or work mode. Switch your desk to a new location if you get sick of the scenery. A perk of working from home is one week you could work in a spare room and the next you could work in the kitchen! By changing up the scenery, you can keep the creative juices flowing. For instance, I’m currently writing this on my balcony as I take in the beautiful spring day!

Allow yourself to take a break.

While at work, we all take a few breaks. Whether it’s to talk to other coworkers or to have lunch, you should maintain this routine at home. Step away from your desk to take necessary breaks such as to go for a short walk, grab a cup of coffee, make lunch or have a conversation with a family member. I like to be very structured with my time and will set a timer for 30-40 minutes, using that time to just focus on work. Once the time is up, another timer is set for 5-10 minutes to take a break and relax. Taking these necessary breaks can relieve stress and make working from home more enjoyable.

Overall, everyone has different opinions on how to stay productive as they work from home. If you find that you lack motivation working from home, try a few of these tricks and see if it helps. Any tips you recommend? We’d love to hear them!