We’ve all heard the phrase “don’t bring your work home with you,” but that’s not exactly possible when you’re working from home. Whether you run your own business like me, blog full time, or work for a company that gives you the flexibility to work from home, it’s easy to get distracted by all of the “shiny” things in your house: Netflix, the refrigerator, your bed. Distractions are everywhere.
As a WAHM (that’s “work at home mom), I sometimes struggle with balancing work and home life, as well as making sure to spend time with my daughter throughout the day. One of the reasons I started my business four years ago was in anticipation of building the life I wanted to have; I knew I wanted to work, but I also knew I wanted the flexibility of being home with my (future) kids. So over the years, I’ve developed strategies and rules for myself to make this situation work for me.
Here are my 8 productivity tips for working from home effectively:
Stick to a schedule.
One of the reasons we work for ourselves is so we can set our own schedules, right? Even though you have flexiility now, you still need to create a schedule and routine for yourself in order to be productive and stay on track. The good news is it can be whatever you want it to be. For me, I wake up early, before everyone else, and get a good amount of work done. My daughter then wakes up at 7 and I take care of her until she either goes to school or help arrives. After that I work out, sometime between the hours of 8:30-10. As soon as I’m done, it’s shower and back to work until lunchtime. After lunch, I usually work a few more hours, and then my productivity hits a total wall. It sometimes kicks back in later in the evening, but I’m definitely not a night owl, and I don’t try to stay up late working because it isn’t productive for me. Get to know yourself and identify the hours in the day where you’ll get the most done.
Get dressed in the morning.
It’s tempting to walk into work every day having not showered and gotten dressed, but resist. Get up at a normal time, take a shower, and put on real clothing. Dressing for success is a real thing; there have been countless studies showing that what you wear does influence your productivity. I used to work in marketing for an ecommerce company as you can imagine, it’s a very casual environment. They recently implemented Fancy Fridays, encouraging employees to wear business attire one day a week. Some people even wore tuxedos. I like the idea of forcing yourself to get a little fancy when you go into work, even if “go into work” means sitting on the couch in front of a laptop. I know it helps my productivity.
Eliminate distractions.
I know it sounds tempting to watch tv, listen to podcasts and play around on gchat while you work, but productivity can take a major hit when we don’t focus on one thing at a time. We all like to think we’re great multi-taskers (not me actually, I’m terrible at it), but most brains cannot process a bunch of things at once. It’s better for productivity if you dedicate certain hours in the day to certain tasks, then move on the the next, even if you aren’t quite done with the first.
Make plans to see other people.
One thing I miss about working in an office is the collaborative nature of it. If you’re not sure of something, you can ask a trusted coworker what they think and easily bounce ideas off of other people. Not so much when you’re alone in a room. Working from home can get lonely and monotinous. Try to schedule a lunch or coffee with another local business owner who really gets it, and pick his or her brain while you’re at it.
Make your space comfortable.
They say a cluttered desk is a cluttered mind, so keep your space tidy and open to give yourself room to think. I know when my desk starts to get messy, it’s much harder for me to think and focus.
Identify your daily “top 3.”
We all have a to-do list a mile long, but chances are all of those things don’t NEED to get done every day. There are likely 3 or so items that absolutely have to get done, so focus on those. If you get them done, move on to your “nice to do” list.
Set your work day as if you were going to and leaving the office.
Trying to work all day and night is a recipe for quick burnout. When you’re your own boss, you will never, ever feel like everything is done when you leave the office at the end of the day. Learn how to shut it down so you can prioritize other things like family, sleep and your favorite hobbies.
Make time for exercise.
One of the great things about making your own schedule is that you have the time to squeeze in things like exercise in your busy day. Working from home is sometimes an even more sedentary existence than working from an office because you’re not forced to take a lunch. There are days when I sit in my office and don’t more for many hours at a time… not exactly the best for health and circulation. If your body’s in good shape, your mind will be in better shape, so don’t neglect fitness. There are lots of studies showing the connection between physical health and mental health.
What helps you be more effective working from home?
These are super helpful! I work out of the house, but I spent this past week working from home. Finding time to exercise is a must!
These tips are so helpful as I’ve started working from home one day a week! I totally agree that getting dressed when you wake up is essential to getting a good, productive start to the day. Thanks for sharing!
Emma
http://emma-and-jw.com/
Great tips! I definitely struggle with how to be most productive. My kids don’t go to school or daycare yet (#2under2) so that’s a pretty big challenge- and I go to the noon CrossFit class (would love go early so it’s not in the middle of the day but my kids behave better at noon!)so I usually spend the day in gym clothes. Haha- but I do need to implement these more! Would love to have you link up! http://www.akreativewhim.com/stir-crazy
Great tips. I’ve always wondered if that would be something I would be effective in doing. I like your getting dressed in the morning – so simple, but otherwise you are living in pajamas! 😉
Karen | GlamKaren.com
All of these are fantastic tips! Taking breaks throughout the day to do a little physical activity (I do yoga!), is CRUCIAL to stay focused on your work! These other tips are awesome too! 🙂 Thanks for sharing them!
Awesome tips! I used to work from bed in my pjs a lot and could never understand why nothing got accomplished haha I then started to get dressed in the morning and I’m much more productive nowadays. It really helps to treat your work day the same as you would if you were leaving the house for your job. I get dressed, I set to do lists, I take lunch breaks. I cannot for the life of me stick to a real schedule, but I have a great system that works perfectly!
I definitely agree with making time to exercise and getting dressed! On my days off (aka my blogging/freelancing days) I used to stay in sweats and skip a shower every now and then. Now, I realize I am far more productive when I stick to my alarm, shower and get dressed! Typically, I try to work out early in the morning because it energizes me right away for the day! Great tips!
Kiara
Great tips. Working from home can be really challenging. Of course it has it’s perks too.
Oh man, I needed this! I get distracted so easily! I want to work from home full-time, but keep wondering how that’s going work as I feel like I don’t get much done on the weekends I have. I will be bookmarking this and sharing this for sure!
I don’t work from home exclusively yet, but I do A LOT of blogging from home. I think a schedule is important, that structure helps, otherwise I’d never get anything done!
I have worked from home for four years and love it. Getting dressed counts with yoga or pj pants right?!?!
Great tips! I really like your idea of “top 3.” I organize my to-do list each week by “MUST, SHOULD, NICE” Thankfully there are actually very few items on the absolute MUST list, although in my mind many of my “should”s often seem like musts, they actually aren’t. Now, just what to do with my 3 little munchkins while I’m working?
These are really great tips. I work from home and have found making a schedule & (mostly) sticking to it have been the most helpful for me. I even have a rule “no work on Sundays,” so I don’t even set foot in the office that day.
These are amazing tips! I just started a blog and this really helpful for that! Thanks for sharing!
http://livingblissfullybalance.weebly.com/
I’ve always read that you need to have a good division between work and home, but I do it differently. I can’t stand sitting in front of the computer for eight hours every day. It’s the worst part about blogging, especially since I’m an outdoor writer.I work for two hours in the morning, two hours in the late afternoon, and two more hours before bed. If I have to work more I do. I definitely set my top three priorities each day. If I get them done, I’m satisfied.
Sounds like a great plan! Whatever works for you is the way you should do it. I always encourage people to find a schedule/routine that works for them and then stick to it… my favorite part about what I do is the flexibility it gives me to make my own schedule!
I love all of these tips! Especially when it comes to getting dressed in the morning. Even if I’m just working from home, I am always more productive the days that I take time to get ready.
This is a great list. I totally agree with the top three. I think sometimes we forget how long some things take. Three is a great number and it feels so good to be able to get them all done!
I work from from but my work is not being effective lately. The tips you have provided are amazing. I will implement these tips and see how will I improve myself in next month.
Thanks.
I’m a college student, but I can see myself as a WAHM in the future. Thanks for these tips! x
http://www.theprettycitygirl.com/