Working from home, being my boss, has been my dream and my biggest aspiration for a few years.
While it is real that it has many advantages, there are also many distractions and new habits not so convenient, which brings this new lifestyle.
We have to be very aware so that our productivity is not affected.
For this reason, today, I want to have a friend-to-friend talk, with all those mums, wives, and homemakers who work from home, to share tips on how to stay productive and accountable while working on our dream jobs.
The benefits and downsides of working from home are:
It is entirely delicious to wake up without the stress of being stuck in traffic before arriving at our workplaces. Work under our rules, and to have time to enjoy ourselves and our families. To be able to spend the day in yoga pants, not having to put on makeup, or walking around the whole day in heels. Having our favorite snacks on hand and eating food that we have prepared for ourselves. What more could we ask?
But working from home also has some downsides.
For example, our productivity levels can decrease catastrophically by being in constant contact with sources of distraction. We significantly reduce our physical activity so that our health is at risk. Our mental health suffers too since we become completely isolated for long periods. It is effortless to become a workaholic if we do not set boundaries, which can significantly affect our relationships and social lives.
Being aware of these risks will give us the advantage of knowing how to carry them and correct them for our greater well-being.
So how to be productive while working from home?
Working from home is still work. And since we don’t have a boss giving us orders, we have to kick our butt harder to achieve our success.
It is healthy to set some rules for ourselves to avoid falling into laziness and procrastination and being able to make the most of our time.
Find an ideal place in your home to set up your workspace.
If you are super tidy, you don’t want to make the office in your kitchen where you’ll always see something dirty: a dish to wash, a cup with coffee leftovers, a stain on the stove.
Find a place where you can have at least a comfortable table and chair since you will spend hours sitting, and your back will be affected if you do not maintain a good posture.
Keep your vision boards in a place where you can see them while working, so you stay motivated and focused on your goals.
If you want to know how to set and achieve goals successfully click here.
If you are a distracted person, try to have a door that divides your workspace from the rest of the house. That way, you stay away from distractions.
For nothing in the world, work from bed. The bed is for sleeping! As a result, as soon as you go to work in bed, you will feel your energy levels drop.
Schedule your work hours.
You could feel tempted to answer an email while playing with the kids, do some work for tomorrow before bed, making a call while you work out, or go through some documents while having lunch.
It is essential to have a work schedule and stick to it as well as limit it and be able to disconnect to enjoy our family time and our self-development time consciously.
Cut off work at the end of the day. Remember that as a person, you have to fulfill other needs.
Take breaks.
Take breaks to stretch, walk around a bit, and let blood flow through your body. So you rest your eyes from the computer’s light and clear your mind.
Take a proper break to enjoy your lunch. Do not eat in front of the computer!
Although we often think otherwise, working all the time, even when doing other activities, does nothing but overwhelm us.
Breaks let us unwind our minds and bodies, helping us to come over new ideas and renovate energies.
Plan household chores.
You likely have a series of household chores to do daily from making the bed, preparing the meals, and cleaning.
Plan the best time during the day to do them so that they do not interfere with your work. It is quite usual to get caught up with housework and get distracted, wasting the most productive hours of our day.
Here are some tips that could help you:
Meal prep for the week. As a result, you have part of the meals already made, and you can save time and better control what you eat.
Take a few minutes each day to organize and clean, to keep order and cleanliness.
Ask the people who live with you for help. Your husband and children can take a heavy burden off you by taking on some household chores. Involve them in your goals, letting them know that their contribution will help you achieve your objectives more quickly, which might be beneficial for the whole family.
Establishing boundaries while working from home.
Often our loved ones do not know that we are working from home, but especially “working.” They generally think that we are only mothers or housewives.
But there is nothing worse than being interrupted in the middle of your creative process. And as solo entrepreneurs, there are a lot of duties that we have to do by ourselves. And our time feels so limited and short compared with all the tasks with want to get done by the end of the day.
So, the most appropriate thing is telling your friends and family that you are available just after X hour and not before. Unless it is a crucial situation, you don’t want to get distracted.
It may sound extreme, but if you don’t respect your time and show people how you want them to treat you, it will be challenging to comply with your deadlines and goals.
Dress up as a winner while working fro home.
Come on! Are you seriously going to work in your pajamas today? I tell this to myself all the time.
It is delicious to spend the day wearing that comfortable robe. And we have those days when we feel like jumping out of bed to work. But taking a few minutes to get dressed and groomed correctly, even if we’re working at home, will give us more energy and enthusiasm. And we likely will be more productive.
As a result, when you look in the mirror, you’ll feel that success and prosperity are flowing to you.
Stay away from social media.
How many times have you been surprised by spending hours scrolling through Facebook or Instagram? And it is that social media are essential for our work and business, but also one of the worst distractions.
Plan your posts. You can use apps like Latergram. Set a schedule to check the performance of your posts and interact with your followers. Be aware every time you open your social networks of what your objectives are.
Implement an exercise routine.
Sitting for hours is the best way to ensure muscle weakening, which can lead to many ailments in the future. Find time to exercise. Working out will help you feel better physically but simultaneously more concentrated and happy.
Stop procrastinating.
“Not today, better tomorrow.” This way of thinking will bring you problems. Start taking over since you don’t have a boss telling you to do this or that. Chances are you will probably take your time to accomplish your goals, but remember that if you want to achieve something, you will look for ways and not justifications to avoid it.
Avoid the stress of meeting your goals by the deadline. Advance all the work you can and thus avoid setbacks. Procrastinating is a habit that can be changed.
Keep your self-care rituals and morning routine.
When working from home, it’s simple to “spend the whole day working,” literally. Often, we immersed in all of our “to-dos,” forgetting our physical, emotional, and mental needs. This pattern of behavior can easily lead us to feel burned out and unhappy.
Design a morning routine suitable for your needs, presenting the aspects mentioned above. This habit will make you start on the right foot, and as a result, you will feel more fulfilled at the end of each day.
If you are interested in learning more about morning rituals, check out this article by Stefan James: https://projectlifemastery.com/my-new-morning-ritual-how-to-be-even-more-productive-happy-and-healthy-everyday/
Write a To-do list before starting your day.
“To-do lists are key for efficiency because they list everything that you have to do, the most important tasks at the top, and the least important tasks at the bottom.” Brian Tracy
The To-dos list is an excellent time management tool. It will help you overcome procrastination and be more efficient when solving problems. You will be more productive and clear about what requires your immediate attention. So, you will prioritize the most critical tasks.
Every minute spent on planning saves up to ten minutes on execution. So, make sure you have your to-do list ready before you start working.
Check this article by Brian Tracy for more productivity tips: https://www.briantracy.com/blog/time-management/organizational-skills-to-do-list-prioritize-tasks/
In summary, working from home is an excellent option that has many advantages, such as spending more time with your family. Still, you risk being exposed to constant sources of distraction. Knowing and implementing these tips will help you to be more productive, helping you achieve your professional goals while having a balanced lifestyle.
