7 Tips To Stay Productive While Working From Home

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If you work from home, you probably know what I mean when I say that it’s oftentimes hard to concentrate and get things done.

There are usually a ton of distractions, either brought upon by yourself or others.

Maybe your phone notifications won’t stop buzzing, you get sidetracked and start browsing the Internet, or you decide to rummage through your cupboards for a snack because you’re hungry (sadly, this usually turns me into a couch potato for the night).

If you stay at home with young kids, maybe your 2-year-old starts demanding attention and won’t stop crying.

7 Work From Home Productivity Tips

We all have to learn to deal with these types of distractions in our everyday lives and I know, sometimes it’s just so hard to resist them.

And let’s be honest here.

Working for yourself and not having a boss watch your every move, monitor your progress, and tell you to get back to work is hard.

You’re going to have to push yourself even harder to be more productive because it’s so easy to not be efficient with your time.

When you stay focused, you’ll get a lot more done because your productivity and efficiency will skyrocket, and you’ll feel more accomplished and motivated when you regularly reach your goals.

Both of these are especially important if you work from home and you’re your own boss.

Here are some of the methods I’ve used to successfully help myself get more done and be more productive with my time.

1. Take A Break From Your Phone

Most people nowadays are pretty much glued to their phones and I’m definitely one of them.

If you’re the type of person who constantly gets bombarded with all sorts of notifications from social media, emails, as well as texts from all your friends, you’re going to get relatively little work done if you’re constantly hearing your phone go off and checking these notifications.

So even though it can be hard to do (especially if you feel like you absolutely need to check your phone every 5-10 minutes), hit the mute button, turn it off, or hide it in the drawer.

Just do something about it so that you can enjoy some peace and quiet without being reminded to look at it constantly.

2. Schedule Your Day

If you want to improve your productivity when working from home, you need to schedule your day properly.

Do this even if you feel like you don’t have to since you’re not leaving home, you can wear your PJ’s all day long, and no one would know (unless you were on a Zoom call).

Have A Morning Routine

Try to get into a regular daily routine, such as sleeping at an appropriate time every night and getting up at the same time every day.

Having a set morning routine can also be helpful as it adds structure to your day.

You can often also get a lot done in a short period of time and this will positively jumpstart a productive day.

Some activities you can do include working out, journaling, tidying up your space, etc.

Check out my post on the productive morning habits you can adopt today.

Put Everything Down Into Writing

Planning is essential to be organized and prepared. I find I’m the most productive when I plan weekly.

Time can pass by especially fast if you don’t have a plan of what you need to do.

If you have a vague idea of what needs to be done, it’s better to actually write them down and not just visualize them.

Writing things down can also sometimes prompt you to remember something that you would’ve forgotten otherwise.

If you’re looking for a solid daily planner, check out the Day Designer Flagship Daily Planner. 

Day Designer was designed in mind for women who want to live an intentional and meaningful life and this is exactly what this planner helps you do.

Whether you’re a working mom or an entrepreneur, there’s a variety of beautiful, feminine designs and sizes that you can choose from to help you stay productive and focused and find the right balance in your life.

What I really like about the Day Designer is that it lays out your day in a really easy and organized format.

You have a ton of space to schedule out your day by the hour and a to-do list on the same page. It even includes goal setting worksheet and daily inspirational quotes to help you stay motivated.

Plus the durable cover and strategically placed gold corners are great for protection if you need to carry this around.

If you find that the Day Planner isn’t your cup of tea, here are 24 alternative kick-ass planners that will help you get organized and stay on track.

Go check them out if you’re looking for the right tool to help you get closer to your goals and actualize your dreams.

Schedule What Needs To Be Done

Now on to the actual scheduling of your tasks.

The first thing you want to do is list out all the tasks you need to get done.

Figure out which ones are the most urgent and need to be done first. Then, try to estimate how long it’ll take you to finish these tasks.

After writing out your list, figure out which ones to tackle first.

This will depend on a variety of things such as how long each task will approximately take, which ones have an upcoming deadline, and what your current schedule already looks like.

For example, if you need a lot of concentration to complete one task, try to schedule it early in the morning when your head is the clearest and you feel refreshed.

I find that I feel the most productive and accomplished when I finish smaller tasks early on and then tackle the hardest or longest task last.

This helps me feel a little less overwhelmed when I know that I’ve completed so much already and am only down to one or two tasks left.

Of course, this is only my way of doing things. You may be the total opposite where you find that you feel the best when you tackle the longest task first and then complete the smaller ones.

If you stick to this schedule that you set for yourself, you’ll feel accomplished that you’ve been productive with your time and made every second of the day count.

3. Make Time For Breaks

Working at home isn’t as structured as working at a 9 to 5 office job so there’s often no set lunch break that your boss gives you.

Since you’re your own boss, it’s up to you to schedule in time to make food and feed yourself nutrient-rich, healthy foods throughout the day to keep your brain and body functioning at 100%.

Sometimes it can get so busy during the day that you end up not even having enough time to eat or you forget about eating. Don’t do that.

Slotting in time to have a proper lunch break and smaller breaks throughout the day are both important as how you feel every day. This will affect how productive you are during the day.

I highly recommend meal planning and meal prepping on the weekends so you don’t have to stress out over what to make or what to eat when you’re busy working.

4. Learn to be more efficient

Now that we’ve talked about setting a schedule, it’s time to get working on those tasks and crossing them off your list.

I used to multitask many tasks at the same time back in the day but I later realized that this negatively affected my productivity instead of helping it improve.

At first, I thought I was getting more stuff done and was being efficient with my time.

But after analyzing what was happening, I found that multitasking made me lose concentration every time I switched from one task to another. I could never quite put my focus all into one task.

Once I started using techniques such as time-blocking and batching and stopped multitasking, my efficiency skyrocketed.

Nowadays, I get everything done at a much faster rate and I’m much more productive with my time.

A. Time Blocking

What is time blocking?

Essentially what you do is take one part of a task and give yourself a deadline to finish it in a specific period.

I usually like to use a timer on my phone to count down 30 minutes or 45 minutes where I have absolutely no distractions and I’m focused on just that one task at hand.

That means no checking your phone for emails or texts, hitting a new tab and surfing the net, or talking to other people.

Once the time’s up, take a small breather and then start the whole time blocking process again until you finish another part of the task.

You’ll want to try this method of working if you find you’re all over the place. Hopefully, you’ll be able to see as great of a result as I did.

B. Batching

Another great way to be more efficient when you work at home is to batch similar or identical tasks together.

Doing the same task over and over again will allow you to concentrate on just that one task. Eventually, you’ll learn to find faster ways to do the same task and it will increase your efficiency and speed.

If you’re a blogger, for example, you can batch your tasks so you spend an entire day writing posts, another day taking and editing photographs, and another day scheduling social media.

Want more ideas on how to be more efficient with your time? Check out 10 work from home productivity tools that will help you stay focused.

5. Automate Or Outsource Tasks

To help decrease the time you spend on smaller, mundane tasks, try to automate as many of these tasks if possible.

Any tools that’ll help you save time and automatically multitask for you while you work on more important tasks is a win.

For example, most likely you use social media for your business and you probably don’t have time to spend all day promoting.

To save you time, use Tailwind to bulk schedule your Instagram and Facebook posts and Pinterest pins. 

This way, you don’t need to be constantly glued to your phone or computer and you can spend the day doing more productive things that can improve your business such as creating new content.

Outsourcing to external sources to do part of your work can also be super helpful such as hiring a virtual assistant. Although it will cost money, it can take a huge load off of your shoulders and help you focus on other tasks.

6. Have A Designated Office Room

If you have an extra room that can be your designated work room, this will help train your brain to believe it’s a no-distraction room where you’re only in work mode when you’re there.

Don’t work in your bedroom if that’s where you currently have your office desk because being in an environment where you sleep could cause you to slack off and pass out on your bed. That would be counter-productive so don’t tempt yourself.

I know that if I’m trying to get work done and be more productive, I also make sure my office door is closed shut so that it sends a signal to everyone that I’m busy and don’t want to be interrupted.

I always get sidetracked and lose my train of thought whenever my cat comes to me for attention or my boyfriend starts talking to me, so keeping the door closed is especially important for me.

Next, I try to keep the office room well-organized and clutter-free to reduce overwhelm and anxiety. Clutter can be very distracting so the less junk around, the better.

If you’re looking to create a beautiful workspace that will keep you organized, focused, and as creative and productive as possible, check out my post on 7 pretty ways to decorate your work office desk.

7. Work-Life Balance

Lastly, don’t neglect your health and life outside of work.

You want to be more productive and accomplish as much as possible but you still need a proper work-life balance.

Otherwise, you risk burning out, getting sick, and losing motivation which will all decrease your productivity.

That means feeding yourself healthy foods, taking adequate breaks every so often, practicing regular self-care, and making sure you include workouts into your schedule.

Make sure to also go outside every so often to enjoy the fresh air and clear your mind, or run errands during your lunch or afternoon break so that you don’t get cabin fever.

It can be easy to forget to balance life outside work properly when you’re working at home but adequately scheduling the time to rest, spending time with loved ones, and knowing when to stop working at the end of the workday are very important.

Conclusion

If you want to be more productive when you work from home, it will require motivation and focus.

By making sure you plan efficiently, focusing on one task at a time, reducing unwanted distractions, and having a good work-life balance, it’ll ensure your productivity level is at its peak and you’re getting as much done as possible.

You’ll feel great as you watch your to-do list getting checked off one by one with flying colors.

I hope you enjoyed these tips to increase productivity while working from home.

Don’t forget to check out my other posts on goal setting and being more productive with your day:

• 10 Work From Home Productivity Tools
• 60 Affirmations For Success At Work
• 100 New Year’s Goal Ideas + Why Should You Set Goals This Year
• How To Slay Your Goals This Year & Get Sh*t Done
• How To Stay Motivated To Reach Your Goals
• 25 Kick-Ass Planners You Need To Get Organized
• 8 Things You Need To Do Before 9 AM For A More Productive Day
• 6 Ways To Start The Week Off Right Every Sunday
• How To Stay Healthy And Sane When You Work At A Desk Job
• 30 Productive Things To Do Before Bed Instead Of Watching Netflix
• 25 Self-Improvement Books To Read In 2024
• How To Stop Procrastinating Once And For All
• 50 Daily Affirmations To Overcome Procrastination

What are some of your work from home productivity hacks you follow? Feel free to share!