Loads of people were super excited to find out that they’d be working from home as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. But as things continued, we started to learn about the reality of working from home–a reality that freelancers and at-home business owners already knew plenty about.
And that was that working from home is pretty hard. You get distracted all the time, it’s hard to focus on your work with others around, and the tendency to slack off and do something else unrelated is really high.
Even today, loads of people who work from home haven’t quite solved their productivity issues yet–and that’s why we’re here. In this post, we’re going to take a look at a couple of ways in which you can be a whole lot more productive when you work from home all the time.
Know when to take breaks
Most people know that taking breaks is good for you, especially if you’re working from home. But the problem is that people don’t really know how to take breaks.
Different things work for different people. Some enjoy taking regular breaks at 30 to 60-minute intervals, whereas others work better if they take a break after finishing a certain amount of work.
You generally have to try different things to see what works best for you. Some people focus better when they have time to get into the work mood, whereas others may feel burned out if they don’t force themselves to take regular breaks every now and then. Experiment with different strategies and try to find what works best for your mentality.
Create a separate work-from-home space
One of the best ways to maintain focus and avoid distractions is to create a work-from-home sanctuary. This could be as simple as a corner of your living room where you tell your kids not to bother you. Alternatively, it could be a separate self-contained unit in your backyard–sort of like a backyard office or study.
Creating a separate space can be time-consuming and expensive, but it’s a really good way to get into a working mentality. It’s separate from the rest of your home so your brain identifies that it’s work time, and you’re less likely to get distracted because you’re surrounded by work-related things.
Dress like you would in the office
Another way to trick our brain into getting into “work mode” is to dress for the occasion. You don’t have to go all-out and wear fancy clothes, but wearing something smarter when you work is a good way to set yourself up to be focused and more productive.
As long as you avoid working in your pajamas or with almost nothing on, this can be a great way to boost your productivity on a daily basis. It takes a bit of effort to get into this mindset and routine, but it’s a break from the norm and will greatly help you in developing better work habits that will boost your productivity.