I have been working from home for over 20 years now. I have learned a few things that help to keep me productive instead of getting distracted by family members, the comfy couch, social media… etc. I have created a list of my top 5 tips, plus a bonus for parents, to be productive while working from home. During the coronavirus pandemic, I thought this would be a very important topic to share my experience since many more people are working from home and still need to be productive with their time.
1. Create a routine.
Even though you are home you need to think of your day like you would if you were at a job. Set structure for yourself. Since I have started to work from home, I have created a routine where I get up before the rest of the family. I sit quietly with a cup of coffee and enjoy while I wake up. I try not to read my email or dive right in to the tasks for the day. Just a few minutes of time to myself goes a long way. Then I get out of my pajamas and start the day.
2. Get out of your Pajamas!!!!
Shower and get dressed. This will help your mind get you out of lazy sleep mode and help start the day. I’m not saying you must get dressed up, just out the clothes you slept in. I try to make that task very easy. When I started my work from home career, I bought 12 black long-sleeved t-shirts and 12 pairs of black leggings. This made it simple and less time consuming to figure what I was wearing for the day. No distractions here trying on outfit after outfit. This enables you to get to work quickly whether it be phone calls, conference calls, trainings, emails or all of it. (Side note: skip the elastic waisted sweat-pants. You never notice that you are gaining weight as the sweat-pants expand. After all your commute to the office has just been reduced as has the trip to the refrigerator!)
3. Keep the clutter to a minimum.
An organized workspace helps to keep a clear mind.
How can you expect your mind to be clear and focused when your home/workspace isn’t? A Princeton University study found that people who worked in a clean workspace outperformed those who worked in a cluttered one because clutter pulls your attention away from your work.
I don’t always practice what I preach… things get busy and organization is not at the top of the list. Just take a few moments (when its quiet) to organize your mind and your surroundings this will help you stay on track and you won’t want to pull your hair out.
4. Set goals!
Create a checklist of items/tasks you need/want to get done today, this week, this month. The day can get away from you with so many distractions. Keeping a list of your goals can help you stay on task.
Call me old fashioned but I like a paper calendar with space to write out meetings and a to-do list with a little space to check off each task once it is completed. For more high-tech people there are plenty of options like Microsoft To-Do for a simple checklist or Trello for more complex projects.
5. Only check your email a few times a day
Emails can pull your focus from the task at hand. I know for me personally; I will be checking my email on business action items and a minute later I am on a travel sites in Paris checking out recommended hotels or on sites for savings on beaches in the Caribbean. All it takes is one alluring subject line and you can be distracted for minutes or hours.
Bonus Item:
6. Communicate your expectations to family members that are in the home
When I started working from home, I had to sit my 8-year-old daughter down and explain that even though I would be home I still had to WORK. If they are old enough to understand have them hold you accountable. For example, if mom gets her work completed, we will play or make cookies or watch a favorite show together tonight. This helps to cut down on the interruptions during the day. She knew that if she let me work she would have my undivided attention later.
My daughter and I had a weekly scheduled mother daughter night where we would go out to dinner and catch up on of the happenings for the week in depth. Then we would go shopping or just walk the mall depending on what she wanted to do. I really looked forward to those nights and tried very hard not to reschedule or cancel which reduced the mommy guilt. (Yes, work from home moms have it too but clearly not to the magnitude of a working mom in corporate.)
As she got older, we had to adjust the itinerary due to homework, but we still made it our night. I promise this time is valuable to both you and your child/children.
I hope my top 5 ways to be productive while working from home will help you. If you need any more advance or in-depth details feel free to reach out to me. I love helping others.
