How to Stay Productive When Working from Home

Flexible hours, no commute times and reduced costs are some of the many benefits that come with working from home. Gone are the days of getting home feeling tired and drained, along with having to deal with annoying co-workers. But there is one setback to working from home that makes it a deal breaker for many people, and that’s productivity.

Working on a computer makes it too easy to get distracted by time-wasting activities like YouTube and Netflix. It’s also much easier to be confronted with new work and simply say “I’ll do it later.” Bring domestic duties and kids into the picture and you seem to be left with even less time to do what you should be doing.

But with the right tools and some determination, you can easily create an effective schedule and maintain a consistent level of productivity, leaving you with enough time to work, play and get everything else done that you need to in a day.

Make a List

If you enter each day with an open schedule and only a vague idea of what needs to be done, you’ll have no starting point. This makes it difficult to even complete the first task.

As long as you know what you need to do, it all comes down to developing a strategy to get it all done. Whether it be a time-based schedule or a simple checklist, you’ll always have something to turn to when you feel like there’s nothing else to do. It’s that simple.

Apps such as Todoist and Evernote allow you to create detailed lists with step-by-step tasks that make it easier to manage your time and accomplish your goals for the day.

Ditch the Pajamas

While it may seem fun to take advantage of the nonexistent dress code that comes with working from home, it affects your mind and can impact your productivity. You don’t need to go all-out with a suit and tie, but simply taking a shower and getting dressed will go a long way in making you feel more like you’re at work.

Make Time for Friends

If your friends know that you’re always home, they may see it as a good opportunity to just pop in at any moment. If you have visitors, the last thing you’ll want to do is work - which of course isn’t good. Set working hours for yourself and ensure everyone knows that even though you are home, you aren’t available in this time.

A flexible schedule is nice to have, but enforcing certain hours each day for work will eliminate the possibility of being distracted by something else.

Create an Office

In the same way getting dressed makes you feel like you should be working, dedicating a certain space in your home to work will go a long way in helping you maintain a “work only” mindset. Invest in a home office with all the necessary equipment. A good keyboard and a comfortable chair are some of the many products that will boost your productivity and keep you going.

Keep in Touch with Co-Workers

When you’re always alone, it can get easy to lose track of the end goal and become unmotivated. By organizing in-person meetings with your co-workers, you can discuss any issues or difficulties that you have. This will help you obtain unique perspectives and opinions from people in the same situation as you.

A good team will also motivate you and help you set goals in terms of the amount of work you should be getting done. And if you happen to be the hardest worker of them all, then it’s all the more reason to maintain that position and continue being the best.

Learn How to Be More Efficient

Being able to work quickly without compromising the quality of your work is something that takes time and practice to master. There are many methods and systems out there that can help you develop your own way of working at maximum efficiency.

A unique and effective way to measure the success of your workflow and use the information you receive to improve it is known as Kanban reporting. Kanbanize’s contemporary solutions feature a wealth of information and powerful analytics modules that will help you create the most efficient workflow.

It’s not only effective for personal use, but can help your entire team work better together, helping your business grow at a much faster rate.

Don’t Listen

Even in the comfort of your own home, there are many distracting sounds that can either draw your attention or simply annoy you to the point of insanity. Either way, these distractions can impact your ability to work. Invest in a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones and play some productivity-increasing music or simple rain sounds to keep you going.

Working from home at peak efficiency is something that will take time and practice to master. Getting it right will allow you to enjoy all the benefits without any of the drawbacks.

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