Getting Into Productivity

Published Categorized as Miscellaneous

So you’ve made the decision to work from home. That’s great, and it gives you tremendous flexibility about how, where and when you work. For some people, though, this flexibility can be a bit overwhelming. They struggle to get into the right mindset for work as the temptation to roll out of bed right before working, and getting down to business in their pyjamas.

All in all it is a struggle to get into the right mindset to get down to work and productive. Just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to be as productive as you can. There are some great tips about being productive working at home but here’s some advice to especially help you get ready for the day ahead:

Have a clear “transition”

Make sure you clearly break the day up into non-work and work. Don’t just roll out of bed and start checking emails. Go for a walk. Have breakfast. Do some exercise. Whatever it is, have something that separates just-woken-up you from work-mode you. Here’s some other ideas about how to segment and transition parts of your day.

homework
Find a place where you can “switch on”.

Recreate the trip to “the office”

This is further to the tip above: If you’re used to working in an office, and travelling there, then recreating the old daily trip in can help get your brain into gear. You don’t need to recreate the whole trip, of course, but even something as simple as a three minute drive or a walk around the block can be enough. It helps make that transition.

Have a schedule

Wait, aren’t we working from home for the flexibility? Yes…but it still helps to have a schedule. Just because you have a schedule does not mean that you need to stick to it religiously. However, having a schedule does make sure that your work life and non-work life do not become a continuing blur, which can erode your quality of life and the quality of your work.

Block distractions

Just like there are distractions in an office, there are distractions in a home working environment too. Other people, like kids, or even pets are a major source. But it can be as simple as seeing house work not done. So we need to block these things out.

Some people do that with a dedicated space, like a home office. This isn’t for everyone, but you will need to find what works for you to stop things interrupting your productivity. Some techniques that worked in an office will work at home too!