In the past few years, the work-from-home-culture has been growing, and it is expected to grow even more in the coming years. A report published by NJIT shows that 45 percent of US employees work from home, and 53 million people work as freelancers.
Let’s take a look at what experts are advising on the same topic. There are many articles and blogs written on the topic. Here I list a few of them.
A Forbes article, 11 ways to stay motivated while working from home, recommends these 11 ways to stay motivated while working from home:
- Wake Up Early
- Put On Actual Cloths
- Don’t Work Where You Sleep
- Make a Schedule
- Work Out
- Earn Rewards
- Get Off Gchat
- Go Outside
- Talk To Other Human Beings
- Declare War On Distracting Sites
- Have a Single Side Project To Fill Dead Space
Here is another good article, 7 Proven Ways To Stay Motived When Working From Home, written from a marketer’s perspective, but applicable to all.
- Network
- Get Dressed
- Have A Separate Office Space
- Have A Career Mentor
- Exercise During The Work Day
- Have A Schedule
- Know How You’re Spending Your Time
A Glassdoor blog, 5 Tricks To Stay Motivated When Working At Home, has the following 5 tips.
- Have a dedicated office space
- Be organized and lay out your work week
- Create a regular routine
- Find your secret sauce
- Get in the right mindset for work
And there are many other articles and blogs on the same topic.
One size doesn’t fit all. Every one has different habits and works in a different way. It also depends on what kind of work you do. So you must find your secret sauce. You can easily find out what distracts you the most while working. Is it social media? It is your TV show? It is your boredom?
"You must find your secret sauce.. "
This article focuses on software developers who work from home.
Here is a list of tips that work for me.
Make a daily TO DO list.
The list has to be a written list somewhere on paper or electronically, where you can check it off. Make sure this list is realistic and achievable in a day.
Train your mind.
This one is very important. Try to follow a routine and train your mind. Train your mind so when you get into this zone, it automatically knows you’re there to work.
Switch spots.
Now many of you may not have the luxury of extra room but if you do, try to switch spots. Some work you can do at your computer desk, while the rest can be done from a couch. Go to a local coffee house for few hours. It will not only give you a break but you will get out of the house.
Break it down.
This is important for people who work on multiple projects. I break down my tasks into three major work schedules. A morning schedule usually runs from 7am to 11:30am. Next, the afternoon routine runs from 1pm to 3pm. Then I work a couple of hours here and there, it depends on the day. My last routine is from 10p-1am. That is when I write articles and blogs.
Don’t force it.
I know I do this a lot. There will be times when I am not being productive but I will try to force it. That is when my productivity goes down. If you’re not being productive, just shut it down and take a break.
Take social media breaks.
I have my social media turned off on my work laptop. When I take breaks during my work, one small break each hour or two, I check social media. I check social media when I am taking a break to brew my tea. The bathroom is also a good place to take social media breaks.
Group tasks.
Don’t keep your emails open. Don’t keep your social media open. Shut down your text messages and notifications on your mobile phone. Change your Skype status to busy. Turn off your TV. Don’t open Netflix. Then take a break hourly or every two hours to spend time on emails, social media, and other necessary activities.
Conclusion.
In today’s social media and video streaming age, it is very easy to get distracted while working from home. You must be very disciplined to become productive. I hope the above tips helped you get your work in order.
Do you work from home? We would love to hear from you. Please share your feedback!