The thought of getting your job done in your pajamas sounds lovely and tempting, doesn’t it? But it’s not all sunshine and butterflies. Working remotely can be distracting and have an isolating effect, therefore, to make sure you are as productive as in the office; you need to get familiar with some productivity tricks when working from home.
There’s no shame in admitting that you have a problem with staying productive while working from home. Most people have the exact same problem, so you are not alone. A great start to resolving this problem is not neglecting it.
Many people talk about the freedom that working remotely gives, but not the cost. And funny enough, those same people don’t work from home. Don’t talk the talk if you can’t walk the walk.
Like any other job, working from home has its dark sides, and one of the main ones is loneliness due to lack of interaction. People who have never worked from home don’t understand the struggles remote workers face daily, but that’s okay.
The first step to resolving the problem with productivity is checking if that’s your problem at all. Some of the signs of unproductivity are:
- Missed deadlines
- Overflowing email box
- Clutter
If we’re being honest, each and every one of us has checked at least one of these signs, which is totally okay. The key is to make a commitment to get better and stick to it. A messy desk or a few unanswered emails will not cost you your job.
Finally, if you are thinking about giving up, just remind yourself of all the benefits working remotely gives you, surely, you will feel much more motivated to get your act together.
#1 Minimize Distractions
The less time you spend scrolling to Twitter or playing games at some of the best USA online casinos, the better and more productive you will be. Shocker, right?
Probably the number one reason why you are not feeling the most productive is that you are letting yourself be distracted all the time. No one said it will be easy to work from home. Once you started working remotely you noticed that self-discipline and work habits are necessary.
Luckily, work habits and self-discipline can be learned over time, but you need to do your best to achieve that. The road will be long and bumpy, but in the end, it will be worth it.
The first step in minimizing distractions is setting up a home office space. You cannot possibly work from your bed or dining room with the TV blasting in your eyes and feel productive, that’s common sense.
Choose the area of peace, quiet, and productivity to set up your home office. Once you do that you will automatically feel better.
As for the distraction of your mobile phone, take advantage of technology. The internet is a blessing in disguise. Download an app that blocks you from entering your social media accounts during your work hours.
#2 Don’t Forget to Live Life
When you work from the office, you count down the minutes to go home, lie back in bed, and forget about work for the rest of the day, right? But what happens when your office is in your home?
One of the biggest struggles remote workers face is separating work-life and private life. When you work from home, the line between work and life becomes blurrier and blurrier over time, which can result in overworking and then in unproductivity.
Working yourself to the point of fatigue can be quite dangerous and overwhelming. You must make sure that you don’t spend all day and night, every day, at home. Get out, socialize, live a little, and even if you can’t get out you can play online gambling for real money to get the juices flowing.
One mind trick that is proven to be surprisingly effective is to have a “working from home” wardrobe that is different from your regular wardrobe.
So, when you stop working, clean your desk, turn off the computer and change your clothes. This can be a great mind trick to leave the office for the evening, and start living life.
#3 Plan your Days and Set Work Hours
The best thing you can do to feel more productive is to make a to-do list. Saying that you will do something and writing it down is different. There’s some kind of psychological explanation behind it.
When you write down your goal for the day, there’s something about physically seeing it that makes you want to actually finish it and get on with a day. If you say that checking the “done” box at the end of the assignment doesn’t feel good, you are lying. So definitely try doing that.
Another thing you should write down is your work hours. It’s not odd to feel unmotivated and unproductive when you don’t know when your work will end. Setting your work hours gives you a push and something to look forward to once you finish your assignments.
