5 Tips to Increase Productivity While Working from Home

Working from home is the absolute best. You can roll out of bed with a messy bun and last night’s PJ’s and begin your workday almost immediately. There’s no additional travel time, no showers necessary. At most, you’ll need to pop in a K-Cup and get moving. 

So with all of this freedom, how can you increase your productivity?

1. Dedicate a space for yourself free of distractions 

Let’s be honest, how much will you accomplish sitting on the couch with your favorite Netflix show playing in the background and a bag of chips in hand? Free yourself of distractions by creating an office at home. 

While a separate room is preferred, a kitchen or dining room table will do just fine. Make sure you have the items that make your job easier within reach. For some, it may be a favorite red pen, highlighters, post-it notes or paper clips. For others, it may be a password protector, dual screens or a headset. Set yourself up for success and eliminate the need to search for items. 

2. Set a schedule for the day 

With your work just an arm’s length away, it’s easy to feel the need to answer that email, send a PDF, respond to the after-hours phone call…but guess what. When you end up working all hours of the day you feel burnt out rather than refreshed. Create a schedule in advance so you have your start and end time decided. Make sure to build in several breaks and time for a meal. 

3. Plan your day so you can accomplish the tasks that require a lot of attention and focus

Working from home is a chance to be free from the constant disruptions of an office setting so save your most focused workload for home. You can finally work through those quarterly reports or expenses without Karen asking you the recipe for your egg salad. 

4. Use your freedom to further your personal life 

Ever feel like you struggle to balance your work and personal life? The beauty of working from home is that you can accomplish so much more than just working as long as you’re efficient. Use your breaks wisely so you’re ahead. Meal prep on your lunch break. Do a load of laundry in between conference calls. Cross a deep cleaning item off of your list when you need to get away from the screen. Use the time you would use commuting to conquer a workout. 

5. Enjoy it

Create an outdoor office if it’s nice outside. Have your dog curl up beside you. Play your favorite music. Make sure your work from home environment is enjoyable, you deserve it! 

Authored by Morgan Whiteley, 2018 President 
filed under: Resources

Tags: productivity, time management at work, ways to mange time at work, work tips, working from home