Working From Home 5 steps How To Stay Motivated And Productive

There are numerous benefits of working from home, such as no hectic commute and no transports costs, but sometimes these benefits can be outweighed by the disadvantages.

There have been two periods in my life where I have worked at home on a continuous basis the first period was about five years ago where several factors vastly hinder my productivity.  In second the stint of home employment which I started last year I felt like I had really learned from my previous experience and I would just like to share that with you.

1. Create a routine

Have a routine, try to get up and start work at the same time everyday, give yourself fixed hours of work and breaks just like what you would have in the office.  A typical work routine might be:

Start work at 9:30 have a 10 minute break at 11:00, then work from 11:10 to 12:10. Take a 1-hour lunch break. Start back to work at 1:10 till 3:00 have you second 10 minute break then warp everything up by 4:30.  Use alarms to help you enforce this strict routine. Make sure you get away from the computer and do a little exercise/stretch during your breaks. 

Having a routine will stop you do things such as having constant coffee breaks, because once that happens it is surprising how quickly you can get behind in your work. You may want to work shorter hours than the example above, that’s fine at the end of the day you should tweak your routine to suit you. The only important thing is to have a routine.

2. Get into the work mindset

Get out of your pyjamas and have a wash, it is very common when working from home to get straight out of bed and jump on the computer, but if you do that there is a chance that you won’t get your mind into work mode. Having a wash and getting into work clothes will make you feel more alert and prepare you for the work ahead.

3. Create your workspace

 Get yourself a decent office chair and desk to work on; when I first started working from home I used work on the couch with my computer, but I found sometimes that I just fell asleep at times that I was meant to be working, I guess the couch was just too relaxing.

4. No Television

Keep the television off, unless your work is vastly effect by the news. For instance, if you trade stocks and shares for a living you will need access to the news, but have it on as low ambient noise.

5. Inform the family of your schedule

The number one blocker for me when working from for me is family, this might not be the case for you, but if it is best to let them know from the outset that although you are at home they cannot just come and talk to you when they feel like it. Let them know that you have fixed breaks and they can contact you during these periods. They should only break this rule in matters of extreme importance. The saying out of sight out of mind is extremely true try to find a quiet bedroom or spare room to conduct your work. If you live in a noisy household get your noise cancelling headphones ready so you can get into the work zone.