The Most Productive Method for Working from Home

Working from home has an allure that can be deceiving. You don’t have to drive to work, you can take a lunch break whenever you want, and you don’t even need to wear pants! But with all these positives working from home can become very unproductive very quickly.  

When you are at home it is very easy to get distracted, you can see that the washing hasn’t been done, the television is right there, it is so easy to not do any work. Overcoming these distractions is the best way to stay productive while at home. But, is it possible? It is not a case of mind over matter. I have created some simple tips and tricks that I would like to share with you to increase productivity when working from home.   

Create a workplace  

Create an area in your house which will function as your office. Make sure that everyone in the house knows and respects this. When you are in your office people should know not to distract you. If you are not fortunate enough to create an entire room in your house for work, you can create a temporary workspace, some of my favourite locations include: 

• at the end of the dining table that you do not usually sit at.  

• on the deck with a portable table.  
• on a picnic blanket in the back yard (this is best when I need to do some creative brainstorming).  

Set a daily structure  

When you are at work, you have a routine. You wake up, shower, drive to work, talk to colleagues and then sit down and begin. This routine is actually very important for transitioning your mind from being in 'home mode' to 'work mode'. Try and keep your routine as close to what you would normally do as possible. Wake up, have a shower, get out of your pyjamas into something more work appropriate, face time a colleague, set a schedule for the day and sit down for work. Even if you don’t feel you are the type of person who works well with structure, taking the time to transition from thinking about home life to focusing on your job is super helpful for productivity and concentration.    

Remember to leave work at some point  

Rest is one of the most important aspects of productivity. Just because you work from home does not mean that you should always be at work. At the end of the day turn off the lights in your office. Turn off your notifications, step outside and have time with your family. Just as you spent the time to transition into work brain, it is useful to take the time to transition out of work brain. You can write down a list of all the things you have completed today, take a shower, get changed into your comfy clothes, turn off your notifications and enjoy being at home until your next day at work.    

Hopefully, these three tips will help you develop a healthy work-life balance when working from home. If you need any more support, feel free to drop a question in our Facebook group the Business Wellness Community.