How to Stay Productive When Working from Home

For some people, working remotely makes any job a dream job, while for others, moving from the structured environment of the office to their own house presents some difficulties. Staying productive when you are working from home can be difficult. It can come with less accountability, less communication with co-workers, and no shortage of distractions.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t be just as productive. One study showed that working remotely can increase productivity by up to 77%. If you’re struggling with your new home-based work environment, here are some tips that may even make you more productive than you were in the office.

Table of Contents

• Assign Yourself a Dedicated Workspace
• Keep Regular Work Hours
• Take Breaks
• Eliminate Digital Distractions
• Plan Your Work
• Create a Schedule with Your Family
• Establish a Morning Routine
• Stay Connected

Tips to Help You Stay Productive when Working from Home

If you are new to remote work or haven’t yet adapted to the change, these tips will help you boost your productivity.

Assign Yourself a Dedicated Workspace

While it may be easy to work from your couch or even your bed, it’s destructive to productivity. If you are like most people, you associate your bed with sleep and your couch with relaxation, and this state of mind will seep into your work. By designating a specific room or desk as your workspace, when you sit down to work, you will be more alert and ready to tackle your daily tasks.

Keep Regular Work Hours

This doesn’t mean you have to work the regular 9-5 days, but you also want to make sure you are available for co-workers, clients, and customers. You should work when you are most productive, and once you come up with a schedule that works for you, stick with it. Remote work is meant to be flexible, but you still have to get the work done. A schedule will help keep you focused.

Take Breaks

While you may think that sitting down in your home office and not leaving until work is done for the day will make you more productive, statistics show that regular breaks can help with productivity. Taking a break outside and adding some exercise, like a short walk, can help you even more. Even though you are at home, breaks are still important. This can be easy to forget.

Eliminate Digital Distractions

Most likely, you don’t check social media and watch online videos very often when you are in the office, but you may slip while working from home, which can easily lead to an hour of doom scrolling. The best way to prevent this is to stop it before you start by disabling alerts and notifications while you are working.

Plan Your Work

A good way to be more productive is to start your work day by creating a task list. When you know what your priorities are for the day, there is less of a chance you will get distracted. Another good time to do this is at the end of your workday so that you are ready to go the following day.

Create a Schedule with Your Family

Working at home can present even more challenges if you have a significant other or children. Your family may think you are available whenever they need you, so it is important to let them know you still have to get work done. When you are creating your work-from-home schedule, get their input and have them agree to it. Spending time with family is also just as important, so if you schedule evenings with them, don’t answer work emails during that time.

Establish a Morning Routine

Having a regular morning routine can make you more productive, similar to the way keeping regular work hours will. You may already have a routine from when you worked in an office. Maybe you worked out, made breakfast, or read the news. At the very least, you dressed for work. If you have a routine, keep it up. If you don’t, consider starting one. A morning routine can have many positive effects on the rest of your day.

Stay Connected

One of the reasons that some people are more productive working from their house is that it eliminates most of the socializing and water cooler talk that happens in the office. But you shouldn’t isolate yourself. Make sure to stay connected to co-workers as well as family and friends. If you need help from a co-worker and they have time, reach out with video chat instead of email. Humans are social animals.

Start Using These Tips to Stay Productive Working Remotely

Working from home can be challenging, but many remote workers find that they can be even more productive when they work from home than when they work in the office. You can see the same results. Creating a schedule, communicating that schedule to your loved ones, removing distractions, and planning your work are good first steps.

But don’t forget that working remotely doesn’t have to be a grind or lonely. Remember to stay connected to your co-workers, friends, and family. To stay connected to your customers wherever you work, get a toll-free number from 800.com and take advantage of everything a virtual phone system has to offer.