American jobs are increasingly moving online. It’s estimated that more than 8 million people now work from home. But this is a relatively new practice, and for those of us who are new to the work-from-home setup, it can be tough to divorce home life and professional life, allowing the former to get in the way of our productivity. As someone who has successfully worked from home full-time for almost three years, I can tell you, there are certainly tricks to the trade.
Here are four practices for ensuring you stay productive when working from home.
1. Make A Physical Space For Working
If you’re working from home, it’s tough to get into the zone if you can see all of the things you should be getting done around the house: laundry, dishes, walking the dog. Ideally, you can dedicate a small room to your work, one where you can close the door and block out other distractions. But if you’re short on space, create a designated desk space (not your dining table, not your sofa) where you do nothing but work. Don’t use this space to read or pay bills or answer personal emails. You might even consider having your desk face a wall, so you aren’t faced with domestic distractions throughout your wheel of life.
2. Get In The Work Mindset
Productivity experts recommend that those who work from home create the mental space to do so. That means blocking out hours for your working day, not engaging in domestic chores during those hours, or even dressing for work. By creating both the physical and mental space for your professional life, you can yourself immerse yourself in the tasks at hand and maximize your productivity.
3. Take Breaks
Don’t forget to take breaks. Those who work in a traditional office environment have natural breaks—refreshing coffee, catching up with a coworker, or answering a colleague’s question. A study by the University of Illinois found that taking breaks increases productivity.
When you take a break, don’t just jump on your phone or browse Facebook. Instead, step away from your screens and refill your coffee, stretch, take the dog for a walk around the block, do 20 jumping jacks, or meditate for 10 minutes.
4. Actually End Your Workday
One surefire way to accelerate burnout and exhaust yourself of working from home is to use that as a reason to never stop. Sure, there will be days or even weeks when you will need to work longer hours, but making this the norm because you work from home is dangerous for your productivity.
When it’s dinnertime, put your phone and email away. If you live with a partner, don’t take phone calls for the first hour they get home. Block out time to exercise or even just check out with a TV show or movie. By declaring an end to your workday, you will be able to begin the next day more effectively and avoid inevitable burnout.
I hope you enjoyed this article about how to stay more productive when you work from home or remotely by smartphone or laptop.
Interested in reading more articles about improving productivity?
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