I’ve worked from home for many years now and I must say, it’s not easy. There are pros and cons to every type of work situation. This is no different. A consistent routine and avoiding distractions are two major factors while working from home. Here’s a list of things that help me stay productive throughout my work week:
- Wake up at the same time every morning.
- Get ready in the morning (e.g., shower, get dressed, maybe even put shoes on) as if you were going to work at an office. This will switch your brain into work mode and if you have to dash out to an unexpected appointment, you’re already ready.
- Establish a work area that isn’t in a space where you tend to decompress or visually see all the time. This is extremely important because you want to be able to shut down “work mode” at some point and have a spot in your place to relax.
- Keep a “to do” list and a calendar of items that may seem petty, simple or small. Feeling a sense of accomplishment helps with self-motivation. Sometimes we don’t always get those “big” ticket items on a daily basis to get a sense of accomplishment, so in this case, the small stuff does matter.
- In keeping with a calendar, set realistic goals and a timeline for yourself to get things done (i.e., blog, website, Facebook page, sales goals, potential meetings, newsletter, media announcement, giveaway, promotion, video, etc.).
- Take a lunch break. Whether it’s making lunch from home or getting out of the house for lunch, take at least an hour. Don’t try to eat at your desk and work simultaneously. This is a bad habit period and isn’t effective.
- Turn off work at a specific time of the day, whether it’s 5PM, 6PM, etc. You have the freedom to determine this but DO IT! You need to set boundaries for your professional and personal life. When you are employed by a company you have a set time to be at work and to leave (generally speaking) – so do this while working from home.
- Don’t respond to emails or calls that relate to work after your determined “clock out” time UNLESS you’ve been waiting for said email or call that needs a response asap. It’s so easy to check your mobile device for emails and it may seem harmless to instantly respond BUT that means you’re still working and not honoring yourself by sticking to your boundaries.
- Take at least 1 or 2 days off a week. It doesn’t matter what day(s) you choose, just stick to it and get out of the house, run errands, exercise, enjoy time with friends or family, see a movie. There are exceptions of course such as a deadlines  but we all need to recharge our battery or else we’ll burn out or get sick and have to take numerous days off as opposed to the 1-2 days per week.
- It can be lonely working for yourself at home, so reach out to other friends or colleagues who are also working from home and setup a daily accountability check in with each other. This helps with motivation, challenges, prioritizing, etc.
Remember all the above suggestions are from my own personal experience and they may not work for everyone. That’s the beauty of working from home, it’s really up to you to figure out what works and what doesn’t work.  Be easy on yourself while going through the process. Remember nobody is perfect, it’s progress not perfection. Good luck!