12 Steps to Be More Focused and Productive When Working From Home

It doesn’t matter if you are working for someone or self-employed, working from home has its advantages and disadvantages.

Many people dream of working from home however when they actually do get a chance they realize that working from home is not always as easy as it seems.

Did you notice that you can easily stay focused while working in the office but lose all your motivation and time seems to disappear when work from home?

Well, you are not alone. The main challenge that most people experience when working from home is staying productive.

In this post, I will share with you the tips that will help you to be more effective when working from home.

How to Be More Productive When Working From Home?

1. Remove All the Distractions

The number one reason for lack of productivity when working from home are distractions that steal your attention from what needs to be done.

Examples of main distractions are your phone, news sites, and social media.

It is very easy to get distracted by notifications on your phone or your computer. If possible try to hide your phone when working and turn off any notifications on your computer.

Another common distraction is random things laying on your work desk. Only keep the things that you need to do your job on your desk. It’s hard to stay focused and organized if your home workplace is a complete mess.

The next distraction is people. This might be your family or neighbors that unwillingly interrupt you.

Try to explain to your family members that it is very important for you not to be disturbed so that you can finish your work tasks earlier and have more time to spend with them.

2. Plan Your Work Day in Advance

Before you go to your work desk, have a plan on what exactly you need to do. If you don’t have one, it is easy to get lost in an infinite number of YouTube videos, social media updates, and random news.

To avoid this try to create a plan in advance so that as soon as you get to your desk you can start working without spending time thinking about what needs to be done.

It is usually a good idea to prepare a plan for the entire week and then adjust it as needed.

3. Create a Schedule

If you are working from home, it doesn’t mean you should wake up at different times every day and start working whenever you feel like it.

Having a fixed schedule will help you to stay more focused and organized.

Following a daily routine will help you to get into the right mindset and be more productive.

Try to go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day. This will help you to fall asleep more easily and be ready to work when you wake up.

4. Don’t Procrastinate

It is easy to start procrastinating while working from home. “Why not watch a few more YouTube videos and finish the rest of the work tomorrow?”

Constantly delaying your work tasks might result in you forming a habit that will only increase your level of procrastination.

To avoid this have a list of things that you have to accomplish with deadlines and follow this list.

If you find yourself constantly procrastinating, I highly recommend watching this Ted Talk to get a better understanding of why this is happening.

5. Create a Better Work Environment

It is very hard to concentrate if you are using the same room both for working on your project and playing video games.

The ideal option is to have a home office which you only use for working and nothing else.

If a separate room is not an option, designate a certain area of a room as a working area. This way whenever you are in the working area you know that it is time to work.

Another great idea is to get a standing desk so that you don’t feel tired of sitting the entire day.

6. Dress for Work

Working from home doesn’t mean you should do it in your pajamas. Wearing appropriate clothing will help you to create the right mindset that will help you to be more productive.

It is much easier to stay focused if you are wearing pants and a work shirt when working versus wearing just shorts and a t-shirt.

Dressing appropriately will be a signal for your mind that now it is time to focus and work.

7. Use a Timer to Keep Track of Time

Whenever you are working on your projects, set the timer so that you can keep track of how much time you actually spend working. You might be surprised at how much time goes to non-work-related things.

If you have to stop working, stop the timer until you are back to work-related tasks.

It will also be a constant reminder that you have a fixed schedule and you need to finish all your tasks before the end of your workday.

8. Take Breaks

It is important to take regular breaks when working from home.

Going for a walk or working out is a great way to take a break.

Don’t use your work breaks to watch YouTube or get lost in your social media. If you are working on your computer the entire day, you should stay away from electronics during your breaks to help your mind relax.

The number of breaks you need will vary from person to person but as a rule of thumb try to take a short 10-15 minute break every 2 hours and a 30-60 minute break every four hours.

9. Don’t Work When You are Off

It is important to separate your off time from work time.

When the boundaries are blurred, most people lose focus and become inefficient at doing their job. This makes them feel like they never have enough time.

This especially becomes a problem if you use your phone both for work and personal life. Try to avoid reading your work emails and answering them when you are not working.

10. Write Down All the New Ideas

If you are like me, you probably get a couple of great ideas during the day that you want to explore further right away.

Let’s say that you were working on your presentation when suddenly you remember that you wanted to go skiing next week. So instead of continuing to work on your presentation, you decide to take a one-minute break to see the latest snow forecast.

Since you have never been to this hill you also decide to quickly check the photos online of the mountain and so on. After you are done doing your “research” about this ski hill, you realize that it was more than half an hour since you stopped working on your presentation.

To avoid this from happening have a piece of paper where you can write down all your non-work-related tasks and ideas that you can address later after your workday is finished.

This will help you to stay more focused and avoid multitasking.

Instead of a piece of paper, you can also use your phone calendar or an electronic “To Do” list.

11. Use a Calendar

Keep all your important things that need to be done in your calendar instead of relying on your memory.

Another great tool is to use the electronic “To Do” list app to keep the list of things you have to accomplish and deadlines.

This way you don’t have to constantly think about the things that you have to do and instead you can focus on the task at hand.

12. Stay Active After Work

When you are working from home you will be performing even less physical activity than working from the office.

In most cases, the only physical activity that you will be doing is walking from one room into another when working from home. That’s why to stay in good physical and mental shape it is important to add some type of physical activity.

If you don’t like to work out, going for a 45-minute walk every day will do the job and will help you to clear your head.

Conclusion

If you just started to work from home, it is important to establish a proper routine and practice self-control to stay productive. The tips that we discussed today will help you to stay more focused and finish your work tasks faster.

You might have to consciously force yourself to implement some of the suggestions from this article but when you do, you will be able to be more effective and will have more free time to spend with your family and friends.

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