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3 million workers or even 3% of the U.S work from home. Working from home is a luxury many people cannot afford. Yet, you can become your worst enemy since working from home leaves you vulnerable to many distractions. It can lead to low productivity.
Running a business from home requires commitment and discipline. You are your own manager and supervisor.
So how do you stay productive in an environment where there is no supervisory authority and the only person you’re accountable to is yourself? Have a list of things which when fulfilled will increase your productivity.
Have the discipline to follow them through so that your output can match the time you have invested. There are key things you should know when running a successful business from home.
10 Ways to Remain Productive When Working from Home
Working from home has its perks. It is an excellent alternative to reporting to work every morning and working in a cubicle. The key is to create a work environment that encourages you to focus on your to-do-list.
Here are 10 ways to ensure productivity as you work from home.
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Separate Works-pace
Whether you live in a small apartment or a large home, increasing your productivity will require that you delineate between your home and work life.Your biggest challenge at home is having a separate space to do your work.
One of the things you need to do is to separate yourself from distractions. It doesn’t have to be a room designated for office work. It can even be just a work desk in a corner.
Failing to separate the works-pace will make it easy for you to slip back to your home life routines and habits. Failing to separate your works-pace will reduce your productivity when working from home. Your personal life like children, hobbies, and even basic chores will interfere with your work.
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Set Daily Achievable Goals
A system of setting goals every day will help you stay focused and retain your productivity. It makes it easy to stay on track. To set short-term goals, you need to have long-term goals in place, and break them down to smaller achievable steps.
Set weekly, monthly, or even daily milestones, and ensure you adhere to them. This will help you feel motivated as you cross out different items on the list.
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Get Started Early
The transition from your home to the office can help you prepare for the work on your desk. However, at home, you have a difficult transition from your pillow and your computer. However, one way to increase productivity is diving into your to do list as soon you have woken up.
Getting a project first thing in the morning can be effective in ensuring you have made enough progress. If you do not do this, you might prolong breakfast and take away your motivation.
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Prepare Mentally for Office Work
Creating a mental association between work and your office desk can make you more productive. When working from home, ensure that you do the necessary things to prepare for your work. Do whatever you need to do to prepare your mind for the projects ahead.
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Manage Your Day as You Would at Work
When you are working from home, you do not have a manager pushing you to keep your deadlines. You should be your own personal manager.
To ensure you do not face burnout or lose focus, plan your time wisely. Segment the things you need to do over the course of the day, with reminders to tell you when you should start new tasks.
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Avoid Social Media
Social media seeks to make it easy for you to access it and open it to browse quickly. This can be detrimental to your productivity.
To counteract the use of social networks, eliminate the things that make it easy for you to access it. Delete the short cuts and generally avoid using them during working hours.
Ensure you sign out of the networks while in the office to avoid being tempted. Taking many social breaks in your day will reduce your productivity.
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Work When You Are Most Productive
Nobody can work all day from morning to evening. However, identify the hours in your day when you are most motivated, and make them your primary working hours. Plan your schedule around your most productive hours.
In order to capitalize on these productive and motivated hours, allocate your challenging tasks to these hours. You will be in the right headspace to complete them. Use the slower less motivated hours to allocate smaller tasks.
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Take Clear Breaks
It is easy to get distracted and take breaks by going on YouTube and blow through your allocated break time. When you spare some time for your break, as you should, ensure you take a break away from the desk. Go for a walk or spend some time with people who may be in the house before going back for the next shift.
Taking clear breaks will increase your productivity as it allows your brain to relax. In addition, it will break the monotony of staring at your laptop at work.
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Pick a Definitive Closing Time
One of the most important things in increasing productivity is creating a system. Packing up at the end of a working day can help you create this system. It will help you know that your workday is over, so your mind can rest as you prepare your goals for the next day.
This will also help you keep your work life from interfering with your personal life. Balance is important whether you are working in an office or at home.
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Declutter
Whichever section of your house you set aside to work from home, ensure you clear it up. Remove all the potential distractions around that space. Pay attention to things that could remind you of the household chores awaiting you.
Decluttering will help you stay focused and align your head-space with the in-office experience.
Creating a System Will Help You Remain Productive When Working from Home
Working from home can be very fulfilling and productive. However, if you do not manage your time and office space efficiently, you can lose productivity.
Visit our blog to read about how to grow your business from home.
