Productivity and focus are vastly different between working out of the home and working inside your home. Suddenly, there is nobody to supervise you, you are more comfortable at home, and it is much easier to get distracted. This takes a little adjustment to your routine and making your home as close to an office as possible.
Make Your Workspace Work for You
Even when working from home, you should still have a dedicated workspace and one that works well for the type of work you do. For example, if you need to keep a lot of written notes, working on your couch isn’t very effective. There isn’t enough table or desk space for everything you need, and it will get very frustrating.
Choose the type of workspace that you need for your work, and try to set up a dedicated area in your home. It doesn’t need to be an entire office, but at least a private and quiet space for you to focus.
Set Regular Work and Break Hours
Just because you are working at home, doesn’t mean you should just work sporadically throughout the day. You still need a regular schedule and routine. This means taking breaks every couple of hours during the day, plus a lunch break just like you would at any other job. These breaks are meant to be spent away from the computer to give your eyes a break as well, so don’t just eat your lunch while continuing to work.
Work Around Your Home Distractions
There do tend to be more distractions at home, but as long as you know what they are, you can work around them. This might mean tweaking your schedule a little so that the work that requires a bit more focus is done when the kids are still asleep or at school, or at night when people are doing other things.
Eat Energizing Foods
Try not to fall behind on your healthy eating habits when you’re working from home. This is a very easy trap to fall into since you have your entire kitchen’s worth of food at your disposal all day long. Plan your meals and snacks ahead of time, and try to keep the snacking to a minimum.
Choose a Routine Close to Your Office Routine
If you used to work in an office and working from home is new to you, try to keep your routine as close as possible. This includes when you wake up, get ready and dressed for the day, your work and break hours, and when it is time to be done for the day.
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