Working from home can either be a godsend or a curse. Warding off distractions and staying motivated can hinder your true WFH potential. Scroll down for creative ways to stay on track, and fight off the urge to procrastinate.
1. Create a Routine
Despite not having to leave your apartment, creating a routine and following through with it is crucial. One way to do this is by fighting the urge to sleep in. If you normally wake up at 7 am, then try and do the same when you work from home. Continuing to do this, will help you when you eventually have to go back to your workplace.
2. Get Out of Your Pajamas
The same way that keeping up a routine in the morning is important so is getting dressed. That doesn’t mean that you should wear a suit, but getting out of your pajamas is important. This will help with your mindset and will allow you to switch on or off.
3. Make Your Commute Time Productive
Just because you don’t have a physical barrier like geographical distance between the two locations, that doesn’t mean you should waste your commute hours. While saving time from not commuting, make it productive by meditating or taking part in an activity that will clear your mind before starting your workday.
4. Prioritize Your Goals
Compile a list of goals you want to achieve by the end of the day or week. Creating a list of priorities will help you stay motivated as checking these off will give you a sense of achievement. Check out this online tool from Trello for creating a list digitally.
5. Designate a Proper Workspace
It is important to create a clean workspace, separate from your personal space by not working on the couch, bed, or where you would normally relax. If you watch Netflix on the couch, it might be harder to fight the urge to not turn the TV on. Keep that space for when you switch off.
6. Communicate with Household Members
The reality of working from home at the moment is that you are most likely not the only one in your apartment telecommuting. For this reason, it is important to communicate with other members of your household and work out ways to not distract one another. A good way to do this is by letting others know that you have conference calls at certain times to ensure there is no noise, or if you work best in a quiet environment. If you are the only one in the apartment working from home, set boundaries. Whether you work in a different room with a closed door or request that they don’t distract you at all throughout the day.
7. Stay Connected with Co-Workers
As we are being socially distant, that does not mean we also have to social isolate ourselves. Staying connected with your co-workers is still important, regardless of not having to commute to the office each day. Whether you stay in touch daily or a few times a week, it will create a work environment that you are used to. If your team normally catches up for drinks on a Friday, you can still do this virtually. Why not grab your drink of choice and connect via Zoom?
8. Split Up Your Day
Just as you would take breaks in your workplace, it is important to keep this up while working at home. Make sure you split up your day when needed. If you normally grab a coffee at 10 am or go for lunch at 1 pm, it is important to keep the same schedule.
9. Listen to Music
This can also improve your efficiency. If there usually background sounds or music at your office, it is important to adapt to this at home. Check out this list for inspiration. Make sure you plug in your headphones if you live with others. Try using one of noise-canceling headphones.
10. Limit Distractions
It is important to limit known distractions. If you are easily distracted by social media or reading the news, then put your phone away. Leave this for when you are on your break.
Finally, remember that it is normal to procrastinate in this new environment from time to time, but hopefully, this list will help limit that.
This post originally appeared on See New York With Me.
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