It’s now been 1 year since the world transitioned to working from home. That’s insane! I know some people have already started going back into the office, but many workplaces will never be the same.
Companies have invested heavily in tools and resources to maintain workforces from the comfort of their own homes, and some are realizing that they can be just as productive without spending heavily on office real estate.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/27/office-real-estate-back-to-normal-in-2025-cushman-wakefield.html
This CNBC article estimates that office real estate vacancies won’t return to their pre-COVID levels until 2025, and the percent of the workforce that will be working from home permanently will double from 5-6% pre-COVID to 10-11% post-COVID. Meaning that it will be a long time before many offices return to their full capacity, and some will never.
Since the start of the pandemic, I’ve worked towards finding ways to be more productive at home, both with my 9-5 job and working on my blog/YouTube.
Here are some tips to stay productive while working from home:
Create a space that is dedicated 100% to work
Not everyone has the luxury of a separate room dedicated 100% to work. But even if you are in a tiny studio apartment, you can still have a dedicated workspace. You could utilize one side of the kitchen table or even set up a folding table in the corner of your bedroom. Find something that works with your space and budget.
Having a dedicated workspace helps to separate our work life from our personal life. This is important in a work from home environment, as it can keep work from encroaching on your personal time (and keep your personal time from encroaching on your work). If you only work form your couch, you may end up with the mindset that if you are on the couch you need to be working, and that’s just not the case.
Try not to work in bed or in front of the TV
You can’t make your bed into a dedicated workspace….that’s where you sleep!
Beds and TVs are for relaxing and turning your brain off, not suitable for work and potentially detrimental to productivity.
Have you ever tried to read or respond to an email with the TV blaring in the background? I guarantee you didn’t read or respond as quickly or succinctly as you would have sans TV.
Utilize the Pomodoro technique
This has been VITAL to increasing my productivity while working from home.
Basically, the Pomodoro technique is utilizing a timer to split your work into intervals. The most common interval is 25 minutes of productive work, followed by a 5 minute break. Once you get through this cycle 4 times (or 4 “Pomodoros”), then take a longer break, say 20-25 minutes.
I’m a big believer of Parkinson’s Law, the idea that work expands to fill the time that you allocate to it. I see this daily, in both my 9-5 job and my side projects. In my 9-5, I found that I always had just enough time in the work day to get all my tasks done. I would take multiple breaks during the day or allow myself to get distracted reading news articles or answering texts. I allowed myself these distractions because I knew that I still had plenty of time left to finish my work for the day.
By utilizing the Pomodoro technique and setting time boundaries during the workday, I found that I accomplished much more in less time and in turn, was able to take on additional tasks or end my workday early.
Make your workspace comfortable
If the chair that you’re forcing yourself to sit in to work each day causes you pain, invest in a new chair! Your workspace needs to be comfortable and inviting so that you’re happy spending a big chunk of the day there.
Do plants bring you joy? Grab a desk plant at Home Depot. Maybe you enjoy candles or light music? This is one of the benefits of working from home. You can literally do anything you want to improve your workspace.
The 5 things that I love the most about my workspace are my standing desk converter, my insanely comfortable office chair, my aloe vera plant, and the google home mini that I use to play soft, instrumental music while I work.
Establish boundaries with your housemate/roommate/significant other
Communicate with them and let them know when you have a busy day or a meeting that can’t be interrupted.
My husband and I are both working from home right now and we’ve learned that over communication is key. It’s better to let them know that you have a zoom call & your camera will be on so they don’t accidentally walk into the shot or start playing music a little too loud.
Even if you don’t have a meeting, it’s ok to let them know that you have a lot on your plate and need to be hyper productive some days. That way, they know to only disturb your flow if absolutely necessary.
Have a set wake-up time on weekdays
Just because you don’t have to log on until 8:30am, doesn’t mean you should sleep until 8:20am.
I woke up at 5am every morning pre-pandemic to go to the gym, shower, get ready, all before driving to the office. Even though you are no longer commuting and you may not be going to the gym anymore due to COVID concerns, try to keep a set wake up time and give yourself enough time to go through your regular morning routine before logging on for the day.
Stick to a to-do list or planner
The running joke for a while was “2020 planner = most pointless purchase I’ve ever made!!” Well, I don’t necessarily think that is the case. We still need some structure to our days in order to get things done. Whether you prefer a pen & paper planner or a digital calendar option, utilize it to plan your days.
This will help keep you aware of everything you have to accomplish and will keep you on track. Planners and calendars don’t always have to be for appointments or meetings. You can block time off to study for a test, go grocery shopping, read a book, or go to the gym. I find that if I schedule something and take the time to write it on my calendar, I’m much more likely to follow through.
Stick to screen time limits on your phone
One nice thing about being in the office is you’re incentivized to not be on your phone. If you’re sitting at your desk, in-sight of many co-workers, you wouldn’t want to be on your phone scrolling through Instagram for half the day, right? It’s not a good look. However, that same stigma doesn’t exist when you are working from home. I’ve found myself much more likely to open TikTok or Instagram during the workday just because I can.
To avoid this, set screen time limits on your phone and stick to them. I’ve set screen time limits for each individual social media app and I try to keep my general screen time under 3 hours per day (working towards decreasing it to 2 hours).
Change out of your PJs
Staying in your PJs all day isn’t exactly setting yourself up for success.
You don’t necessarily have to get as dressed up as you would in an office setting, but change into fresh clothes when you wake up so that you feel more put together.
Set a time limit for your breaks
If you utilize the Pomodoro method, then your breaks will already be limited. But if you find that method doesn’t work for you, try to schedule limited break times throughout your day so that you don’t get sidetracked.
I’ve fallen victim to “I’ll just take a 5-minute break and scroll through Tik Tok”, only to be shocked when I realized 30 minutes have passed and I’m still mindlessly watching videos.
Meal-prep your lunches
Just because you’re working from home, doesn’t mean you should stop planning you meals ahead of time. Prepping your lunches ahead of time will still help save you time and money, and keep you from snacking all day.
If you’re working a 9-5, don’t be afraid to use your vacation days
I struggled with this when we first started working from home. I’ve only ever used vacation days when traveling in the past, so why would that change now? Well, even though you’re not traveling to somewhere tropical to take a true vacation, you still need a break.
Find a day or week where you expect your workload to be light and take some time to rest and recuperate.
Separate your work time from your personal time
Try to schedule an activity to do immediately before you start work and another immediately after you are finished with work. Similar to how driving to and from work helps break apart your day and define your working hours. Doing this activity consistently will help you transition in and out of work mode so that your work and personal time don’t merge into one.
In the mornings, I try to read for at least 15 minutes right before starting my work day. And in the afternoons, I’ll do some sort of workout once I’m finished working. I’ll either go for a walk or hop on the stationary bike for at least 15 minutes to signal the end of my work day.
Whatever you choose to do, it doesn’t have to be long, it just needs to be consistent.
Stay positive, and take advantage of the benefits of working from home
I think at this point a lot of people are taking the positive aspects of working from home for granted. It’s great not having to spend over an hour each day commuting from work and saving money on gas. I love that I don’t necessarily have to do my makeup and hair every day, only when I feel like it. And I’m thoroughly enjoying having my dogs in my office with me all day, every day.
Rather than thinking about the things you wish you could change, find something to be grateful for in your given situation.
Let me know how you’re trying to stay productive while working from home!
