10 Ways To Boost Productivity While Working From Home.

Here we go again… Lockdown is upon us once more and my productivity levels have already started to plummet. Working from home isn’t easy for everyone, some people find they are more productive at home and some like myself find it a living nightmare. That’s why I’m here to tell you 10 simple tricks to help stay productive during these hard times.

1. Get Up Early.

The time it usually takes to travel to work becomes, just extra sleep time which don’t get me wrong I’m loving, but when it comes to being productive this isn’t great at all. Getting up and starting your tasks straight away will help you overcome! Rather than taking that prolonged breakfast or going on a wild YouTube marathon in bed.

2. Pretend You’re Going to Work.

Instead of waking up and staying in your pyjamas all day, pretend it’s a full blown work day. Wake up, make a coffee and get dressed properly, All these factors play a key role in our mental health and tricking our brain into thinking it’s time for some good work.

3. Set Goals & Plan Your Day.

Setting yourself goals is a good way of seeing where you’re at and how productive you’ve been. Setting goals can help motivate you to finish all your tasks and give you that sense of joy every time you tick one off. When it comes to setting goals, I’d recommend you set yourself overly optimistic goals. I’ve started doing this and it’s been doing wonders for me. I learnt this after reading a blog about Elon Musk’s productivity tips, and it explains that when you set huge goals like this it creates a sense of urgency as you’ve got so much work to do.

4. Have a Dedicated Work Space.

Rather than working in bed or on the sofa, creating a specific space for working can be ideal. This workspace can enable you to focus without distractions and leaving the sofa and bed for relaxation time to try separate work from home.

5. Remove Distractions.

Your phone is arguably the main reason for the majority of distractions nowadays namely Social Media! Luckily, there are many ways to remove temptation. An app I use called Forest: Stay Focussed, It has the option to plant a tree and until that tree grows I’m not allowed to use my phone, which can be a beneficial tool when trying to focus on your work.

6. Try some Music!

No, I don’t mean music with lyrics, Purely ‘instrumental’ music such as Lofi-Beats. Music that uses relaxing beats can help you stay focussed for longer periods of time by helping you get into the “zone”.

7. Take Breaks.

No human can work all day, unless you have a deadline approaching of course. That’s why its crucial to take a break and just breathe, or even go on a walk. When I’m deep into work and I start to get distracted, I find that taking a 5-minute break to just walk about and breathe helps me to maintain my focus for longer periods of time. You’re not expected to go all day without breaks when at the workplace, so why would you when working from home?

8. Pick a Finishing Time.

Pick a specific time in each day when you just stop working after that time, For me its 6 o’clock after this time I physically don’t have the energy to keep going. Knowing when you finish each day will motivate you to try and push towards the finishing line and get as much work done as you can before you finish to ensure you fulfil your work.

9. Go Outside.

Like I mentioned before, while taking a break it’s vital that you move and get some fresh air. Just because we’re in lockdown doesn’t mean you have to stay indoors till the end of time, we’re still allowed to exercise, go outside for a walk and when you get back you’ll definitely see a boost in productivity!

10. Have some social time.

Call a colleague, friend or family member. Speaking to people can help give you an energy boost and make you feel better and ready to tackle the tasks ahead. For a lot of people it’s not normal to spend all day working alone, reach out to a colleague or friend!

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Working from home can be hard and people will definitely struggle with adapting to this change, but it’s crucial that you look after yourself.  Wake up, take a shower, dress well, do some exercise and take some time out in the day to just reflect and relax. I can’t express how important it is to take a break and look after yourself. Let’s all be productive working remotely during this hard time.