Top 17 Best Work From Home Tips To Stay Productive

Working from home or telecommuting can become a real perk if executed like a professional. With the convenience of your comfortable homely surroundings, the competitiveness of a coworking space, or the warmth of snug jammies, work from home can be a huge success! Utilization of some work from home productivity tips can be majorly contributive. Every remote working employee is to benefit from the absence of a grueling office ambiance. One can take a break from the seriously distracting coworkers and get to actually focus on work. 

As a result, companies are honing the creative skills of their employees by offering flexible work from home options. 

Surveys and Case Studies

Proponents of the remote working trend speak of the various surveys and case studies in its favour.

• The survey results conducted by Airtasker are massively in favor of working remotely. The aim of the survey was to draw a comparative analysis between an office and a remote working scenario. Therefore, it ventured to find out about employee productivity and the time dedicated to commute among other essential domains so as to choose the feasibility between the two options.

Out of the 1004 full-time employees they surveyed, 505 were remote workers. The research concluded the work from home alternative to enormously aid by amping up productivity and promoting thriving lifestyles.  

• This trend has also been particularly highlighted by the combined report of the American Community Survey (ACS), 2005 and the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). The ACS  highlighted the spike in the percentage of work-week at home population from 3.6 percent to 4.3 percent, between 2005 and 2010. All in all, the corporate industry stood witness to a significant increase in work from home employees between 1997 and 2010. 

Comparatively, the work from home concept which was alien to many is now shaping up to be one of the most convenient tools fostering deliverance and excellence. 

The benefits of telecommuting are exigent as the companies strap up to provide flexible facilities. 

On the other hand, freelancers and remote workers need a little extra motivational nudge than the occasional work from office employees. All that is needed is the right amount of motivation, self-discipline, time management and the spirit of competitiveness among others. For starters, the following work from home productivity tips can be deployed- 

1. Work Routinely While Doing Work From Home

For beginners working from home can get a little overwhelming. One might not even get any work done for the better part of the day!  In such situations, it is advised to train the body and mind alike. Creating a step by step routine and following it religiously is key. Develop a –

• Pre-work routine
• Work routine 
• Post work routine

Create a routine and find a slot for all your vital activities. Aim to be regular. Most importantly, don’t forget to tweak your work from home routine as per preference and workload.  

“Wake up and get ready just like you’re going to work. If you stay in your slippers all day you will not be as productive.”

–Elijah Schneider, CEO & founder of Modify

2. Develop a Practical Schedule To Work From Home

The first and foremost necessity is to create a schedule to smoothly execute work. A remote worker is obligated to create his own schedule. This will help to run things in an organized manner. 

This schedule should fit in –

• Daily chores,
• Calls
• Meetings
• Research
• Breaks
• Brainstorming
• Meal breaks
• Socializing
• De-stressing

Allocate time slots to each routine as per personal choice. Plus make out the difference between the more important and the less important work in your schedule. 

3. Stick to The Schedule

Creating a schedule is the primary and the most doable thing of all. But sticking to a routine is probably the biggest challenge. To execute a productive work from home it is necessary that one enforces a schedule and proactively adheres to it. If necessary, share your schedule with family and friends to avoid interference. No matter how sporadic the work gets, the schedule should be molded to yield better results. 

4. Dwell in a Dedicated Work Area

The fundamental element is to bring the essence of the office at home (minus its distraction). For this, all work from home must be confined to a specific area. The idea is it –

• Seclude the work from your household and its hindrances for a tranquil telecommuting experience. 
• Pick your favorite nook, scan it for its feasibility like charging slots, wifi access, and lighting and proceed with it. 

Focus to create a replica of an office workstation. A dedicated work area can also be a separate room that will offer much better concentration and the necessary quiet. 

Tip – If suitable, invest in good furniture for your own ‘work from home office’. A comfortable and desk would be optimum.

“The most important thing is to have a dedicated office space where you can CLOSE THE DOOR and have set office hours. … I did the opposite and allowed work to swallow my home life for a while. … Stupid mistake.”

–Kathy Kristof, editor of SideHusl.com

5. Sort Your Work From Home Tools

A remote worker must put in a lot of thought when choosing his work from home tools (if not provided by the company). Common tools include – 

• Browser, 
• Office suite, 
• Video calling/conferencing app, 
• Mailbox,
• Time tracker, 
• Messengers, among others. 

As per one’s needs, many beneficial tools and software can be made use of. 

6. Plan Ahead

Productivity demands attention and sincerity; something anti to procrastination and laxity. A calendar with a timetable is just the right way to go about it. Along with flexibility comes responsibility. It is the duty of a responsible remote working employee to manage his schedule (be it in the presence or absence of a manager/team lead). Careful planning will lead to better management of projects and give a clear understanding of deadlines. The goal is to structure a somewhat ‘similar to office’ system at home. For improved planning – 

• Stick handwritten notes or 
• Put in reminders regarding any upcoming calls, events or launches. Apps like Google Calendar are the ultimate go to. 

7. Schedule your Breaks

As important it is to prepare a schedule for work, equally important is to set time aside for breaks. After all, the goal is to work smart. Breaks help you 

• To take your mind off of work
• stimulate productivity by fueling the overworked grey matter. 

Plan your food breaks, activity break, and rest break to regularly de-stress. It is essentially needed to recharge oneself. Moreover don’t extend your breaks unnecessarily.

8. Develop a Professional Attitude While Working From Home

Approaching any project or physical setting with such disposal provides a big pump to your productivity. It is a major work from home productivity tips. People tend to overlook the seriousness of a remote worker’s schedule. It’s crucial to inculcate a serious attitude towards work so that others get to respect the work you do. Additionally, such an attitude will invite positivity and self-confidence. 

9. Look for Stimulating Environments

A work from home setting asks you to be your own manager and is a true litmus test of personality and commitment. While this may require one to be strict, a few others find what gets them to ‘tick’. The goal of this stimulating element is to boost productivity by being congruent with one’s personality. For example, some may look for utter silence while others may find it intriguing to work with music or white noise of a coffee shop. 

The idea is to reap the benefit of work from home by molding your surroundings. 

• Results from a Harvard University Study are supportive of the new work from anywhere culture too. It shows that the ones given the flexibility to work from anywhere are 4.4% more productive than ones in taut working atmospheres. 

Tip – If music is what titillates your productivity, there are many apps like Noisli, providing you a plethora of artificially generated sounds. 

10. Create Lists of Tasks

Grab a-

• notebook, 0r
• listing app or 
• a smart virtual assistant like Siri or Alexa 

They will efficiently help you make lists. It is needed to jot down all the necessary information throughout the day and to plan ahead. Moreover, such an approach aids in prioritizing work by making it more visible. All successful remote workers swear by making lists for better time management.  Formulate a –

• To do list
• To don’t list
• Top priority list 
• Checklist for the day and so on.

11. Stay Organized

A work from home job is equally stressful as an office one. To deal with the workload, one has to stay organized. 

• An organized setting, 
• a systematically arranged timetable and 
• a priority list all provides for increased levels of productivity when working from home.

A simple practice of decluttering your workspace can work wonders, apart from beautifying the work environment. 

12 . Juggle Work and Home Life

The biggest perk of working from home is staying in close proximity to family members. However, this has to be tackled with the utmost care and strictness. A specific timeline must be dedicated to both work and family. Neither of them should take up each other’s time.

All remote workers must cut out time slots for every activity and set up office hours. Work must take up only the specific hours of the day allotted to it. Due to extra flexibility in work from home, one may tend to overwork, neglecting other social duties. Such an attitude is counterproductive and should be kept in check. 

13. Avoid Distractions

Probably the biggest distraction of all time is social media with its pop-ups. Moreover, unwanted intrusions from family and friends can be equally frustrating. Checking social media applications every other second hampers productivity and kills valuable time as well. Whenever you tend to dilly dally, remind yourself of your schedule, responsibilities, and deadlines. With no manager breathing down your neck, keep a check on self with an uncompromising attitude. 

Tip – Limit yourself to an office messenger or email and mute all other applications during work hours. 

14. Indoctrinate Self-discipline

Once a plan of action has been chosen, make it a habit to stick to it. Self-discipline proves as a game-changer in most work from home scenarios. Discipline yourself, regulate yourself and keep a track of all your activities. Don’t fall trap to online distractions or to activities elsewhere at home. A disciplinary disposal without a procrastinatory attitude is the secret to excel. 

Tip – Respect your boundaries and ask others to cooperate too. 

15. Socialize

Telecommuting is the best because it cuts the costs of commuting, saves valuable company resources and presents an individual with a lot of flexibility. But the downside is that it reduces socialization. For an introvert, such a work setting is ideal. But for many others, it can become the cause of unwanted social distancing and laxity. Work from home employees tends to lose physical activity. As a result, their creativity is hampered. 

A good solution to this is –

• Work from anywhere
• Coworking or shared working spaces

16. Fish for Motivation

When working in isolation it is easy to get drained of intrinsic motivation. This can be major productivity restrain. Constantly find motivation online or from friends. Motivation acts as a fuel to boost your speed and productivity levels. When low on this fuel –

• talk to family, friends, colleagues.
• scan your routine for any red flags. 
• find ways to de-stress by doing any activity you love. 

17. Exercise

Confined to your home, working for fixed hours and then devoting the rest to the family is not the ideal way to go about a work from home job. It is equally important to get some movement. All remote workers most definitely should find the motivation to workout. The benefits of exercising will-

• Help you keep your energy levels high
• Promote better health
• Releases endorphins in the body to keep one cheerful

Go for a run, do yoga, invest in a workout instrument, etc to get some activity in that mundane schedule. Your home office will then have a similar motivation at the workplace as you have in the office ambiance.

Conclusion

A pipe dream of working remotely is now a breathing reality. This widely popular trend must be skillfully managed by making the most of the above work from home productivity tips. If done properly it is a win-win for both the employees and the employer. Manifest productivity by strategically managing workload in the comfort of the most stimulating environment of your choice.