Being productive at work can be tricky, especially when working from home. So you setup your work hours and are super productive in the morning but after five hours in the distractions are starting and your “at home” to do list is taunting you. It can be so tempting to just get up and start a load of laundry, take care of the dishes and organize that junk mail.
There are tons of ways to up your productivity, from choosing the right foods to taking a few minutes to breathe.
- Get enough rest at night – depending on your needs, make sure you are getting an ideal seven to eight hours per night.
- Eat a healthy Breakfast – Starting your day with a healthy meal before you sit down to work will help make your more productive.
- Meal prep in advance – when we work from home, deciding what to each can be a difficult task. Meal prepping lunches in advance will make sure you have a healthy meal to give you energy for the rest of the day.
- Get Some Exercise throughout the day – As you get up to grab something you need, take the long way around, take a few 10 minute break (the same as you would if you work working in an office) to do some yoga or jumping jacks. Getting your heart pumping will help you focus on your work tasks.
- Plan to meet up with others for lunch – Being stuck at home by yourself can be lonely at times. Plan to have some lunch dates with friends or people on your direct sales team. A working lunch can be productive and fun!
- Snack on healthy foods – having healthy snacks around will save you from eating those crackers you bought for the kids.
- Stay organized – Keeping your desk neat and clean will help you be more productive during the day and it will also help keep your home looking nice if your office is out in the open.
- Drink Water – This is important for your brain health. Keep a cup at your desk to remind you to keep drinking!
- Practice portion control – Meal prepping can help with this and will keep you on track, but if you don’t have time to meal prep, be sure you don’t over eat… It will just make you want to take a nap!
- Invest bluetooth headphones – having a good set of bluetooth headphones is a great way to keep the noise and other distractions out. Find a good radio station or soothing music to listen to.
- End your work day 30 minutes early – this one may sound strange, but ending your work early will give you time to prep for the next day and clean up your work space.
- Make a to-do list – this is a great task to tackle during the 30 minutes of prep for the next day. If you leave this task for the next morning, you may forget some important items you needed to tackle.
- Designate time to answer emails – answering emails throughout the day can be a real time waster. Unless the email is urgent, answering them as they come in can be disruptive to your day.
- Standup and walk around for at least five minutes every hour – your body and mind will thank you!
- Designate time to get your other chores done – Although doing house work during office hours is not ideal, you may have to get some tasks done. If you do, make a list and plan them into your day. During a ten minute break change out the laundry or do the dishes. Don’t go overboard and do it all at once or it will cut into your work time.
- Tackle your most difficult tasks first – If you are most productive in the morning, make sure you tackle the most difficult of all your tasks first and get the tough stuff out of the way.
- Take a walk around the block – Yes, another exercise tip! It is important not to feel like you are trapped in your home when you work from home. Mid-afternoon get out for a longer break and walk around the block. The exercise, fresh air and sunshine will make getting back to those last tasks before the day ends easier.
- Only work during your set work hours – when working from home it can be tempting to just take care of this or take care of that but when you do that you can get burnt out quickly and be left feeling like you work all the time. Just as you do with your housework, set specific hours to get your work tasks done.
With these tips and tricks, your work days are bound to be more productive! What is your favorite way to have a productive day while working from home?
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