Some say it is the best thing that has happened to them. Others say, “Oof, I could never do that; the bed is too tempting.” Both of those statements are valid. While having a remote position allows you to work from home or any place with internet access (a coffee shop, or even a holiday resort), it has its challenges.
When changing the workplace for a long-term home office, many people struggle with how to stay motivated. When the couch and a TV are just there, it is hard to resist the temptation. Time management skills and self-discipline are vital. But those are pretty general things to say, are they not?
Let’s take a look at how to set goals, stay motivated, and become an expert in work-from-home productivity. Here we prepared the four most important things to keep in mind.
Find And Friendly Working Environment
“Know thy self, know the enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories,” Chinese say. It comes in handy to learn the art of war quotes. Because working from home is war indeed. The goal of making your at-home-work-place not only you-friendly but also creativity-friendly is challenging.
If you work from your bed or a couch daily, chances are your productivity levels won’t be at respectable levels. It is key to find a space that you will only use for work purposes. It can be a study or a spare room. If your apartment is small, a compact desk will fit perfectly.
As we already agreed, working from home can not be “at home” at all.
When your neighbor decides to drill the holes not only in the wall but also in your head – try finding another place. A college library nearby, where you will be able to work hard in silence, or a small coffee shop for those who like to work surrounded by other people. We want to say that the key to motivation is knowing your work pace, temptations, and finding a way to focus without or despite distractions.
Dress Up
This year pajamas’ sales skyrocketed, CNN reports. And we are anything but surprised. If you spend most of the workday at home without interacting with others, it is tempting to stay in your sleep attire. However, it is much more efficient to dress for work. Visualization of the office environment also helps. It will improve your cognitive skills, and you will tackle challenges more easily.
The research conducted by Kellie Scott revealed that if you skip dressing in your work attire, working feels less structured. But it doesn’t impact only your motivation. When you go around only in your sweatpants, your confidence may decline too. The strategy of dressing up nicer than usual once in a while will make it easier to find plenty of motivation. Confidence boosts your self-worth and enthusiasm to work hard on new projects.
Work Out
One of the ways to stay motivated in the home office is a daily workout. Working out has a wide array of benefits, and it will boost your dopamine and serotonin levels while decreasing your cortisol.
Even though you probably didn’t jog or cycle to your office before, you still had to get there. Whether it was by public transport or a car, you would make those few thousand steps. Going to Susan’s office took you a few hundred, and checking out the nearby bakery on the way home twice as much.
Now, that you are in several dozen square feet meters, it is a much tougher goal. This sedentary lifestyle is a serious threat to creativity. A little workout will give you energy and enhance motivation and productivity. It can be a quick run around the block, 10-minute stretching or cardio session.
Get A Break
In your journey to staying motivated, remember not to work too hard. Breaks are essential to boost your motivation.
Working non-stop can be OK for one day, but in the long-term can seriously burn you out. You can read more about the side effects in this BBC article. What the author states is that many people can’t afford to stop. Bosses think that just because you work from home, this one more task is nothing much. And then a few more. Cause “you’re not doing anything after all.”
Ensure that your goal throughout the day is one full lunch break, and make it in the kitchen or somewhere far from the computer. When you go back to the desk, you will feel revitalized and undertake tasks with motivation and enthusiasm.
Want to Stay Motivated?
All those tips are valid, but remember that you are the master of your own schedule. If you want to make one day a bed-office day, that is perfectly fine. But remember about balance. Little flings from those rules are allowed, as long as you stay in focus and get your work done healthily.
Working from home can be one of the biggest blessings but requires some serious looking over your own shoulder. If you struggle to keep motivated to follow the schedule, make a list. Did you already change your morning slippers? If not, it can be a first baby step.
