If you follow me on Instagram, you know I have been working from home full-time since spring of 2019. I love the flexibility of my schedule — I get to go on afternoon walks with my dog, Duke, have spontaneous lunch dates with my pilot-husband and ultimately have complete control over my schedule.
Working from home has always been my choice, but due to COVID-19, I realized that working remote may be less than ideal for some. A few of my small business friends and I have been brainstorming ways we can help out our communities during these uncertain times. We thought a great place to start would be to share some helpful productivity tips for those new to working remotely. Here are our favorite working from home productivity tips:
Use a time blocking system.
Create a schedule, and stick to it.
“Timeblocking by splitting the day up into 3 parts and then narrowing each tasks into windows of 30 minutes. I usually work from home or coffee shops, and will do a yoga class once a day!” – Hannah Robinson, HVR Studio
Batch your work.
Feeling overwhelmed? Take a break! Load the dishwasher or take a walk around the block, I promise you will come back feeling more energized.
“My recent and favorite tip is scheduling my day in 30 minute increments. I even have breaks and restroom time penciled in.
If you’re working at home with small children I suggest scheduling an hour or two to wake up before them in the morning. Use that time to actually *enjoy a cup of coffee and take care of small tasks. Emails, non time consuming to do’s, light pick up around the house if needed. This way, when your kids wake up, you can properly take care of them without things in the back of your mind.” – Katie Chamberlin, The Kate Collective
Create a dedicated workspace.
Many of us are living in tight quarters so try and find ways to separate work and personal life.
One of the things I struggled with most when I first started working from home was building out a space that felt like my own. I set a rule to not use social media or text while at my desk and it has completely changed my productivity.
Find your own simple ways to eliminate stress and increase productivity.
Create meeting-free work hours.
Meetings can be draining and can throw our schedules off a bit. We have all been in a meeting that should have been an email. Your time is precious and don’t you forget it!
Get up and move.
Take it from AnneMarie, a branding and website designer from LovenDear: “I would say for me personally, physically getting up and moving when I feel a creative block or am mentally overloaded. Going on a walk or sitting on my porch in the sun. Giving myself the freedom to step away from the desk has been incredibly instrumental. I get distracted easily, so this kind of helps me mentally reset!”
Change up your wardrobe.
Don’t forget about self-care!
“Don’t get me wrong, some mornings I find myself forgetting to change out of my PJs — but I try to make it a habit to get dressed as if I were heading into the office. Clothing can impact us in very different ways, and I know that I always perform best if I feel confident in my outfit. We still gotta look good in those Google Hangouts!” – Samantha, Salted Pages Virtual Assistant
Prioritize your to-dos realistically:
Write out a to-do list the night before and ask yourself what your top three goals are for the next day.
“Do all the things you need to do (priorities), before the things you want to do.” – Ashleigh, Citrine & Sol
Spruce up your workspace.
I love adding creative, inspiring elements to my workspace, such as live plants, a Himalayan salt lamp and a big, clean desk.
We know that working from home can be tough. So cut yourself some slack. You are doing better than you think and we’re right here cheering you on!
What working from home productivity tips have you implemented? Tell us below in the comments.
