It’s been a while since most of the world’s office workers logged off from their office computers and packed up their laptops to work from home ‘for a couple of weeks’. Now, almost sixty-four weeks later, many of us still continue to make the adaptations and work from home. 

Over a year after more people began to work from home, the majority of us have got into a good routine when it comes to managing our productivity. 

Some of us are enjoying it, and even prefer it to getting on public transport and travelling among the people to the office.  Although it is safe to say that some of us are getting a little fed up with no longer getting to socialise with our work colleagues without having to schedule in a zoom call.  

The fact is that no matter how much we may have enjoyed it at first, sitting and trying to work on the couch wearing our PJs, you simply won’t get the same level of motivation you would from sitting on an office chair in work clothes. 

So whether you’re struggling with a quiet apartment, or being distracted by housemates or family bursting in on you, it can be hard to stay on track with your tasks and stay productive. 

Follow some of the tips in the article to help you to get motivated while working from home.

Create Your Space 

Of course, while working from home, it is tempting to spend the day working from your bed. However, once you start associating your bed with work, it may start to impact how you sleep. If you sleep badly, then you’re less likely to remain productive while at work. You will begin a vicious cycle of having to nap while you’re at work (which is easy when you work from bed) which can severely disrupt your sleeping patterns.

The same goes for a view continuously work on the couch. Not only is sitting on the couch for several hours a day bad for your health and your overall posture, working from the couch will soon deep into your relaxation time. 

Instead, find a space that is dedicated solely to work.

Even though you may not be rich in available space, there are plenty of streamlined desks that can be used as a space-saving solution. However, even working at a kitchen or dining table is better than using the space you would usually need to relax in! 

Alternatively, now that the weather is getting better, why not use your phone for the purpose of hot spotting and taking your laptop outside? Getting a good amount of fresh air and Vitamin D is a great way of staying productive.  

YouTube is a great place to find hours’ worth of background noise from anything from offices to coffee shops if working in silence is challenging for you.

Work to a specific schedule and limit your distractions

Homeworking can severely disrupt any order you may have had while working at the office. 

That’s why it’s really important to work to a specific schedule. Blocking out small chunks of time can make bigger tasks feel a lot more manageable. For example, say you need to work on one task in the next 25 minutes, rather than having to check off everything on your to-do list before lunchtime. 

Having a schedule will also make you a lot more accountable. You’re less likely to procrastinate by looking at social media or online shopping when you give yourself a certain amount of time to get something done within a tight deadline. 

Getting back on track each time you’re interrupted can be challenging. Make sure you can stay motivated by helping to limit the number of distractions and interruptions that can veer you off course. 

Set your phone on ‘do not disturb’ mode during the times that you set yourself for dedicated work time until you get the task done. 

Treat Yourself 

Rewards are always a great motivator. You may even find that you work better knowing that there is going to be a treat waiting for you. 

A great example is being able to get into your comfiest clothes and sit on the sofa watching your favourite show when you’re done with work. It doesn’t have to be saved for the end of the day, either.

If you’re working on something challenging, use the fact that you can stop for a hot drink and a snack when you’re done to keep going. 

Having a little bit of an incentive can go a long way to help you to get your work done much more efficiently.
It’s important to ‘treat yourself’ by making sure you’re taking good physical care of yourself, too.

If you’re essentially running on fumes/sugar/caffeine, then you can’t expect to be very productive. You need to make sure you can meet your physical, emotional, and social needs among these exceptional circumstances.

Take the time to evaluate how to take care of yourself to limit the potential for stress to take over.

Get up, take a shower, and get dressed every day to wash away the stress and to get your day started on the right track. 

Set Yourself a Challenge 

Small challenges can help to keep you motivated. For example, setting timers and challenging yourself to write a certain amount of words in 30 minutes and using that number as a marker to challenge yourself to beat that number for the next slot. 

You can use these challenges to discover things about yourself and your working patterns. It might be that you can do more work when sitting in a particular spot, or when you’ve just eaten or had a coffee. 

Learning the places and the circumstances in which you’re most focused is the only way you can truly understand how and where you work best, which can help you to plan out the rest of your work schedule and put you towards a place of success. That’s because being more aware of your time can help you to use it more wisely. Challenging yourself could be that extra incentive that you need to stop procrastinating. 

Learn How to Regulate Your Emotions- Stop putting things off 

The more you put things off, the more anxious they’re likely to make you.  However, it is often the case that we tend to put off tasks that make us more uncomfortable. That might be something like putting off going to the dentist or talking to your bank about your finances.

Sometimes it can be a simple task for work that can seem a little more daunting because you haven’t done it before or you’re not sure you can do it right. These circumstances can often lead to you doing anything else possible instead of that really important thing on your ‘to do’ list. You might come to the end of the day having not done that one thing your boss asked you to do but have the cleanest kitchen and all of your washing done and put away. 

Nobody can deny your productivity, but a lack of motivation to get these certain tasks done can come from a place of avoiding the uncomfortable. 

While working from home, you’re always going to have plenty of opportunities to do something else instead of work. 

Instead, take the time to consider what you’re avoiding. Acknowledging how you feel about something might even make it feel a lot less scary. Sure, it will still be uncomfortable, but you can still reward yourself for getting through it once it’s done.