The where’s, when’s and how’s to be the most productive when working from home

 

Hey all you work-from-homers! This type of work is a popular trend in 2019 and growing into 2020. And we’re totally on board with it! As a company with mostly remote workers, we wanted to throw together a little 101 on how to be productive and still get sh*t done while you’re working from home! (Can also apply to working from wherever during this holiday season – that isn’t the office).

It’s everyone’s ultimate dream: you wake up, stay in your jammies, head to your laptop and get paid to do your job without ever having to leave your house. Literally, you can work in the fluffy clouds of your bed and blanket if you wanted. Sounds amazing, right?

 

 

The reality of it is often less glamorous. We both know that if you tried to work in your bed, you’d probably fall asleep or get distracted on your phone and nothing would get done. Don’t lie to yourself – we all do it! So we’re going to help you devise a plan to stay comfy, on track, and productive all at the same time. During the holidays, we know it can be tough to stay motivated if you work from home or get the chance to work at home for a few days. Because, if you’re anything like us, all you want to do is watch Christmas movies on repeat and drink your weight in hot chocolate (okay maybe that’s a bit extreme, but you get the idea).

Before we start, here are some fast facts for you:

• Did you know that by working from home, you’re actually more productive by 10 minutes each day?
• Those who are permanent telecommuters work on average 16.8 more days a year.
• Taking more breaks makes you even more productive.
• Longer hours can actually decrease your amount of productivity.

 

So, how exactly you ask do you stay productive while working from home? Or create the ability to have a productive environment within your own home?

 

Have a designated workspace.

Working from your bed is never, we repeat, NEVER ok. It’s just a recipe for disaster. You shouldn’t work in front of your TV, either. Having a workspace that motivates you to be productive has proven to help those who are working from home. Feel like you can’t create or design a workspace that’s good enough to spark that fire? We found 91 of them. Happy inspo hunting!

 

Set work hours for yourself.

If you’re taking the day to work from home or starting a new job where this would apply, you might feel like you have all the time in the world now to do whatever while also working from home. FALSE. Do not fall into this trap! You will end up wasting half your work day and then have to work during hours you don’t want to. Or worse, not get work done at all. Structure your day like you would a regular 9-5 office job, but the way that suits you best.

If you’re up at 7:45 am because that’s when your dog decides to get up every morning, and then have a Soul Cycle class you like to hit at 3 or 4, then work the hours in-between. This doesn’t mean your family or friends can stop by and hang out whenever they want because you’re at home! Especially during the holidays. ‘

If you have kids or lots of family visiting, make sure to set clear boundaries about when and where they can distract you from work. You can use Google calendar to do this easily with creating time blocks, but Woven is also a good tool to use for this.

 

Take. Breaks.

We’ve been raised in an age where we’ve been told that more is better. Never stop until you’re absolutely exhausted, harder-better-faster-stronger (thanks, Kanye). We’re here to tell you that’s not the way to go about things anymore. Unless you’re a bodybuilder, then by all means continue. Studies show that people are actually more productive when they take more breaks. Your body follows natural rises and falls of energy.

The goal is to follow those rises and maximize your productivity and then listen when you need to rest. Some great ways to follow this are by working for an hour, and then taking a 20-30 minute break. Settings deadlines that you can work towards have also proven beneficial.

If you listened and created a work schedule, include a lunch break. And since you’re at home, use that lunch break for running errands or a small nap. Don’t forget to actually leave your house once in a while too – cabin fever is a real thing.

 

 

Set goals and track their completion.

If you listen to anything in this blog, listen to this. It is so important to have a to-do list of some sort that allows you to track the completion of what you do. Whether it is handwritten or not, list making is an old technique that is proven to work. These are some apps we love to use to increase productivity and track goals:

• Monday
• Trello
• Toggl
• Forest

Consider these some basics to get you started when or if you ever find yourself working from home. Not everyone is a work-from-home person, and that’s okay, too! Some people need more structure than others, but the tips and apps we listed above still apply to those scenarios. If you feel that you’re a work-from-home-but-still-kicks-butt-and-gets-things-done person and feel that you have a rad portfolio with talented skills to offer, feel free to shoot it over to us! You never know what we may need here. *Winky face*