One thing you may be worried about as you contemplate working from home is if you will be able to concentrate and actually GET WORK DONE.
Let’s be real: it’s not easy! Your home is full of distractions. From pets who need attention to household chores, the list of things that could get in the way of a productive workday is endless. But the good news is there are ways you can reduce the distractions!
On the blog today, freelance writer Lisa Jordie is going to show us how to get into a productive mindset so we can maximize our efficiency. And actually enjoy working from home!
Take it away, Lisa!
5 Ways to Maintain a Productive Mindset
The freedom and flexibility of working from home are wonderful.
Until the moment your pet paws at you for attention. Then, a delivery driver buzzes you to drop off a package. Not long after, you realize the toilet has been running since you last used it and you should go jiggle the handle.
You sit back down to get to work and realize that you’ve totally killed your focus and now your overall productivity for the day plummets. We’ve all been there.
Here’s the thing about being productive while working from home: It’s a learned skill. It’s a muscle you need to use and flex. So, here are some fantastic ways to help you get there:
1. Bookmark Wandering Thoughts
Do you tab away from your work whenever you think of something you need to look up? When do those tickets for that concert go on sale? A random curious thought about why some cats are born with extra toes? How old is Devon Sawa these days?!
Although necessary when working from home, the internet can be a major distraction when nearly every piece of information is a simple search away.
Here’s a great trick: Keep a Sticky Note handy (the app or the real-life version) to jot down those intrusive and unproductive thoughts. This way, you can still give them credit for being important, but you’ll also give yourself permission to continue focusing on the task at hand. If you know you’ll be revisiting that thought on the Sticky Note later, it’s so much easier to let it go and continue focusing on getting your work done!
2. Do Something You Actually Like
If you’re working from home but you don’t actually like your work, you’re much more likely to face issues with poor productivity.
Boring, unengaging work makes any sane human feel at least a little lackluster and can lead to a drop in the fierce level of productivity that your awesome-self is capable of unleashing on your workday. If this sounds like you and you’re looking for a new challenge, check out the post 5 Ways to Work at Home That Are Actually Worth Your Time for some great ways to work from home, gain new skills, and command higher pay.
Your brain will be eternally grateful (and will grant you much more productivity powers) once it is stimulated by a more fitting line of work.
3. Drown Out Distractions
Even small sounds from both inside and outside of your home can be disruptive to your productivity when you are working from home.
Face it: We are all more likely to go investigate sounds we hear at home than in an office building. Not only because most of us are working alone, but there’s also a lot more at stake if something is wrong with the plumbing or electrical in your home versus in an office.
Don’t let an unidentified noise be an excuse for your brain to get anxious and want to break away from your work to suddenly become a noise detective. You’ll stay much more productive working at home if you use a white noise machine and/or music to stay focused while you keep those random noises at bay from your eardrums.
4. Disable App Notifications
You do not need to get a notification that your old coworker liked a picture you posted last week.
Or that woman you met once at a party is checking into an airport in Ohio.
Or that your sweet, sweet aunt has sent you an anime Bunny GIF that reads “Miss You!” in dancing glitter font.
These are all notifications that you can review once you open these apps on your own time.
Being productive means being in charge of your own time, so tell those apps who is boss and look at them when you want to and are ready to focus on them, not when they ask for you to look at them.
Apps are psychologically and strategically designed to distract us and remind us that they exist, so disabling app notifications goes a long way for your productivity when working from home!
5. Meditate
To add an extra dose of productivity to your work from home workday before it even begins, try meditating in the morning. Quieting your mind right when you wake up can make a stellar impact on your mood and productivity.
When you clear your thoughts, you give yourself a better chance to feel motivated so you can be productive. (But never beat yourself up if you are lacking motivation. Check out Here’s Why You Can’t Motivate Yourself for an in-depth post about motivation.)
Our Take
Hands up who else has ten tabs open on their computer right now? I think we’re all guilty of falling prey to some of the distractions Lisa mentions. The tips above are very simple to implement but will make a huge impact on your productivity! Why not give them a try?
Your Turn
Have you tried any of the above ways to maintain a productive mindset? Do you see any that were missed? Comment below!
Lisa has been a blogger and freelance writer for hire since 2014 when she ditched her cubicle for a more flexible lifestyle. She offers work from home, blogging and freelancing tips at lisajordie.com. You can connect with her by visiting her Facebook page here.