Boost Your Productivity Working From Home with These 8 Tips

Hate it or love it! Working from home is “a thing” and it’s here to stay (at least for a while)

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Whether you are new to working at home by choice or are newly assigned to do so by recent circumstances, I’m here to assure you that working from home can be pretty freaking awesome.

Over the past 10 years of working from home, in order to succeed, I quickly learned 1 important key to success: you have to be hella organized and structured in order to be super productive.

Period. Point blank.

Still Unsure About Working From Home?

No worries. I totally get it and I had my reservations about it too at first.

But here’s the good news: I believe in you and know you can do this. I’m here to help you achieve this.

You got this!

Keep reading for some of my best tips for success when working at home. . .

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8 Productivity Tips When Working From Home

Wake Up + Go to Bed on Time

Contrary to popular belief, working from home is not a vacation. Yes, the physical location of your office has changed but in most cases, yet the workload and expectations are still the same. Make sure you still go to bed and wake up at a decent time.

Get Dressed

I’m sure if Hamlet worked from home, his monologue would go something like, “To put on pants or not to put on pants, that’s the question?” Sure it’s tempting to work all day from home in your pajamas or with no pants on. And truth be told, I’ve done it #nojudgement 🙋🏽‍♀️But trust me, putting on actual clothes, sends a signal to your brain that you are ready to be productive and get to work.

Plan Your Day

After waking up and putting pants on, it’s time to start planning your day. I’m talking about making that plan to get sh*t done for the day.

Pro Tip: Spend about 15 minutes each morning writing down your Top 3 “Do or Die Things” you need to accomplish come hell or highwater for the day. And then work your way down the list from there. Don’t forget to include things like lunch breaks in your daily plan as well. And if you need a little jump start on your list, I’ve got you covered. Download my FREE “Let’s Get Sh*t Done” 7-Day printable planner to help you tackle and conquer your day like the boss you are!

Do Not Disturb Mode

Emails, phone calls, screen notifications, they are all such a distraction for someone like me. And once something comes across my screen, I’ve gotta click, open and read it up. I’ll be honest, I suffer from ADHD and have the attention span of a newborn gnat (on a good day). Luckily I’ve found this productivity hack to be a game changer. So if you are easily unfocused (like me), meet your new best friend. . . Do Not Disturb (or DND mode) for your phone.

What is it: Do Not Disturb (or DND mode) is a way to silence calls, texts and alerts while the Do Not Disturb feature is turned on. When this feature is on, you’ll still receive calls, texts and notifications; however, you will not receive any sound, vibrational or visual alerts until you turn your DND back off again.

How to Turn on Do No Disturb Mode:

iPhone user instructions https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204321

Android user instructions https://support.google.com/android/answer/9069335?hl=en

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Take a Break

When you work from home it’s sooooooo easy to get lost in the zone of working and neglect self-care. Just like in a traditional office setting, you take breaks. And working from home shouldn’t be any different. Make it a point to get up from your workstation to take a break and move around. Try re-upping on a cup of coffee and grabbing a snack, make a quick phone call or take a 15-20 min walk outside to clear your mind while enjoying a little sunshine and fresh air.

Utilize Time Blocking

If you struggle with staying focused like I do, you are gonna LOVE this hack. So you’ve planned your day and you are ready to get sh*t done and your Do Not Disturb is on. But for some reason, you still can’t maintain focus. Well have no fear, I’ve got a solution for you. Have you tried Time Blocking?

What is Time Blocking: working is small concentrated time intervals to knock out your to-do list.

How to use the Time Blocking Method: I use a variation of the Pomodoro Technique. Decide on 1 task to be done, set a timer to 25 mins and only work on that 1 task. When the timer goes off, stop your work and reevaluate. Work 4 blocks of 25 mins then take a 15-20 break. Rinse and repeat.

Create a Separate Work Area

Designating a separate and quiet work area is a huge key to success and productivity when working from home. Make it a point to create a separate work environment away from distractions like the tv (ugh, Netflix is so tempting during the day), your super comfortable bed and your roommate or family members.

Let Your Friends and Family Know

This is so important to let your friends and family know that just because you aren’t working in a traditional office setting doesn’t mean you aren’t working or “on the clock”.

In my experience, for the most part, everyone understood; however, my mother wasn’t quite able to grasp the concept and would still call me to come help her organize her garage on a Monday morning during the last week of the month. Seriously, Beth?!?!?! On a Monday morning?! 🤦🏽‍♀️

Thank You

Thank you so much for getting productive with me. After working from home for the last 10 years, both in Corporate America and for myself, I know first hand how hard it can be to gain focus and to remain focused. I hope my tips will help you to be the most productive you can be while working from home.

-XOXO Melissa

Let’s Maximize Your Productivity

P.S. If you need a little productivity boost, my FREE 7-Day printable planner, "Let’s Get Sh*t Done!” should do the trick and keep you on the road to productivity. Also, did I mention it’s free?