Since the worldwide lockdowns, more and more businesses are allowing their employees to work from home. And while there are many perks that come along with working remotely, make no mistake about it— there are also challenges. For many people, working from home can be incredibly distracting.  

Staying productive can be difficult when you have multiple distractions coming at you in your personal life. Even though you’re technically “at work,” it’s easy to find yourself giving into the temptation to do things like water your houseplants, or do a load of laundry. Each tiny distraction added up over the day can add up to a significant amount of time lost. To help you stay on top of your work, here are some of the best tips for staying productive while working from home.

Create a Dedicated Workspace

Even though it sounds fantastic to work on your couch, or in your bed, the truth is that this can be dangerous since you associate these parts of your house with relaxation. It’s easy to find yourself talking to other family members, or turning on the TV in between projects. The best way to avoid giving in to these distractions is by creating a dedicated workspace entirely separate from your leisure parts of the house. 

For example, this should be a separate room, or perhaps a part of the garage, or if you don’t have the space, simply a corner of your living room. As long as it’s separate and dedicated fully to work, then it will be less probable that you’ve given to the distractions.

Create a Routine

Creating a routine is an important part of staying on task because it keeps you accountable for what you’re doing. Treat your work day at home the same as you would if you were working in the office. Set specific times for breaks, and honor them without cheating. The more you can stick to your schedule, the more you’ll strike a healthy work-life balance, and feel less guilty about taking breaks.

Set Goals

One of the best-kept secrets of highly productive people is that they set goals for themselves. Setting goals throughout the day will help you keep track of your progress, and reward yourself accordingly. Setting goals can also be helpful since it can help you prioritize what needs to get done. Check the list off as you go, and you’ll find you’re much more likely to stay motivated to keep going. Lists are incredibly helpful for keeping you on the right track.

Stay Connected

One of the most commonly shared challenges of working from home is feeling like we’re disconnected from our coworkers. This can leave us feeling unmotivated, and ultimately distracted. Stay in touch and connect with your coasters by setting up instant messaging, or video meetings. This will maintain a sense of camaraderie even though you’re not actually interacting physically with a team.