Five simple ways to stay productive when working from home

Can I start by saying:  I bloody love working from home!  I am a massive homebody and have loved the time working from home far more than when I was heading to an office every day. 

We all know the positives: you work more efficiently as you're not distracted by your mate opposite asking if you watched Love Island last night, you can work around any commitments you may have, no more having to take a day's holiday while you wait for a delivery and the best bit - you get to work in PJ's and a face mask if you want!

Of course, there are negative aspects too... it can be lonely, you need to make conscious trips out of the house so you don't become stir crazy, and for some it can be easy to become distracted. Being disciplined is the secret to making your business viable; and is also the key to making sure you don't end up working all hours.

Some of the things I'm not good at are:  draughts, making pancakes and poker.

What I am good at is:  poaching eggs perfectly, ten pin bowling and being a super efficient productivity ninja. 

So here are my tips to keep you effective, productive and in the zone when working from home...

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Time is money, my friend
My business mentor said to me:  imagine every working hour as billable time.  Once I shifted my mindset to take this onboard, I started time tracking the time I am on social media during the day... and it's eye opening!  This is my number one tip for you - turn on a time tracker every time you dip into Insta or Pinterest and see how many hours it is at the end of the week.  Then just imagine that was billable time that you could have charged for?  

Juggling work and home 
One of the things I find hardest is seeing all the little jobs that need doing - laundry sorting, dinner to be prepped etc.  You can either schedule time in your daily calendar to do these tasks (maybe colour coded differently?) or, you could try how I block my day:  I use the Pomodoro Method with this timer and then use my breaks to do a task away from the computer like loading the washing machine.

​Step away from the screen
Vital!  Studies show that breaks from your screen increase productivity and accuracy by 15% - so go and make a cup of tea, walk to the shops or go and sit in the garden with your book for five minutes - you'll come back to your desk recharged and refreshed.   On the same subject, when I really need to focus I leave my personal mobile in another room so I don't get tempted to read incoming texts.

Try and have a separate work area
Even if it is the kitchen table, make sure you pack away your laptop and notes at the end of every day to signal that the day has finished and now it's your personal/switch off time.  

Smart apps
There are some amazing apps which will help you plan your workload and work as efficiently as you can.  Take a look at them here on my recent blog of Apps I can't live without.

I hope this helps! Let me know what you're top tricks are for staying productive when working from home?

To learn more about me, head over to this page :-)

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