How to Stay Productive Working from Home
We’re living in crazy times! With the COVID-19 outbreak, so many friends, family members, and colleagues’ companies have switched to remote work positions. For me, nothing changes; I work from home everyday and I’m super comfortable with it. For others, this change is quite jarring!
Since starting the “freelance life” in Asheville, others have consistently told me, “I would get so distracted working from home. How do you stay focused?” While I definitely have bouts of procrastination, for the most part I’m pretty good at staying productive. Below, I thought I would outline some of the tips that have helped me stay on top of things!
Also a small disclaimer: These are the points that have worked for me, but they definitely might not be right for everyone! I hope that some might find it useful, or at least an interesting little look behind-the-scenes.
1. Set work hours
If you don’t already have specific working hours in place from your employer, I strongly recommend specifying the hours you’re going to work and sticking to them! Ever since I started this venture, I’ve told myself I’ll work from 9am to 5pm on weekdays only. During those hours I only do work-related tasks. For the most part, that means no house chores, no random errands, no deciding to read a book instead, etc. You may be at home, but try to tell yourself you’re at work and don’t let yourself do anything you wouldn’t normally be able to do at work.
Then, once you reach 5pm (or the usual end of your workday), stop working! Separating work from life, even in the comfort of your own house, gives you a fresh start and a clear mind each day. It also gives you a specific time frame in which you must get tasks done so you’re less likely to stretch them out or get too overwhelmed.
2. Get dressed and get off the couch
Honestly I might be in the minority here, but I personally feel like I am more productive if I’m wearing clothes that I would actually leave the house in and I’m sitting at a desk. If I’m wearing sweatpants or pajamas I feel like it’s a Saturday. If I’m lounging on the couch I just want to watch Netflix. There’s something psychological that makes me feel like if I’m dressed for work I work harder. Sitting upright on a comfortable chair at a desk or table just “feels” more like a work environment—not to mention is much better for your posture!
3. Set deadlines for how long you will work on each task
Have you been in that situation where you start on a project that should take a few hours but can’t seem to wrap it up, and suddenly almost the entire day has gone by and you haven’t gotten to anything else on the to-do list? (Yeah, I definitely have.) It’s especially difficult to not get into this habit when you don’t have a boss standing over your shoulder all day. To avoid this, try setting time constraints for each task. For example, I’ll tell myself, “I’m going to work on these sketches until 11am.” I might not finish them, but I’ll probably get further in the project because I know there is a deadline.
This is something I actually used to do to manage projects when I worked for design studios, too, so I highly recommend it both in the workplace and at home!
4. Take an actual lunch break
It is so easy to just sit at the computer and work through lunch. It doesn’t take me a full hour to eat a sandwich, and I imagine most of you are probably in the same boat. I challenge you to try to take a full hour away from your computer and phone, though. This is where you could consider doing a few chores around the house—as long as you can get back to work right after! Usually I get the mail during lunch and write in my journal. Having a little break from the screen gives you a nice mental restart.
5. Find your virtual community
A big part of the remote work struggle is feeling isolated and alone. Normally I would give the advice to get out of the house, although unfortunately that’s probably not the best option right now! I realized, though, that we can still access the social aspect of community through online channels. (Hear me out!)
Our AIGA Asheville board (which I serve on as the Vice President) communicates daily through a Slack channel. Even though we’re postponing all of our in-person events, we’re still conversing about design and non-design related topics, and I feel like my friends and my community are still right there.
Finding your “online social community” could be as simple as starting a group text with some friends. A few suggestions:
Try organizing a virtual movie night, where you all watch the same movie at the same time and discuss afterwards. (The AIGA AVL board did this!)
Try a virtual potluck, where everyone bakes or cooks something and you all eat together via video chat.
Do you remember Words with Friends? It’s surprisingly still fun, and very interactive.
Just because we’re not physically together doesn’t mean we can’t find creative ways to have fun!
All in all, hope everyone stays safe and healthy, and keeps their mental sanity while this all passes over! Please feel free share your tips in the comments on how you stay productive working from home; I’d love to hear what works for others!
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