Top Tips for Staying Motivated if You Work from Home
When sat in the workplace, we all wish we could work from home, and if you’re privileged enough to be able to do that, then lucky you! However, working from home can actually prove fairly difficult. Remember that you still have targets to hit, deadlines to meet and work to do. Working from home does not mean sitting on the sofa watching Netflix with your laptop open on your knee. It requires focus, drive, and a lot of self-motivation in order for you to be successful in doing it. Whether you’re new to working from home and need some advice, or have been doing it for a while and feel as though you’ve hit a wall with it, here are some top tips to keep you motivated when you’re working from home.
Create a Working Environment
However tempting it is to curl up on the sofa with your laptop on your knee, or trying to do everything from your bed on your smartphone is, that will absolutely not help with your productivity. Although a lot of companies are online nowadays such as https://www.readysteadysell.co.uk/we-buy-any-house/, meaning that ultimately you might not even have to see anyone during the working day, you should still treat it as that. A working day.
That doesn’t meant that you have to get up, put on your smartest work clothes and work from home in your finery. It simply means that you should get up, ready and prepared for the day you have ahead. Have a shower, and get dressed to make yourself feel like you’re ready to tackle the workload you have.
Next, why not make an impromptu office? You don’t need an entire spare room to be able to enjoy the luxuries of a home office. Of course if you do have one, then that’s great, you’re sorted! But if not, fashion one. As long as you have a table, a chair that’s supporting for your back and plenty of space in order to lay out your things and remain organised. There is nothing that counteracts productivity more than a messy environment, and a lack of organisation – so give yourself the best possible space in order to work in. it’ll go a long way in keeping you motivated throughout the day.
Plan Your Days
It can be incredibly easy when you work from home to have the attitude of, “I’ll see what I feel like working on tomorrow”. However, this is counter productivity at its finest.
The best thing you can possibly do is invest in some sort of planner, whether that be a physical copy or one on the computer. Then at the start of your week, take a look at what you’ve got on, and plan your week accordingly. By doing this, you’ll be able to set yourself goals, and separate your tasks day to day in order to make sure you get them done. If you have goals and deadlines that you set yourself, you’re far more likely to remain motivated throughout the days and ultimately the week. Of course, plans are subject to change, and that’s one of the beauties of working from home, but as much as you can, stick to your plan and you’ll find yourself being far more productive and remaining motivated.
Give Yourself Breaks
As well as working hard to achieve your goals, it’s also important to remember to assign yourself breaks. Unlike at work, you don’t technically have a set schedule to follow when it comes to break times, so you’ve pretty much got free reign to decide when your breaks are, and when they suit you. Now that’s not to say do an hours work and reward yourself with a Netflix binge for a further three, but make sure to get up, stretch, walk around, get some fresh air, have a bit to eat or even just grab a cuppa and go to the loo. These small breaks are likely to relieve stress, massively boost your productivity and ultimately keep you motivated for longer. Every working person is entitled to breaks – you just have the luxury of deciding when yours are.
Be Kind and Reward Yourself
Finally, remember to be kind to yourself and reward yourself for your achievements. At work sometimes you’re given incentives, so why not set yourself a few? It can be something as simple as working harder earlier in the week in order to only need to work a half day on a Friday, or maybe treat yourself to having dinner out after a challenging days work. Be strict, but kind with yourself, and you’re likely to reap the rewards.
