7 Tips to Succeed at Working From Home

While some of us are finally headed back to the office, there are many who are opting to or have been assigned to work from home indefinitely. This can be a huge transition that can have effects professionally but also physically, mentally and emotionally. While we’ve been in this state for over a year now, it is easy to fall back into bad work-from-home habits. Here are a few tips to maximize your work from home productiveness and also stay sane in the process:

Get out of your pajamas. Staying in what you consider PJs all day at first seems like a huge plus, but what most people discover is that PJs keep you in a more relaxed and less productive mindset. They find that the benefits that come from getting dressed each morning are akin to those from making your bed. So, get up and get dressed!

Have a strategically positioned work area. Setting up a work area with work-related files, supplies and materials is a must to make you more productive. In addition, the further you are away from a bedroom, or living areas the better. They are not only distractions but also make it difficult to disconnect at the end of the day due to the shared space.

Switch up location. Changing your location to attend meetings or do quiet work can be essential to productivity. Sitting on your patio, driving around in your car for calls or even sitting outside at a local coffee shop can help mimic necessary variation and stimulate creativity.

Stay tidy. Being at home more often means more clutter. Messy spaces can feel overwhelming and distracting. The more you can clean up and stay organized, the less stressed and more productive you’ll be. One tip is to spend the last 15 minutes of the workday cleaning up your workspace as a mental disconnection habit and also to return the next day to a readied area.

Set boundaries. Many say the hardest part of working from home is that you’re technically always at the office, which leads to having no true “hard stop” and feeling overworked and exhausted. Designating a specific time to end your workday and notifying your friends and family of it can help you avoid distractions, disconnect daily and start fresh the next day.

Exercise when you can, stand when you can’t. Working from home unfortunately makes people more stagnant by sitting hours on end at their desks. While working can zap your energy, working out replenishes it. There can be huge changes in productivity by working in a half hour for a workout or walk. Some who struggle to break out time for it use their would-be commute time to take brisk walks around the block. When all else fails, stand when you can to get your blood moving.

Log out of social media. Just as other parts of your home can be a distraction, social media can be a time-suck. The constant pinging of news updates, messages and friends sending gifs can destroy focus and productivity one chime at a time. Try to start each day by logging out of these distracting sources and make that part of your decompression time.

Hopefully these tips will help keep you motivated and engaged to add to your productivity and mental wellbeing.