Productivity Tips When You Work From Home

Time Cube / Webcam  Mouse / Keyboard

Looking for productivity tips when you work from home? Well, as many of you know, I quit my consulting job a couple of years ago and decided to venture off and pursue my own entrepreneurial adventures. One of my favorite aspects I love so much about being off on my own is the freedom in my day. The freedom though means that I need to create my own structure and focus throughout the day; otherwise I will end up half way working on a million different projects, all at once!

Here are some of my top productivity tips. They help keep me focused, I hope they help you too!

Set an intention

How do you want to feel each day? How do you want to feel at the end of the week? Relaxed? Accomplished? Identifying how you want your day to go allows you to have direction and focus. Your energy for the day has a path forward, rather than aimlessly floating around.

If you are new to setting intentions, I like to think of mine within the elements of mind, body, and soul. I will feel accomplished, balanced with my schedule, and have the space I need to nourish my soul and care for the relationships that matter the most. 

Get ready for work

When you work from home, I find it difficult to really be “productive” when I’m in my pajamas. My suggestion is to get ready as if you are going out to work. It helps me feel like I finally started my day.

Cultivate a morning routine

When you have little grounding in your schedule since life at home can be a bit all over the place, it’s important to wake up with a few moments of stability. This is where creating a morning ritual or routine can be vital. Before the chaos of your e-mail inbox begins, check in with yourself and fill your cup up before you allow the world to dictate your day.

I like to revise my routine once in a while in order to meet my needs for that period of time in my life. What’s never changed though is my need to make myself a matcha latte, journal with a candle lit, and listen to soothing music. I like to create slow mornings so I don’t lose balance.

Just say no to multi-tasking

Multi-tasking is a myth. When I try doing two or three tasks at once, I end up half way doing all of them or it takes me a lot longer to complete than what is necessary. An email that should have taken 10 minutes to respond to, takes double because I’m also texting in between. A blog post that should take an hour to write, takes a day because I’m also deciding I need to make myself a snack or deciding that I have to Google that one thing I’ve always wanted to know, or I need to clean my house, or anything else you can think of. You get the point.

Single-tasking is a game changer and vital to success. I have a timer at my desk that helps me focus my energy and time on one task at a time. Each side of the cube has a different time increment and this helps me focus for a certain time block on what I need to do. When you use a timer to let’s say complete a report for work, make sure to turn off your phone notifications, close any email or sound notifications on your computer, remove any distraction so that you can focus on the report.

As a reward for completing the task, you can turn on your phone again if you missed it. 🙂

Keep your workspace free of clutter

It’s not just more aesthetically pleasing to keep your workspace clean by removing all of your clutter, it also clears your mindset too. With just your essentials at your desk, you are more likely to be free of any distractions. When you have a million tasks on your to do list, the last thing you need to see is a bunch of miscellaneous items.

Set up your workspace with all the right technology essentials

As someone who works remotely and for myself, I need to feel connected to conduct business with anyone. Just because I’m at home alone, does not mean I can’t get human interaction through video conferencing. I have a few essentials, such as a Logitech 4K Pro Webcam (4K!! The video quality is so crisp!), a Logitech MX Anywhere 2S mouse because of its ergonomic design and the super fast scroll wheel. Lastly, to complete my desktop work situation is the Logitech K780 Multi-Device Keyboard. This might be my favorite at my desk. This keyboard can recognize 3 different tech devices. So if I connect the Bluetooth on my phone (which has its own cradle on the keyboard) to the keyboard itself – I can type notes or text messages from my keyboard directly to my phone. It’s very convenient!

Take breaks

I feel most productive after working for a couple of hours, taking a 20 minute break, and then resuming work again. Sometimes it might be led to believe that you can’t “waste” time and you have to work for hours on end in order to accomplish your work. However, I’ve found that when I take breaks, I reset my mind and I’m then able to return back to my work with a refreshed view point.

Use essential oils to uplift your mood

I’m a huge fan of diffusing essential oils. I always have a refreshing, energy mist at my desk so I can spritz myself – especially in the afternoon hours when I feel my energy dwindling. I look for mists or oil blends that contain peppermint or some kind of citrus, to help keep me feeling fresh.

Play soft background music or ambient noise

It can be isolating working from home, so I like having soft music playing in the background. While the speaker in my computer works, I get much better sound quality using the MX Sound speakers from Logitech. There’s a slight 10 degree tilt on the speakers so the sound can really fill up the room!

I hope these productivity tips when you work from home help you stay on top of your to-do list. I love talking productivity, efficiency, and how we can make the most of each day, so if you would like to see more of this content please let me know!

This post was sponsored by Logitech but all opinions are my own.