Tips to Stay Motivated While Working from Home

After a year in the pandemic working from home is still difficult for many

Working from home comes with a lot of challenges. At the onset of the pandemic when many people began working from home, there were a lot of articles suggesting ways to boost productivity. Tips such as creating a workspace, working in blocks of time etc, were great tips at the beginning.

However, as lockdowns continue, many people still struggle to find that sweet spot for productivity and sanity while working from home. Here are some of our tips to stay motivated while working from home:

1. Organize and Schedule Your Time

This one may seem very obvious, however, what is important to do when scheduling your time is to be realistic. For many of us, working from home has affected how long it usually takes to carry out tasks and new mechanisms like taking a break every 25 minutes have to be implemented. Therefore, on a Monday morning when you are listing out the tasks that have to be done throughout the week and scheduling your time, be realistic about the time it will take to complete. Including the time you take to have lunch, a break etc.

2. Limit Social Media/Website Use

Let’s be honest we have all gone down a digital rabbit hole on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and more. These websites, or whichever website is your digital kryptonite, are created to keep your attention and keep you on their platform, so don’t feel bad we have all fallen for it. However, they are one of the main reasons why so many of us can’t concentrate on one task or find it difficult to focus. One of the best ways to address this is by limiting the time you spend on it. Just how do you do that you ask? Well, we have some suggestions:

- Remove the website from your bookmarks on your desktop

- Add timers to your phone to limit how much time you spend on these platforms per day. Both Samsung and Apple have screen time limit functions on their systems.

- Install website limit plugins such as Limit and Stay Focusd

- Have one day out of your week (this can also be on the weekend) as a social media free day.

Social media is a huge part of our lives so there is likely no avoiding it but having these measures will really help your productivity and even your mental well being.

3. Set Goals Outside of Work

I can see you rolling your eyes at this tip. However, while it may sound like just another task to add to your very long list of things to do, this is actually a great way to help improve your overall focus. While working from home the days can seem like they are blurring into one, it is important to cultivate activities outside your job to help recharge your brain.

This doesn’t have to be a new hobby, it can even be small projects or moments of self-care. What is essential is that you set goals or schedule them to ensure you aren’t just solely focusing on work and finding other ways to replenish your energy. These could include:

- Side projects/new hobbies like painting, learning an instrument

- Cooking new and delicious meals once or twice a week

- Taking a certain amount of time per day to spend time outside, this could be a 30-minute walk or even 10 minutes in your yard

- Video chatting a friend once a week

- Setting a sleep goal, ensuring you get 8 hours of sleep at least 5 times a week

- Implementing your form of self-care as much as you see fit. This can include eating good food, journaling, going to therapy or even just spending time alone.

Being productive doesn’t only include practices during working hours. it is also the things you do outside to ensure you feel good enough to carry out the tasks you want to achieve. Share with us some of your tips for staying motivated while working from home in the comments below!

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