I recently started working remotely. I am a little behind on the trend as many people I know started working remotely during the heyday of covid. There are many things I LOVE about being able to work from home like: spending my day in comfortable clothes, making my own work schedule, and avoiding a long and tedious commute. There are also things that I struggle with, mainly procrastination and productivity.
“People are more productive working at home than people would have expected. Some people thought that everything was just going to fall apart, and it hasn’t. And a lot of people are actually saying that they’re more productive now.”
– Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook
I want to be one of these people who is even more productive at home. Here are some simple strategies I plan to implement to create a better work-life balance and crush my to-do list with time to spare.
Table of Contents
Make a To-Do List and Stick to It
There is something so satisfying about checking off boxes.
“Working from home can be a challenge. I end each day by looking over my task sheet and making a list of what I want to get done tomorrow. I separate everything by level of importance. When I get going the next morning I know exactly where I have to start. This way even if my brain isn’t quite ready for the day I don’t have to waste time thinking about what I have to do, I just start getting things done.”
– Mark Sider, CEO, Co-Founder of Greater Than
Focus on One Task at a Time
“What looks like multitasking is really switching back and forth between multiple tasks, which reduces productivity and increases mistakes by up to 50%.”
– Susan Cain, American Writer
I am certainly guilty of multitasking to my own detriment. This week I am going to try setting alarms for tasks on my to-do list. That way I won’t bounce around from one task to the other, but give each task my complete focus until the alarm tells me to move on.
Find My Most Productive Times of Day
“One of the best remote work productivity hacks that I’ve come up with is to track my personal time meticulously for just one week. Every single action, whether it’s writing emails, creating marketing campaigns, drafting content, preparing presentations for external partners, hiring, etc. For every task that I do, I track my time for it. That way, I have a great idea of where my time goes after one week. Next week, I will organize my schedule according to my findings. The things that take too much time are either eliminated or restructured. I place the most time-consuming and most difficult tasks early on in the day so that the rest of my day is more productive.”
– Malte Scholz, Co-Founder and CEO of Airfocus
“Different times of day are better for different tasks. If I jump right into my emails first thing in the morning I can get a little bogged down. I like to start my day with a solid workout. Knock out a few things on my to-do list. Then I’ll clean up my inbox between breakfast and lunch which helps me make a task list for the rest of the day. I have friends who take a break and do their workout in the afternoon to help them have a burst of energy to finish the workday. You have to find what works for you and stick to that routine.”
- Christy Pyrz, Chief Marketing Officer of Paradigm Peptides
“Working from home makes it much harder to delineate work time from personal time. I encourage all of our employees to have a disciplined schedule for when you will work, and when you will not, and to stick to that schedule.”
– Dan Springer, CEO of DocuSign
Take Time For Self Care
“I find that I am much more creative when I’ve actually taken care of myself.”
– Arianna Huffington, Founder of Huffpost
“People today really value workplace flexibility and remote work because it allows them to focus their energies on work and life as opposed to commuting”
– Ken Matos
Since I no longer have to commute across town to get to work I can optimize that time to create a self-care ritual to center myself and get into the zone!
“Create a ritual that helps you get ready to start your remote work. Some remote workers I know clean their area first as a ritual. I like to do 30 minutes of cardio. Think of your own ritual that works for you.”
– Anh Trinh, Managing Editor of GeekWithLaptop
“As someone who has a dog, our morning walk is the perfect ritual to start out my day. I love getting some fresh air to start my day off right. Plus, the meditative nature of walking allows my mind to settle. When I sit down to work I’ve already subconsciously found solutions to yesterday’s problems.”
– Ray Leon, CEO of Pet Insurance Review
Stop Scrolling!
Are you as guilty as I am? Whenever my mind starts to wander or I lose focus I immediately jump to scrolling on social media. This is not the recipe for a productive day.
“Nope, scrolling mindlessly through Facebook or Twitter doesn’t constitute a break. Steer clear from any screens during your break and grab some fresh air. This time can be spent talking to a friend, entertaining one of your children, or playing with your pet. You’ll be far more productive if you get up from your desk from time to time throughout the day.”
– Rameez Ghayas Usmani, Digital Marketing Executive at PureVPN
“If you need to concentrate on getting a specific project done, turn off your phone’s notifications and charge it in another room for an hour. You’ll be less distracted by non-work stuff like breaking news alerts and texts from your friends. This will give you time to hammer down and get the project done!”
– Joe Szynkowski, Owner and Chief Writer at The UpWrite Group
Use Mundane Tasks When Focus Wanes
“Whenever you are hitting a wall trying to brainstorm ideas or solve a certain problem, turn to simple, undemanding, household chores like washing dishes. That’s because studies have shown that engaging in undemanding tasks significantly boosts performance and creative problem-solving when compared to switching to a different demanding task or taking a break. While your brain is mildly focused on the undemanding task, your mind wanders and expands up its problem-solving capacity.”
– Nick Rizzo, Fitness Research Director at RunRepeat
Interact with Humans
Sometimes now that I am working from home I feel like an awkward cave dweller who never interacts with the outside world. I find I am much more productive on days when I co-work virtually or have a zoom check-in with my team. It helps me feel like I am part of a collaborative effort rather than just off in my own world.
“We created a virtual coworking space for our employees to use on days they needed the extra support to stay motivated. While some people love working remotely, others struggle with accountability. These rooms help us encourage collaboration even in a virtual environment.”
– Matt Miller, Founder and CEO of Embroker
If I take the time this next week to apply these tried and true strategies I am sure I can improve my at-home productivity and get my work done in less time; leaving me more freedom to focus on creating a life I can enjoy to the fullest every day.
