How to Be Productive at Home: 13 Vetted Tips from Pros!

I know how focusing can be a real challenge for remote workers—I’ve been there too! When I first started working from home, it always felt like everything around me was a distraction!

But over time, I found a few tricks that have turned the tables for me, including:

1. Creating a dedicated workspace
2. Muting app notifications
3. Maintaining a routine
4. Keeping to regular work hours
5. Making a to-do list
6. Planning your schedule around your energy levels
7. Focusing on one work at a time

And a few more. You know, being productive at home is all about setting up a distraction-free workspace and managing time better. But there’s more to this.

Let’s get started.

Why is Being Productive So Hard at Home?

Truly, it can be challenging to be productive at home due to all the comfort and chaos around you. You may find it more tempting to have a coffee on your comfortable couch rather than working in front of a screen for hours!

Moreover, household chores or family members can easily distract you. A dirty working environment can also disrupt your work-life balance.

That does not end here!

Do you have a schedule for when to start and end your work? If not, you may fall into unpredictable work hours and a procrastination trap.

The loneliness can also silently chip away at your productivity even without your noticing due to ‎the lack of casual office interaction.

Further Read:
How To Get Rid of Distractions While Working from Home

How to Be More Productive at Home: 13 Steps to Do

A survey found that 66% of remote workers face distractions while working from home. It highlights the importance of effective strategies to enhance productivity. Hence, I’ll share some key tips.

1. Create A Dedicated Workspace

A dedicated workspace makes sense when it comes to staying productive at home. Here, your goal should be to create a home office setup so that it doesn’t feel like your entire home is an office.

If you have an unused room in your house, you can transform it into an ergonomic workspace.

However, it doesn’t necessarily need a separate room. A specific area of your home will be where you feel comfortable working. Organize and keep your workspace tidy and free of distractions to stay focused.

This space helps you to create boundaries between your work time and quality time.

To me, the ability to leave your workspace at the end of the day and truly relax at home without feeling on the clock is more important for a better work-life balance!

2. Mute App Notifications

We are easily distracted from our work at home as countless distractions compete with our focus. One notable source of digital distraction is our social media accounts.

You may think just checking one notification but you may end up spending hours without even noticing.

Research says among remote workers, 74.7% scroll social media during their work.

I know it’s hard to leave your phone all day, but there are ways you can minimize the distractions from it. For instance:

• You can mute all your app notifications during deep work.
• Plan a time block to read and respond to emails.
• You can also put your phone in another room if necessary
• Use noise-canceling headphones to minimize the sounds outside.

3. Maintain a Routine

Routines help you to anticipate your workday better and, additionally, contribute to a more productive day.

You can be more accountable to your work with a set routine and can make it a healthy habit through enough repetition. Maintaining a morning routine is especially beneficial to enhance productivity at home.

A healthy and effective morning routine can make you energized for the rest of your day and help you to be your best at your virtual work office.

You can start your day with healthy activities like exercise, reading, or medication to boost your mood throughout the day.

4. Stick to Fixed Regular Work Hours

As with maintaining a daily routine, keeping regular work hours is also important.

If you switch between your work hours every day, it will become hard for you to maintain the routine and track the goals.

You should establish a schedule that allows you to work daily at your home office and stop working for a day. I gain motivation from this approach by knowing when my work will end.

It helps me to stay focused on the task at hand. The reason is simple: it reminds me of a set timeframe to complete my responsibilities before I can relax!

5. Make a To-Do List

A to-do list is a very effective way of managing time remotely. It helps you to know what work needs to be done during the day or in the week.

You can prioritize your tasks better and work more productively with a to-do list.

But here’s a catch!

Our brain becomes overwhelmed as soon as we need to choose one among more than seven works.

However, I’ve found a strategy from Peter Bergman’s article that works best in this case.

Here, you should have a to-do list you want to tackle on a Post-It and keep it visible. But hide the rest of the list and focus. After completing that task, cross it off and move ahead to do the next.

That way, you won’t feel burdened and you’ll be able to stay focused on each task. You can also use project management tools to stay organized and efficient.

Further Read:
Why is It Important to Track Time in Project Management?

6. Plan Your Schedule Around Your Energy Levels

You may also notice that in some parts of the day, you feel more active and productive.

Figure out when you are at your best to work and schedule your high-priority tasks to complete then. It’ll be the perfect time to get your work done.

As for the lighter or less important ones, schedule those works when your energy levels naturally dip.

That way, you can use your natural energy to stay productive and get more work done efficiently.

“Structure your workday effectively. You know when you’re the most focused and productive. Schedule important tasks during this productive time.”
Scott Dawson
Author of The Art of Working Remotely

One effective time management trick I swear by is task batching. It means grouping out similar tasks to do at a time.

For example, I schedule all my meetings or emails in one block of time. I can stay focused on one type of work at a time. It also protects my energy from unnecessarily quickly draining down.

7. Focus on One Work at A Time

You may seem to be multitasking as a praise-worthy skill. But when you know how it works, you’ll quickly understand how it can affect your productivity and focus.

When you try to do multiple tasks at a time, your brain has to adjust to the new work every time you switch.

This task switching can cost you more than 40% of your productive time as stated by the American Psychological Association.

You can see yourself spending 45 minutes on a specific task is more productive than working on different tasks even for three hours to meet a time goal.

You should multitask where you can like the small task. You can turn on your automatic vacuum cleaner on your way when you get up to refill your coffee.

8. Alternate Between More and Less Difficult Tasks

It’s also a good idea to switch things up, as it can keep you engaged.

I have noticed I feel like moving through the day quicker when I add small and quick tasks between the difficult tasks.

The reason is simple: the sense of completing tasks keeps me motivated and engaged!

Moreover, when you switch between your easy and difficult tasks, you will be able to complete the easier tasks quickly and conserve your energy levels for the harder ones with the extra time.

It lets you not spend too much time on one work in a day. You can also maintain a balance between your workload.

9. Schedule a Time to Connect with Your Team

Remote team collaboration is a must to stay connected with your teammates and maintain motivation.

To avoid disconnection due to remote work, you can have a conversation with them by connecting virtually.

You can have virtual meetings where your remote team can get to know each other and stay connected.

However, you should also maintain a schedule to connect with your team online.

10. Minimize Distractions from House Chores

Distractions can break down your focus and can make it almost impossible for you to stay productive at home.

The Upgraded Points data shows that 72% of people do household chores during work hours.

To tackle this, first off, figure out what distracts you the most while working. Whether it is your household tasks like cooking or cleaning.

To keep these distractions from getting the best of you, you should do whatever you can to eliminate them entirely.

You can have your meal prep before night or even on Sundays. The same goes for the cleanings. Once it becomes your daily routine, these household works won’t eat up your workday.

Further Read:
Productive Working From Home With Kids

11. Go Outdoors and Embrace Nature

In 2022, around 21% of remote workers said their biggest challenge when working from home is staying inside for too long as they don’t have a reason to leave.

But this type of confinement can hinder your productivity and motivation to work!

A break and downtime outside and some physical activity in fresh air and sunlight can improve your mood, energy levels, and focus, and reduce stress levels.

“Give yourself a break and make yourself a plan. It will help you be more productive while making a HUGE impact on your stress level!”

Laura Roeder,
Founder of MeetEdgar

You can take a regular break from staring at a screen, which leads to better cognitive performance.

Moreover, you can also invite natural light to your workspace. Set your table near the window and open those curtains to let the natural light and fresh air come in while working.

12. Set Daily and Weekly Objectives

You can enhance your motivation and momentum by setting clear goals to work toward.

Try getting SMART objectives for yourself, which you can break down into daily and weekly goals.

Give yourself defined steps on how you can reach your goals and make them more attainable.

Moreover, you should focus on your daily objectives, not the hours. Instead of telling yourself that you’re going to work for 2 or 3 hours straight, I found it especially beneficial to assign yourself some daily tasks to tackle.

It will feel less intimidating to focus on one work at a time with few-minute breaks than trying to work for hours without a clear plan.

13. Strike A Balance Between Personal and Work Life

You can’t be productive at home if you mix up your personal life and work life together. And that’s a fact!

You have to set clear boundaries between your work time and personal time to maintain productivity. If you ignore this work-life balance, it can lead to burnout.

So, communicate about your goals with your family members or your roommates.

You can also go for visual cues to help everyone around you respect your boundaries and let you focus on your home office space.

Simple signals like do not disturb, closing the door, or wearing headphones can work out well.

Conclusion

You can be productive in working from home with the simple tips and tricks I’ve discussed today.

However, always remember that productivity isn’t about working harder; it’s about how smartly you handle your daily tasks.

In this way, you can use digital productivity tools like Apploye to maximize your efficiency.

Track your time with these effective time trackers, stay organized, and experience your productivity heightening up!

FAQs

How can I keep myself productive at home?

You should create a dedicated workspace and stick to a daily routine to stay productive at home. Minimize distractions, prioritize your work, and set clear goals. Remember, staying organized can help you to maintain your efficiency and focus on working from home.

Why can't I be productive at home?

You may not be able to maintain productivity at home due to constant distractions, lack of routine, or unorganized workspace. It will be easy for you to lose focus of work and remain productive, prioritizing your work and setting mini-deadlines.

How can I be 10x more productive?

To be 10x more productive, use high-focus techniques like Pomodoro and highly efficient productivity tools. Moreover, you should avoid multitasking and optimize energy cycles to maintain the ultimate efficiency.

What is the trick to productivity?

One of the tricks to maintain productivity is to focus on one work at a time. That’s because multitasking can make you less productive. Moreover, you should get five-minute breaks in every 25 minutes of work to maintain focus for a long time.

How can I force myself to be productive?

You should try to maintain your focus and motivation for your work to remain productive rather than force yourself. Motivation and focus are the two important factors that can easily drive your productivity.