Do you want to know how to be more productive working from home? Then check out the following working from home productivity tips from a real lawyer who works from home and gets it all done!
Benefits of working from home
Working from home has many benefits. You save a ton of time and money because you don’t have to worry about driving to work, or catching the bus.
You can work when you want to, and how you want to. Working from home allows you to work on your own schedule.
You can always take a break and be already at home. Your kitchen is already there, so you don’t have to worry about your lunch, too.
When you take a break you can do some laundry or some work around the house. This saves you a lot of time as well because you don’t have to worry about these things after work.
You have the opportunity to get much more work done when you work from home. Because you are alone most of the time and there are much fewer distractions from colleagues walking into your office. You just need a little focus and always keep your goals in mind.
It helps tremendously to write down your goals. It’s far more likely that you will achieve your goals when you write them down.
You can grab a digital goal planner here.
When you work from home you don’t have to worry about your colleagues. You have a quiet environment and you can decor your office just like you want to.
It’s understandable that you want to know how to be more productive working from home, how to stay motivated every day, and get some productivity tips.
Great, but what’s affecting work from home productivity?
It can be very easy to get distracted while working from home and to lose your motivation. You always have to be on top to be more productive and stay motivated every day.
There are much likely no other people around you when you work from home. You are mostly alone the whole day.
So, the biggest factor that’s affecting your work from home productivity will much likely be distractions such as:
- social media
- your TV
- procrastination
- housework
- and much more!
Looking at your phone and getting distracted by social media is so easy when you work from home.
Also turning your TV on when you have a break and forget about the time, can happen so easily.
The environment at home is cozy it’s very easy to procrastinate your work and what you have to do. You have to get used to working from home first.
The reasons that affecting your productivity working from home are endless. However, they are mostly caused by a lack of focus and structure.
But, don’t worry there are several precautions that you can do to be more efficient working from home and to stay motivated every day.
But first: Is working from home more productive than working in an office?
It depends on your work ethic, your productivity, and what you have to do.
You can be more efficient and more productive working from home. Your workflow will not be disturbed by someone casually walking into your office.
The number of meetings that you would have to attend will be slightly smaller while working from home. The reason for that is, that you need an appointment for video meetings and some organization beforehand.
But that doesn’t matter, because meetings are -for the most part- a waste of time anyway. They can be efficient, but only with the right people attending it, and with good organization.
So, when you are alone at home, you can focus much better on your work and what you have to do and you won’t be disrupted so often.
How to improve productivity when working from home and stay motivated every day:
You want to work from home and need a little advice on how to be the most productive, and to stay motivated every day.
It’s surprisingly easy to increase efficiency while working from home with the following simple tips:
Get rid of distractions
Distractions are the number one time consumer when it comes to being more productive working from home.
Whether you are lost in social media, you have to check your emails again or you want to read just this one page from your new book…
And the hours go by and nothing important gets done.
So, you want to identify what your number one source of distractions is. And get rid of it.
Maybe you need to turn off your smartphone or work in another room. Just be honest with your habits and be creative.
Get up early
Getting up early is also a very good and productive way to increase your efficiency while working from home. During the morning hours, you are fresh and concentrated and get far more work done than starting your day already procrastinating.
Think about implementing a morning routine. You could get up very early and do a little stretching routine, go for a walk or use the precious time in the morning for a cup of coffee and an entry in your journal.
This way you can set the tone for the rest of the day and be much more productive and motivated every day.
Eat the frog
Eat the frog means to do the things you don’t want to do or the things that are much more complicated first thing in the morning.
This way you have the rest of the day for your other stuff that you enjoy doing.
You can dedicate the morning to do the stuff that is more complicated, such as doing your taxes for example. In the morning you are still fresh and energized and you can concentrate much better on tasks that are more complicated.
Figure out why
Start with why is the title of a book that you should check out. Not only defining what you want and your goals are important to be more efficient working from home.
Getting a clear understanding of your why and why you want to achieve your goal will keep you motivated along the way.
Focus on what you want to do next
Have a plan and focus on your goal is crucial to be more productive and more efficient working from home.
Whether you need to write a business letter, or you have to start a new project. Always focus on your goal and take the steps that get it done to stay productive during working from home.
Keep in mind to always finish what you started first – if possible – and then move on to the next task. This way you will get far more accomplished each day and you will also feel much better and be much more motivated.
Plan your calls and video meetings
As mentioned earlier, you work from home and you want to be as productive as possible.
Here’s what a real lawyer with + 10 years of work experience will tell you about work efficiency and working from home:
Avoid phone calls and video meetings – if possible.
You should stay away from meetings in general when you have to get your stuff done.
Here’s why:
- interactions with other people are most likely time consuming
- most people tend to communicate this way:
- they have to repeat what someone else said, just in their own words
- they don’t follow along with what other people are talking about
- they tend to give much more and unnecessary information that is not important to the specific goals of the meeting
So, most of the meetings are very much a waste of time. You feel like you discussed something but in reality, you didn’t do much.
Most people like to talk. That’s fine tho, but if you want to be as productive and efficient as possible then you have to have a clear focus on the stuff that you need to get done. And this means: avoid conversations.
Say “no” when possible
Your time is precious, so focus on your goals and your to-dos. Try to say “no” too time-consuming tasks in general that are not taking you where you want to be.
Before taking on any other tasks: think about the outcome. Is that task helping you with your current goal? If not, say “no”.
Have little breaks
Make sure to have little breaks. You can plan your day ahead and make a schedule where you plan your work time and your breaks. This way it becomes easier to stick to your workflow.
It helps tremendously to work with a schedule. You will notice, that during your working hours you will be much more concentrated and focused on what you have to do, rather than looking for the next distraction.
Have one place to work
Working from home can be challenging when it comes to your workspace, too. Normally you would spend your free time at home. Now you should work there.
It helps to have an extra room or a slightly separate place where you work. Make sure that you have a quiet space where you won’t be interrupted. You can also decor your own “office” the way you like. So make it a little fun to stay productive while working from home.
A separate working space also helps you to get into your workflow easier and concentrate much better.
Here`s how to use a to-do list properly
To be honest. Having a to-do list is not always the best way to be more productive and to work efficiently from home.
Most of the time you write a to-do list and the tasks stay there and never get done. You also have to actually keep a to-do list. This costs time too.
So, if you want to use a to-do list anyway then use these simple steps to be as productive as possible:
- write down all the tasks that you want to accomplish in order to achieve your goals
- prioritize your to-dos into categories
- do the tasks that are most important first
- delete the rest of the list
Yes, you heard that right. Just delete all the other tasks, and forget about them. You just won’t have enough time to do them and they will much likely not get you anywhere.
Here’s another very important tip for you: make sure to get everything (the important tasks on your list) done by the end of each day.
Try to avoid doing your work tomorrow. Do it now, or let it be.
You can grab a to-do list here.
And here is another chance for the goal planner.
Conclusion
Working from home and staying motivated all the time and being as productive as possible can be done.
It takes a little focus and discipline. You can implement some of the simple steps you learned.
But also keep in mind, that you are human as well. Breaks are important, too. While it is possible to keep your productivity level high for some time.
Make sure to reward yourself and have some fun afterward, too.
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