Most of you will find that you’re settled into a nice little routine of getting up in the morning, getting ready and heading off to work for the day. But with the internet being faster than it’s ever been before and laptops, phones and tablets connecting you to people just as fast, people are beginning to ditch their commute and stay in and get their work done at home. So, here are 5 golden rules that you must follow in order to stay motivated for your hard days work at home.
1. Get up early
In the morning, when you have a train to catch, or when you have to leave at a certain time in order to beat the traffic, getting up is a little bit easier. But it’s easy to fall into the trap of treating yourself to a few more hours in bed when you’re working from home. Don’t kid yourself. Get up just as early and get yourself ready for the day. It’s easier to do than you think. If you stay in bed just that little bit longer, you’ll have more to do and you’ll have less time to do it in, so just get up and get on.
2. Make yourself a to-do list
The key to any successful and productive day is a to-do list. Prioritise your tasks and structure your day, and avoid searching and thinking for things to do. Make sure you know what you want to achieve and when you need to be done by. The more tasks you see yourself ticking off your list, the more motivated you’ll be to keep going and get the rest done. Task manager apps like ‘Things‘ are a great way to organise your day and keep you on task.
3. Choose where you work wisely
When you’re at work, all you have in front of you is your desk and your computer and all those other little office supplies. At home, your workspace is littered with TV’s, game consoles and all other sorts of niceties. When choosing where you work at home, you want somewhere which is as similar to your office as possible. All you really need is your phone, your computer, a desk and a chair, and then you are good to go. However, when working on your laptop or computer, you will need a certain degree of willpower to not check your Facebook and Twitter, as a quick browse can soon turn into mindless scrolling.
4. Give yourself a break
When you’re your own boss at home, it may be easy to give yourself an easy day, but it’s also easy to be too hard on yourself and to make yourself work and work. Don’t fall into this trap and don’t be afraid to give yourself small, regular breaks. If you’re tired and frustrated from working, all you’re going to do is become demotivated and you won’t produce your best work. Get a cup of tea and a biscuit, then come back to your work refreshed and with a clear mind.
5. Use your ‘Do Not Disturb’ feature on your phone
If you have an iPhone, swipe your home screen up and click the crescent moon icon to activate the ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode. Frequent texts and phone calls can upset your rhythm of work, and that genius idea you just had may slip your mind when replying to a meaningless text message. Check your phone during your breaks, and then put it to one side once you start working again.
Hopefully these top tips will help you become even more productive and keep you motivated when working from home. Just remember to stay off Facebook…
Image: Working from home by Shutterstock
