10 productive working from home tips

The future is remote and what better way to dive into it with some of my working from home tips I developed during my time working remotely. Working from home has never been more profitable and available than today. Many businesses have chosen to send their employers home and drive their businesses remotely. Twitter, for instance, has its staff working from home – forever – if they wish, as the company is driving their business into a more modern, agile, and remote working strategy.

The world is indeed changing and so is our behavior and insight regarding our way of work. Working from home, despite being a quite appealing concept, requires a lot of will strength and self-discipline that may end up causing the opposite results if not taken seriously. But when done correctly it shows to improve both productivity and work/life balance resulting in happier staff.

In order to understand the benefits as well as the future of working from home, I invited Robert Almqvist, the communication director of CGI (Sweden) for an interview. You can read the interview here.

For those looking for work from home jobs. I have compiled a list of the best work from home jobs you can enjoy from the very comfort of your home. Just make sure to read the tips I have below for you to deliver that productivity and quality that will make your remote career a success.

The following is a list of 10 working from home tips is the result of many years working from home, managing to take the most advantage of it, and focusing on quality work rather than laziness and empty comfort.

These tips will help you boost your productivity while enjoying the benefits of being in your comfort zone.

1. First things first: A comfortable workspace

Forget about the bed or the TV lounge for these spaces are psychologically synonyms of relaxation and entertainment.

There should be a place in your house where you can actually work in great rates of concentration and peace.

The boundaries between work and home life should be clearly defined.

A work table or your computer desk should be the place in which you can boost your income, and spend as much as you reasonably think for maximum work efficiency, for you’re going to spend many, many hours there and it should not be seen as a burden but rather a work inspiration altar: A very well-lit place with a comfortable armchair for a good posture that could last quite long chunks of time.

Keep the place airy and illuminated (natural light is a positive factor), avoid reflections on your computer screen, and never underestimate a good cold white light lamp for late-night work.

2. Establish multiple work routines

Your body and brain know and ASK for both work and rest, each at its very specific time. An idyllic schedule should include working time; rest time, leisure time, and exercise time, all packed in the same time chunk.

Don’t hesitate to experiment with different options until you find the routine for you and your specific needs.

3. Plan each and every day

Going blind is never a good approach method.

The night before, take at least 5 or even 10 min to schedule and concertize the actions to be performed the next day. Going to bed with an organized set of ideas in the mind helps for a way better rest and a good start once you will wake up from.

An overview of the work you’ve already done must also help you evolve and boost your capacities to fully exploit your time and talent, thus ensuring a better targeting of your objectives and responsibilities.

4. Start with the most important tasks

Always highlight and attack the critical tasks first, or the ones that need to be done as soon as possible for how much they bring you closer to completing projects and achieving goals.

You’re at your fullest stamina at wake-up, so focus this energy on resolving the most important and time-sensitive tasks in order to achieve the rest in a smoother way.

It will grant you a feeling of fulfillment and satisfaction, making the rest of the day some sort of a child play homework.

5. Break your time chunks

As soon as you feel your energy is decreasing, take a 5-10 min break to breathe fresh air, drink water, talk to someone next to you, or simply rest your brain.

This Modus Operandi will help you maintain concentration, eliminate long interruptions, avoid exhaustion, and increase your productivity and creativity in ways you couldn’t quite imagine.

One effective break time is when you finish at least 30% of your duties or even 50% if your resistance is already built-up by experience.

6. NO distractions

Avoiding distractions is a critical point that must be taken into account.

Define a couple of moments a day to deal with your email, phone calls, access to social networks, reading blogs, sending WhatsApp’s and all similar activities, for as soon as you get hooked to one of them, it’s technically over.

Your productivity will be negative (in case it doesn’t end up being a total absolute zero), and your longed-for lifestyle will be impossible to sustain.

7. Existential work questions

We all lose perspective and, with it, the motivation to keep working hard for our goals. You need some motivation boosters helping you keep track of your quest.

Put posters, labels, reminders, and motivational quotes in your workplace; it helps one stay focused and motivated.

Use a visual system that reminds you every day why you do what you do, where you are, and where you want to go. And listen to energetic music while doing your work; It boosts adrenaline.

8. Look for alternative work-spots

Working at home every day makes you fall in the dullness of repetitive behavior and kills your motivation as much as your creativity.
As comfortable as your place of work is, being in the same place all day for many days in the week can become very heavy, especially if you have limited to no interaction with other human beings.

Look for cafés with comfortable chairs, little noise, Wi-Fi, good coffee, friendly people and positive overall energy.

From time to time, talk to someone about anything and focus on easygoing tasks. The breath of fresh is guaranteed.

9. Organize yourself in every way, in many ways

Organizing is not just about writing a prioritized list of tasks.
Try using personal organization methodologies that will keep your workflow at a good pace.

It will help you advance towards your current projects and goals while keeping a clear perspective and a shining smile in your face.

10. After all, we have only one life

The existence of rules means the existence of ways to break them.
From time to time, take a break to call a friend, to go for a healthy walk, to dance to a good tune, to have a nice chat with your family, to relax on the beach, or to breathe peace in a forest.

The reason you choose this kind of work is, at the end of the day, to own your time and be somehow freer than the rest of people working in stress and complaining about having no time to live, so work hard (at your way and pace), but also LIVE!