7 Real Tips for Improving Your Work From Home Experience

If you are new to the working from home world or want to increase your productivity while working from home, continue reading as I share a few of my personal tips that have worked for me in the past. Sometimes when we work from home, it may be hard to stay focused without becoming distracted with household chores, kids, family members, pets, or just the desire to lounge around.

As a professional project manager for more than 10 years, discovering new ways to optimize time and organize challenges have become second nature to me. What I have discovered over the years is most humans are very habitual in nature, and our propensity to achieve the best version of our time is mostly psychological. With that said, I will share some suggestions that once applied and practiced, should improve your work from home performance. However, please note that these are only my personal practices. Enjoy!

Develop a Consistent Routine

If you frequently traveled to work by car, train, walking or other means in the past, your mind subconsciously developed a behavioral pattern or habit. Moreover, your “subconscious” is the part of your mind that operates below your normal level of waking consciousness. For example, as you are reading this article, your conscious is working to absorb and comprehend this information. However, beneath the surface, your subconscious is creating mental relationships or rejecting this information based on previous experience and emotions.

Once the subconscious mind accepts an idea, it begins to execute it

So your past physical commute to work actually became a subconscious habit. Therefore, it is important for you to recognize that forming a repeatable routine within your home is just as important for your conscious and subconscious. Avoid working in your pajamas, your comfy bed, or working while lying down. Set a consistent time to wake up, shower, change clothes, and log onto your computer. Creating this pattern will make it easier for you to follow a schedule. Without a routine, you will fall into a habit of laziness and procrastination. Create boundaries and discipline for yourself!

Play Relaxing Music

Whether I’m studying or working, I try to make a habit of playing relaxation music on a low tone. Relaxation music has many benefits such as reducing stress, quieting any thoughts that may be distracting to the task at hand, and it enhances your concentration. If you do not own any meditation or relaxation music, don’t go out of your way to spend money, simply look up free music on YouTube and steam this in your home.

Figure Out Your Biological Prime Time

If your schedule and team allows, try to figure out your “biological prime time” and block this time on your calendar for undisturbed work. Our ability to focus and have high levels of energy fluctuates throughout the day. I am personally most effective first thing in the morning after a cup of coffee between 8:00 – 11:00 AM. Since I understand this pattern about myself, I try to protect this time on my calendar to complete the most important tasks that require concentration on my to-do-list.

Write Down Your Priorities

So I know this may sound really cliché, but trust me, this traditional practice truly does work! After making a cup of tea or coffee to start your day, try to take 5 minutes to write down, type in your phone, or use a virtual tracker like Trello to create your to-do-list. This will help your mind declutter if you feel like you have a million things to do in one workday. This exercise also helps you prioritize what’s truly important to complete for the day before you are distracted with emails, phone calls, co-workers or family.

Pay Attention To What You’re Eating!

As tempting as it may be, try not to binge on unhealthy snacks, carb-heavy foods, sugar, and other meals that will drag down your energy levels. If you find yourself feeling lethargic and non-productive throughout most of your work day, it may be time to look at what you’re eating. From past nutritionists and fitness trainers, I learned that it is best to start the day with a meal full of fiber and protein vs sugar. Sugar will cause energy spikes followed by an energy crash and craving more food. Fiber and protein tend to last longer, reducing the urge to snack. I also recommend drinking plenty of water throughout the day to keep your mind sharp and reduce brain fog.

Block Time On Your Calendar for Emails

Trying to keep up and respond to all of the emails in your inbox can literally feel like a virtual groundhog game. Responding to one email seems to generate 2 or 3 more in your inbox! If left unmanaged, responding to emails alone could consume most of your workday, leaving your priority list unchecked, and leading you astray from productivity. For this reason, I try to hold specific times on my calendar throughout the day to review and respond to emails. Knowing I will eventually circle around to my inbox, helps me to stay focused on the more urgent priorities that are at hand, without becoming distracted.

Keep Calm & Recharge

“Keep Calm and Carry On” – British history can truly teach us a thing or two about how we navigate our everyday lives. When this phrase was originally coined in 1939, it was used as a motivational phrase to raise the morale of the British public during World War II. Sometimes when you are working from home and away from your colleagues, you may need a morale booster as well throughout the day. A few tricks I use personally are scheduling brief 10 minute breaks throughout the day, listening to the Calm app for 5 minutes, scheduling virtual coffee time with one of my teammates, taking a few minutes to walk around, or even working outside. Establishing a few minutes to recharge will truly help you to regain focus and provide motivation to complete your goals for the work day.

I hope you enjoyed my tips for improving your work from home environment! If you have some of your own that you wish to share, please let me know in the comments below!