Working at home has lots of perks. You get to set up a fun home office, have a furry friend as a co-worker, and much more.
But, despite the benefits of working at home, it can be hard to stay productive. After all, there are so many things at home to distract you from work.
The good news, however, is that there are some steps you can take to make working at home easier.
Here are nine ways to maintain a positive, productive work environment while still having a good time:
Since you’re working in your apartment, make a point to set aside an area where you'll work best.
That area could be in your bedroom or between your living room and kitchen.
Find a place where you can work without distraction and stay productive.
If you want, you can work in your pajamas in your home office. However, we don’t recommend working in your PJs too frequently. If you do, you might want to go back to bed!
Now, we know that a dog can’t literally be a co-worker, but she can keep you company!
If you miss working around other people, having a furry companion can make all the difference. The company of a dog can make your day much more pleasant.
As long as she won’t distract you too much, a dog can be a great comfort and friend.
You’d think that background music would distract you from work. But, music can improve your productivity by helping you zero in on the task at hand.
However, it’s best to listen to music without lyrics, so you aren’t distracted by the words. To stay in the zone, be selective with your music and figure out what helps you concentrate the most.
If your productivity improves, you can bet it's because your music selection is helping you stay on task.
Even if you'd rather power through a job and get it done, taking breaks will help you stay focused.
If you're sitting too long, after a while, it can result in having a higher risk of heart disease.
That's why it's essential to get up and stretch and go on a quick walk, even if it's in your apartment.
Another issue with sitting too long is your eyes also suffer. They get tired and strained when you focus on a computer screen for too long.
Make a point to look away every so often to keep your eyes relaxed.
If you work for a company, they may already hold meetings online. It's easy to conduct virtual meetings using communication platforms like Zoom.
But if you work for yourself, you may not be connecting with your clients as much as you should be.
Ask your clients or co-workers if they’d like to meet on Zoom instead of having phone calls. Seeing each other’s faces can improve your connection and help you both to feel more confident about working together.
Even if you’d rather work whenever you want, the problem is you may procrastinate and not get any work done.
That’s why it’s crucial to stick to a schedule. With a daily routine, you’ll know exactly what you need to do every day. This can seriously improve your productivity.
It’s easy to eat unhealthy snacks while working at home, especially if you’re by yourself.
Snacking is understandable. But instead of filling your body with unhealthy food, get some healthy snacks instead.
Nuts, berries, and hard-boiled eggs are all great examples of what to eat instead of candy and chips.
Besides, eating the right things will give your mind and body the fuel it needs. To stay productive, your body needs the right nutrients!
Of course, eating healthily while working from home takes a little planning, as well as some self-control when you’re doing your grocery shopping.
Take temptation out of the equation by steering clear of sugary snacks when at the store or while filling your basket online, and your productivity will be fuelled by nutritious goodies rather than junky ones.
You could also save time by using a meal kit delivery service to have healthy treats shipped to you, with many options out there. And if you’re really not a fan of planning or prepping food for the whole family, there are even kid meals delivery services to consider.
In short, your productivity while working from home is not just about eating right but making sure the process of acquiring and preparing food doesn’t impinge on those hours when you’d ideally like to be at your desk and engaged with your professional responsibilities.
Deep breathing has many benefits, including stress reduction.
If you’re feeling cooped up and overwhelmed, take some deep breaths.
This is something you can add to your daily schedule to keep your blood pressure down. Another benefit of taking deep breaths is that it can improve your confidence.
So make a point to practice deep breathing while you work. It’ll help you stay productive and relaxed when things are crazy.
Remember how we said wearing your pajamas isn’t a good habit?
To make your apartment feel more like a work environment, wear the same clothing you would wear to an office.
Do you want to take it down a notch? Wear more comfortable pants, and keep your shirt professional.
And don’t forget to wash your face and do your hair (even if you aren’t doing a video call with clients that day)!
Working in your apartment is loads of fun, but you can still miss having co-workers (besides your dog).
Luckily, you can take the steps above to make working from home more enjoyable.
You should treat working at home the same as you would an actual office. You may feel like slacking off at times, but you must resist the urge. Otherwise, it’ll start to become a bad habit and your productivity will be affected.
Do all that you can to create a positive work environment. There’s no doubt you’ll have plenty of fun and productive days in your home office!
Author Bio:
Bobbie Peterson has been in the multi-family industry for 14 years and is currently the Regional Vice President for Bria
Photo by Gustavo Fring from Pexels