10 Tips for Being Productive While Working From Home

Daylight Studio
Sep 6, 2018 · 5 min read

In recent years, more and more companies realize the benefits of letting employees work from home. Not only does this practice increase employee satisfaction and a better work/life balance, but company bottom lines have benefited from increased productivity. Here at Daylight, we are no exception. Daylighters often work from home when they need to take care of the kids or can’t make it into the office that day. By providing a flexible avenue for Daylighters to get their work done from home when necessary, our clients benefit from steady productivity and a happy staff. According to research by Jabra, the home office is the most productive workspace of 2018.

Additionally, a two year long Stanford study about workplace productivity shows that working from home increases concentration. However, this new practice can become lonely for some who desire the collaborative nature of the office. Pairing a lively office environment with a few days working from home can strike the perfect balance for companies and employees alike. When you are working from home, how do you stay productive?

Read on for your top ten productivity tips!

1. Take a Shower and Get Dressed!

Not only will this simple act clear your head and get you ready for the day but your family/roommates will appreciate the effort as well (trust us).

2. Silence Your Phone

We all know the rush of excitement when your phone buzzes beside you. Maybe it’s a friend asking about drinks later; perhaps it’s your mother in law asking about your husband’s upcoming birthday present. Whatever it is, it can wait. Your phone is often the main distraction in your workspace so think about silencing it to boost productivity.

3. Get Out of Bed!

Working from your bed can send the wrong signals to your brain about how you use your bedroom. Not only is it hard not to fall asleep in the comfort of blankets and pillows, but allowing work into the bedroom can cause a blurry separation between work and relaxation. The Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard advises that “keeping computers, TVs, and work materials out of the bedroom will help strengthen the mental association between your bedroom and sleep.”

4. Use The Pomodoro Technique

Francesco Cirillo created the Pomodoro Technique in the early 1990s and got its namesake from the tomato-shaped timer he used to track his university work. Using The Pomodoro Technique involves breaking your work down into short, focused intervals that are broken up by small breaks. This way, your brain is focused for short periods of time which maintain consistent productivity. By working in short sprints followed by short breaks, you stay motivated and boost creativity. There are five steps:

  1. Choose a task
  2. Set a timer for 25 minutes (this could be a digital or analog timer)
  3. Work consistently on the task until the timer rings and write a check on a piece of paper
  4. Take a short break (about five minutes)
  5. After every four Pomodoros take a longer break (about 15–30 minutes)

Enjoy your increased productivity!

5. Create a Workspace (hopefully with a door!)

It isn’t enough to settle on the couch for a day of work. Your best productivity will occur in a separate room from the happenings of your family or roommates, with a door that will signal you’re hard at work and not to be disturbed.

6. Utilize Video Calls

One of the biggest complaints people have about working from home is isolation and loneliness. Using Skype or Facetime to call the office for face to face conversations can not only increase team cohesion and communication but is a nice break from the isolation working from home can bring. Here at Daylight, Daylighters call into our daily morning meeting when at home, and we use Slack for communication amongst everyone in or out of the office. These are two great ways to incorporate those who are at home and maintain easy communication.

7. Stick to a Schedule

It can be hard to create a schedule for yourself and stick with it. Schedules can not only help you use your time efficiently, but it can help you strike a healthy work/life balance. Set alarms throughout the day to remember to take a break, eat lunch, or stop looking at the screen for five minutes. If you’re having a hard time focusing and managing your time, time your tasks to see exactly where your time is going and what could be the main distractions of your day.

8. Create a Commute

The morning/afternoon commute is one the most lamented things in our society. Warnings about traffic, road rage, and being late to work are everywhere. However, having that 15 minutes to an hour in the morning to collect oneself and be alone is valuable to a lot of people. Perhaps you gear up for the day by listening to your favorite music, podcast, the news for the day, setting goals or running through what you’ll say in an upcoming meeting. Creating a morning routine that mimics your commute and can be a relaxing way to start your day.

9. Communicate!

Although working from home has been heralded as more productive than being in the office by far, there is an element of trust involved when telecommuting. The best practice for letting your co-workers and employer know that you’re available and working is to communicate your presence or absence. Communicate when you are leaving for a minute to take a walk or eat a snack rather than worrying about missing a message or caught not on task. Communication begets trust which begets responsibility and success.

10. Get Moving! Exercise For At Least 15 Minutes a Day

Find yourself a wall in the afternoon? Have a creative block? Step outside and exercise for a minute to get your circulation moving and your creative juices flowing. Maybe walk to your local coffee shop for some human interaction as well. Get moving any way that best suits you. Just remember to get out of the rut and out of the house!

Daylight Studio

Written by

Daylight is a Portland digital agency committed to innovation, engagement, and high impact outcomes.

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