In this article, I’m going to be talking all about how to work from home effectively and productively, so that you can stay focused even though you’re in your comfortable home environment.

Currently, most parts of the the world are in a situation called the coronavirus situation where many of us are stuck at home, and as a result, are having to work from home. So here are some key tips that I know will be helpful in making sure that you’re effective when working at home. And I’m sure these tips are going to help you whether you are new at working from home or you’ve been doing this for a while.

Maintain healthy sleep timings

So the first work from home tip is to go to bed and wake up at a consistent time. You see when we are working from home and staying at home all day everyday, it’s really easy to forget what day we’re in, what time we’re in, and to have the days kind of blend over into the next day. And that is not really what you want, because it creates this sense of endlessness that comes with every day, and that can bring on senses of anxiety and frustration.

So what you want to do is you want to have a set time period. When it’s time that you have decided to be your bedtime, wind yourself down and go to bed. Going to sleep on time will enable you to wake up at the same time every morning, and that cuts off your day when you go to bed, and then waking up starts a fresh new day. If you end up staying up too late and then sleeping in, and then rushing through the next day because you’re behind on your schedule or whatever, it can create anxiety. Messy routines like this really don’t help you with being productive.

Start every day with a clear mind

The second tip for productively working from home is to start your day off with a clear head. What I mean by this is that you don’t want to be running out of bed and then immediately going to your laptop. That’s in fact the last thing that you want, because that’s just going to start your day off with a bit of stress and anxiety. It’s not going to start your day off as fresh and clear-minded as it could potentially be.

So what I suggest is have a bit of a morning routine, where before you go straight to your laptop and get to work. Give yourself a bit of time after you’ve woken up to refresh yourself, whether it’s to do some exercise or meditation, or have a proper breakfast. You can even step outside for a little bit. Do something to clear your mind, and get yourself centered even if it’s only 5 to 10 minutes. It’s really going to help you to set your day in a more positive way.

Set daily goals

The third tip is to have goals as to what you want to achieve in that particular day. The last thing that you want to do when you’re starting your workday is to have an unclear mind, to feel murky, and to just dive right in and just work, work, work, not really knowing what you’re working towards and what you’re hoping to achieve by the time the day ends!

Ideally, you want to have it clearly written out in front of you what you want to get done with by the end of the day, so that you can work towards that goal. That’s going to keep you motivated as you’re stuck at home working, because it’s going to make sure that you’re on track, rather than just spending your whole day answering emails and not being able to get what you actually wanted to get done.

Schedule your meals

Tip number four is to schedule your meals. If you are a breakfast person, which I definitely am, then you want to schedule a time in your morning where you actually have your breakfast. Dedicate time for your breakfast, and then on top of that, also schedule when you’re going to have lunch. You should have breakfast and lunch at the same time every day, just like you’ll have a specific time for when you go to bed and when you wake up, because that helps to bring structure to your day. That also helps to force you to take a break.

Part of being productive is not about just working endlessly. Being productive means that you have the right energy to be able to do the work that you need to do. And if you don’t have fuel to feed your body during breakfast and lunch, you won’t be able to get very far.

Have a designated desk to work from

Tip number five is to have a designated space to do your work. What I’ve noticed is that by working from a corner or space that is specially set aside in your home for just doing work, where there are minimal distractions, you are simply more productive. This can be any corner or desk in your house, even if it means to be sitting on your couch, as long as that’s comfortable for you and you feel that you can get your work done from there. Just have a designated space.

The last thing that you want is to not know where to do your work from or where you’re going to set yourself up because that’s going to create anxiety in the morning.

Incorporate nature into your days

Finally my last tip is to look out the window from time to time. It’s important to incorporate nature into your everyday. Hopefully you have a view that you can look at when you look out from the window every few minutes. Look at some trees or some birds or simply at the sky. You don’t want to confine yourself in a way where you feel like you’re a prisoner in your own home. You want to still have access to that outside world. And if that means that you just open a window to get in some fresh air or you look outside the window just to change your perspective, then by all means do it.

All of that is going to create a structure to your day and it’s going to help you to have more energy to do what it is that you need to do.

So there you have it! Those are my six tips on how to productively and effectively work from home!