17 Easy Tips on Staying Productive While Working From Home

This post is about 17 Easy Tips on Staying Productive While Working From Home.

I have been a Blogger and Content Creator for a few years now. Before Blogging full time I also had an Etsy shop where I sold Diaper cakes, Baby Shower Gifts and Decor. When I first started my Work From Home business I really had to figure out a way to be a full time Mom and Entrepreneur.

It was quite a challenge and something I had to learn as my life and business evolved. Today I’m sharing some tips to keep in mind when setting up your work week. These are just some of the routines I follow to help me have an accomplished work week.

17 Tips on Staying Productive While Working From Home:

1. Set Up a Dedicated Work Area. Whether it’s an actual office space, a clean desk or a space on your dining room table, you’ll need an area you’ll be happy and comfortable to sit at all day. You’ll need a space that is functional for note taking, responding to emails or conference Zoom Calls.
   
   
2. Get Ready for the Day. For years I have always had the habit of getting dressed and ready for the day. This was instilled in me by my parents and something that I have done for most of my life. Every morning I get up wash my face, style my hair and get dressed down to my shoes. Sometimes I wear make up, sometimes it’s a clean face. I find that by getting dressed I have a more productive day.
   
   A clean pair of jeans or leggings, a cute top and nice shoes. I also spritz on a little bit of body spray it helps smelling nice for the day! TIP: pick out your clothes for the week down to your accessories so you don’t have to think twice about your wardrobe! It helps getting started a breeze.
   
3. Start & Stick to a Routine/Schedule. It’s amazing how much I can get done when I stick to a routine. I have a binder I created and printed out some blank calendars sheets, a cleaning schedule and menu planner. It helps me to have everything in one place and I’m able to flip to the section I need to view or work on.
   
4. Schedule Breaks Throughout the Day. As a Work from Home professional I tend to sometimes work through my breaks, when that happens, I usually feel burned out and have trouble focusing on my projects. It’s really important that you walk away from your computer and stretch your legs for a few minutes. Grab a drink of water and clear your mind or go for a walk (if weather permits). This will get your blood flowing, some fresh air in your lungs and clear your mind which can inspire your creativity. TIP: Make sure to set a timer (about 10 minutes or so) so you return to your project in a timely manner. I find this to help keep me on track and feel refreshed for the task ahead.
   
5. Join outside Groups/Networks. Finding like-minding individuals is a great way to brainstorm ideas, find support and network. I have to be honest and say that this is something I’m still struggling with. But it’s one of my goals to complete. I have a hard time finding local community centers that are available.
   
6. Use a Planner. A planner can be an inexpensive purchase from the Dollar Tree, Target, Walmart or anywhere really. There are several planners and journaling books you can use to customize to your liking. I personally have two planners, one is for my day to day and the second one is the Happy Planner with a daily blocks that I break up into morning, afternoon and evening routines. There are also planners with time slots for specific tasks to complete at that time.
   
7. Batch Your Tasks. Batching similar type tasks help you be more productive. The more you do like tasks over and over the faster that task is completed. A example of batch work is to write multiple posts for your blog in one day and schedule them for future dates. Once you’ve written your posts, you can then work on batch photos, editing and printables that coordinate
   
8. Turn off Your TV. If you want to be as productive as possible definitely do not sit in front of the TV. You may think you’re being productive, but you’re not. Half watching a tv show can be a huge distraction. I’ve fallen trap to that on a number of occasions, I’ve put on my favorite show (Supernatural) and start blogging, next thing I know I’m watching Dean on my screen and my tasks are forgotten.
   
9. NO Social Media Time during Work. Scrolling through social media can be another huge time waster. If you need to check your phone for messages, emails or social media posts, I recommend scheduling that time and set a timer. Once the time goes off, you’re done. I’m a sucker for TikTok or IG Reels and tend to look at hobby inspirations a bit too much. But if you do want to follow me on social media, just search for hipncreative –(did I just shamelessly plug myself? yes, yes I did).
   
10. Self Care. Self-care is very important and you should definitely find time for yourself. Drink plenty of water, stretch your body. I always do simple stretches about 10 seconds before writing to help relieve my wrists, neck and back to reduce “tech neck” and carpal tunnel syndrome. I also started a self care routine that I have been loving and have received positive feedback from people noticing a change in my.
    
11. Listen to Music. A great way to stay focused is to listen to music. A soft instrumental background music such as jazz or classical can help fill the silence and not be distracting. I love listening to 80s music.
    
12. Leave Your House. Make sure to get up and stretch your legs. I know I’ve mentioned this a few times, but it bears mentioning. Go for a light jog or walk. Something to get the blood pumping, some natural sunlight and fresh air. Just make sure to wear sunscreen.
    
13. Keep Pets/Family Away. This may be easier said than done but if you have a spot where you can keep your kids and pets out, that would be very helpful in productivity. I struggle with that one a bit, my dog Harper is very vocal and barks at the slightest sound. And since my hubby works from home, it can be a challenge to quiet the pups. When my kids were little, I didn’t have an office space but what I would do is block my time throughout the day. Make phone calls during nap time. Work on orders while they were in bed sleeping and write posts while they had lunch. It was tricky but we made it work.
    
14. Don’t Spend all Day Cleaning. I learned that I can spend an ENTIRE day cleaning my house and it will still get messy at the end of the day. So now I try to stick to just a 20-30 minute clean up in the morning just with quick wipes of my counters, load my dish washer and make my bed, I batch clean for evenings and weekends or any free time. This helps me utilize the most valuable hours of the day for important work! And since I have a YouTube Channel that is primarily homemaking videos I tend to do heavier cleaning and organization projects at that time. It helps to hold me accountable while also motivating others. You can subscribe to my YouTube Channel (search Hipncreative) if you haven’t done so already. (yes another shameless plug! 😉 )
    
15. Brain Dump. I am blown away by how effective it is! I don’t do this every day, but on days I’m feeling especially stressed or overwhelmed this helps me see everything that’s floating around inside my head, and start to organize and prioritize it! Usually when I’m winding down at night, to help me clear my head I write down all the ideas I have that I’d like to do for the week. I separate them into three categories: Home, Work & Self Care.
    
16. Know your Most Productive Time. Over the years I’ve learned that I am most productive between 10am & 3pm. That’s when my brain is able to really focus and I can get stuff done! This means that I need to protect those hours and use them wisely! It’s important that I don’t do time-wasting activities during these hours, like searching social media or watching TV. I usually reward myself with “Tea Time” where I pick a time of day to slow down and do a rewarding activity, while enjoying my favorite seasonal beverage.
    
17. Set Timers. This was another game changer for me. I used to take way too long to complete tasks, get hyper-focused or get distracted with minor details. Setting a timer is a great way to keep you on track. Especially when it comes to something you dread doing. I set the timer to what I think I would need to complete the task when the timer goes off I move on to a different task. And if I’m not done said task, I come back to it on another time.

Pick a day during your weekday or weekend that can help you prep for the week. I usually get my week ready on Fridays because I’m still on “Work Mode”. I write down things that need to get done the following week. On Sundays I go over my schedule and make any changes as I prepare for the week ahead.

I hope you find these tips helpful and if you have any you’d like to share please leave them on the comments down below. I hope you all have a wonderful week and I’ll see you on the next one.

This post was about 17 Easy Tips on Staying Productive While Working From Home.

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