Working from home comes with more benefits than just being your own boss, beating the morning traffic and getting stuff done while still dressed in your pajamas. It comes with tremendous freedom that allows you to create your own schedule, figure out the best routine and even cook nice meals for yourself.
Just like a normal job where you work on location, working from home in this day-and-age allows you to still deliver your desired results – as long as you have your goals set and the motivation to keep you on task.
Take a look at a few tips below to help you stay motivated, professional, and on task.
1. Stay Caffeinated (and have supplies on hand)
The best way to jump-start your day at home is by getting a healthy dose of caffeine. Nothing beats that first cup of coffee in the morning that awakens every single stroke of energy in your body and allows you to focus on your goals for the hours ahead.
Personally, I hate having to walk to a coffee shop to get that first dose of coffee and find it can keep me from getting down to business. Save that trip to the coffee shop by brewing your favorite beans at home. You can even get coffee machines (like this one I personally use at home to keep me motivated) that make a variety of drinks so you can keep things fresh every morning.
Not only are these new, fancy machines user-friendly with a sleek modern design, but they also give you value for your money versus buying from a coffee shop every day.
2. Good Food: The Great Motivator
Being able to cook up your own meals whenever you want in your own kitchen might be the most underrated, overlooked bonus of working from home. How many times have we all had to eat a dry sandwich at work, in a disgusting community eating area and not enjoy it? We’ve all been there and it makes the opportunity of using your own kitchen on a daily basis that much better!
Being able to take a few minutes out of your busy schedule to prepare a nice lunch can recharge your body (and mind) and get you ready to tackle the rest of the day.
Another food-related task that I have enjoyed (and has helped me keep the workday exciting while working from home) is being able to throw that evening’s supper in a pressure cooker and smelling it throughout the day. I usually start something in the afternoon so I can enjoy a nice supper when I’m done, compared to when I worked from an office and would rush home, get dinner ready, and eat late.
3. Break Time
Too much work without play makes Jack a dull boy, as they say – and that’s more important than ever when we’re talking about working from home. You need to put more focus on easing your mind and refreshing your ideas, and a break can act like a factory reset for your brain.
When you’re at home, you’ll have more opportunities to find out what really helps you stay motivated and energized. A few ideas are: take a nap, meditate or do yoga, go for a walk, watch an episode of a TV show, or (like we talked about above) do some cooking.
There are tons of opportunities for you to refresh yourself during a busy workday while working from home.
Something I hear from people all the time when I talk about the importance of taking a break while working from home is “you need to take a break from work no matter where you work from”. And, of course, this is true. But it has to really be driven home for remote workers because many people don’t take their breaks and suffer because of it.
Lots of people lose track of time and keep working until their mind is fried and they feel burnt out. Taking a break will help you get more done in the long run – and you’ll feel better!
4. New Processes Means New Safety Measures
I’m talking from personal experience when I talk about keeping yourself safe as a remote worker. You may not realize it but when you move from working with coworkers in an office to having to communicate solely over the Internet, you begin to share more delicate information through email and messaging.
I had private documents end up in front of the wrong person when I sent personal information to the company’s HR representative. This hack lead to a ton of headaches for everyone and was the kick in the butt we needed to put more safety measures in place. Eventually, we all started using an end-to-end email encryption add-in that I still use to this day.
5. Find Out What Works For You!
Working from home is fun, peaceful and can be an even more productive style of work if done correctly. Avoid distractions and figure out what things really work to keep you motivated and energized throughout every workday!
Working from home is not as easy as many people think and you can find yourself down a rabbit hole of bad habits. Do something about them before it’s too late!