Working from home can offer many benefits, such as flexibility, autonomy, and comfort. But it can also pose some challenges, such as isolation, distraction, and burnout. How can you stay motivated while working from home and maintain a healthy work-life balance? Here are some tips to help you.
One of the keys to staying motivated while working from home is to create a consistent and realistic routine that suits your personal and professional needs. This can help you establish boundaries, manage your time, and prioritize your tasks. A routine can also help you maintain a sense of normalcy and structure in your day. Try to follow a regular schedule, set clear goals, and stick to your deadlines. You can also use a planner, a calendar, or an app to keep track of your progress and reminders.
I agree completely. I have worked from home coming on 8 years now. Routines play a massive role in being successful on the day to day. I also encourage you to let the people around you know about your routine, and that they must not interfere. Unless in case of emergency, of course.
Another tip to stay motivated while working from home is to designate a comfortable and functional workspace that allows you to focus and be productive. This can help you separate your work from your personal life and avoid distractions and interruptions. Ideally, your workspace should have enough space, light, ventilation, and equipment to support your work. You should also minimize noise, clutter, and other sources of stress. Make sure you have a comfortable chair, a desk, and a good internet connection.
This is so important. Its essential to have a dedicated work space that's not part of your personal day to day life. Ofcourse not everyone can have the luxury of a office room at home but avoid your dining table or living room coffee table. If you're out of space, get a room divider from IKEA and place it in a comfortable and bright corner of the room to segregate your work space. This helped me focus and definitely detach when I leave the space to live my much deserving life.
Taking regular breaks is essential to stay motivated while working from home, as it can help you refresh your mind, recharge your energy, and prevent fatigue and boredom. Breaks can also help you improve your mood, creativity, and performance. You can use your breaks to stretch, exercise, meditate, snack, or do something fun and relaxing. You can also use them to connect with your colleagues, friends, or family and socialize. Try to take at least one longer break during the day and several shorter ones throughout.
Rewarding yourself is another way to stay motivated while working from home, as it can help you recognize your achievements, celebrate your successes, and boost your morale. Rewards can also help you reinforce positive habits, maintain your interest, and incentivize your efforts. You can reward yourself in different ways, such as treating yourself to something you enjoy, giving yourself a compliment, or sharing your accomplishments with others. You can also set up a reward system, where you assign different rewards to different goals.
Seeking feedback is also important to stay motivated while working from home, as it can help you improve your skills, learn from your mistakes, and grow professionally. Feedback can also help you measure your performance, identify your strengths and weaknesses, and adjust your strategies. You can seek feedback from different sources, such as your manager, your peers, your clients, or yourself. You can also use various tools, such as surveys, reviews, or self-assessments, to collect and analyze feedback.
Finally, keeping learning is another tip to stay motivated while working from home, as it can help you expand your knowledge, enhance your competencies, and advance your career. Learning can also help you stay curious, challenged, and engaged. You can keep learning in different ways, such as reading, watching, listening, or enrolling in courses, webinars, or podcasts. You can also join online communities, forums, or groups related to your field or interests and exchange ideas and insights.
As the saying goes, 'out of sight, out of mind.' Therefore, when working from home, it's important to stay visible since we're not physically in the office. Promptly replying to emails, answering calls, and actively participating in virtual meetings are key to staying connected with your team and work. For myself, I love blasting music (U2, Taylor Swift & Coldplay is on my Spotify now) and twisting about in my working chair, which is a fun way to break up the day and stay energised. It’s about enjoying those small moments and maintaining energy while working remotely.
We've been wfh even before the pandemic and 1 helpful way is, at the very fundamental level, is having a culture of 'hours don't matter, result does' and practices and policies to uphold that value. The company has to advocate for working to get results, not to fulfill the hours. This fundamental value will make it easier for people to start adopting methods to keep themselves disciplined as well. Strategy such as having a good job board for task tracking and regular standups can help as well. Work in slots, i.e 2 hours deep work followed by well-deserved 20 min break after is also a way to perform when wfh.