How Do I Increase My Productivity When I work From Home

1. Create a life routine  

A life routine helps us to stay organized and focused. Our bodies will get comfortable and familiar with a systemic schedule. Please leverage the Power of the biological clock。

Highly suggest everyone go check the book "The Miracle Morning For Entrepreneurs."It gave many practical tips regarding how to energize yourself from the beginning of the day. In general, saying, try to do certain things in a fixed time, so your mind and body can be comfortable with that in the future.

2. Sense Of Ritual  

Create a sense of ritual when we work from home. The reason that most people can stay productive at companies or libraries is the environment that pushed people to do so. At the same time, on the way of going to work/ school, our minds already create signals that hey, I am getting into the working/studying mode. So, when we work from home, try to have some preprocess before entering our daily works. For example, drink a cup of coffee before sitting in front of the desk. When you are drinking that cup of coffee, tell yourself that you will get into working mode after this cup of coffee.

Another way you can try is dressing uncomfortably. Instead of having your pajamas on all the time, why not put your polo shirt and chino on. If you are someone who always wants to go back to the bed just like me, you can also put your shoes on instead of your slippers.

3. Goal Visualizations --Dreamboard

Everyone has days that they don't feel to do the work. The best way to drag us back from those points is to review our dreams and goals.

Decorate your dream boards. Put your action plans in front of yourself. Read it out when you feel tired, frustrated, disappointed. Put whatever makes you emotional, whatever can remind you why you do what you do on that board. Every Night writes down three things you want to do better the next day before you go to sleep. Give yourself some small and proper rewards after you finish your daily goal. It can be walking downstairs for 10 mins, drink a soda, eat some chocolate, or whatever gives you satisfaction. But I always believe that the best reward after finishing your daily goals is that you can speak to yourself with pride and feel that daily self-image growth.

4. Use 2 mins rule (From Getting things Done By David Allen )

This is what learned from David Allen. If this is something you can do it less than 2 mins, please do it now! It will save us a lot of mental capacity.

5. From Methodology To Mindset

There are so many tools and methodologies out there that we can use to enhance our productivity. Pomodoro Technique, Severn Habits Of Highly Effective People, Get things Down, Flow, all of these books talked about certain tools we can leverage. But without understanding the mindset, tools won't through the magic on our hands. There are two mindsets shifts that helped me to understand why and how to leverage all of these tools.

Effectiveness VS Efficiency

Don't purely chase for efficiency! For example, if in a company, all employees are really efficient in communicating via emails. Does it mean that is the most effective way to create custom sales? I don't think so. Our goal is to create Efficiency in the Effectiveness. So identity your goal first, then have a game plan with someone in a higher paradigm to check is that the best strategy or not.

Tracking VS Reflection

What are you tracking for? I fall into this pitfall for so many times. I am really good at tracking numbers, what I did on a daily bases. But tracking without reflection is nothing. Try to ask yourself every night before go to bed with all the data you tracked.

What I have done for the day?

What I can do better tomorrow?

What are the three things I want to focus on and improve tomorrow?

Hope this article can add some value and wish everyone can stay healthy and productive in this special year. I would also like to hear any advice and tips!