How To Stay Productive When Working From Home

21.4.20

Whilst some of us are furloughed, and others are still going to work as usual, there are quite a number of people who have suddenly found themselves working from home for the first time ever.

Now, besides studying for what feels like a lifetime, I only really have 3 months' experience of officially working from home. Last summer, I interned for my supervisor at University, working on one of his research projects. This internship was full-time - Monday- Friday - paid, and based from home.

During these three months we actually picked up Murph, so I was always trying to juggle being productive and getting things done, with having puppy cuddles, not being distracted by the beautiful weather and going to the beach, and scrolling on my phone for hours on end. Over the course of the three months, I picked up some tips and tricks that made staying on task that little bit easier so I thought I'd share them with you today in light of the current situation...

How To Stay Productive When Working From Home - four tips to help with productivity during lockdown.


How To Stay Productive When Working From Home 


Write To-Do Lists 

It's no secret I'm an absolute list-lover. I'm always making lists upon lists at work and, since lockdown, have even made an Instagram Story template for daily to-do lists. Whilst they don't help with actually getting the work done, they're great for setting up smaller tasks and working out what the fook you need to do each day and being a visual reminder of how much you do/don't have left to do. 

Take More Frequent Breaks 

These aren't normal times. We're in the middle of a pandemic for goodness sake. Working straight through from 9 til 5 with minimal human interaction and the same wall to stare at is hardly going to help with the ol' motivation levels. Get up, wander around, scroll your phone, get some fresh air! Doing this regularly, and working solidly in between, is a far more efficient use of your time. The Pomodoro Technique is a great one to check out if you've never worked like this before.

Set Up A Work Station 

We don't all have ergonomic chairs, multiple screens, and open-plan offices at home, but having a designated workspace definitely helps separate work from play, especially if you use your laptop for fun too. Clear a sideboard, your dressing table, a corner of the dining table and just set it up as your workspace. Do all of your work here and try and keep it as clutter-free as possible! 

Stick to Normal Working Hours

Now that a commute is out of the question it's often tempting to change up your working hours or spread your time unevenly throughout the week, and change it when you feel like it. Not only is a routine good for keeping you on track but it also means that your colleagues are also working at the same time as you, making it far easier to collaborate on projects, share ideas and ask questions. 


I can't say I massively thrive on working from home, I really enjoy having colleagues and people to chat to all day, but, in this weird time, I hope these four tips are helpful! 



How do you stay productive when working from home?

How To Stay Productive When Working From Home - four tips to help with productivity during lockdown.

6 comments

  1. These are some great tips! Thanks for sharing

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  2. To do lists are my saviour right now, I write one for everyday and I love sticking to it, it gives my day more of a purpose! x

    Lucy | www.lucymary.co.uk

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  3. This post is so useful, I'm trying to stick to a routine but sleeping in seems to be a regular occurrence! Loved reading this :))
    by mills x
    www.bymills.blogspot.co.uk

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  4. Great tips! Sticking to normal working hours... You are so right on this one, and yet it's so hard to implement haha! I have been working on my blog a lot recently, and though it's not my job, it is as time-consuming as if it was one! So I need to give myself a time frame to say "stop" when it gets too much. Thank you for this reminder, I needed it!

    Julia x
    Last Post: How To Spend 48 Hours in Florence, Italy | https://juliaspeaksbeauty.blogspot.com/2020/04/how-to-spend-48h-in-florence-italy.html

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  5. I love this! I filmed video for my Youtube channel that's coming soon on the same topic! I look foreward to reading more!

    - Carson Bohdi
    carsonbohdi.blogspot.ca

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  6. Becca this was such a useful post! Couldn't agree more on the idea of to-do lists. I get so much more done in a day if I use a to-do list! I also use a handwritten one because apparently you're 42% more likely to complete a list if you handwrite it!
    I'm SO guilty of not having a work station in place but with having to be on Zoom calls so often at the moment, I have been using my desk daily!

    Can't wait to see more from you gal. I really enjoyed reading this blog post x

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