How To Be Productive While WFH

Soooo it’s pretty safe to say the majority of us will be working from home for awhile, which is a huge bummer being the social butterfly that I am.. I miss being around other humans or working at a cute coffee shop!! BUT we all got sh*t to do & things we want to accomplish, so we must adapt.. and I’m not gonna lie, finding the motivation everyday can be challenging AF. 

I want to also note to you guys one of my favorite entrepnurenual quotes: WORK SMARTER NOT HARDER. I used to work for 12 hours a day, doing random digital shit that was SO unnecessary. Once you time block, and realize bigger things that are important to get done, you can get back so many hours in a day. You do NOT need to overwork yourself. I will actually write an entirely other blog post about this soon because I have a lot to say!!!

After ~I don’t even know how many days…weeks…months~ I’ve finally figured out what’s been working for me to help keep me on track and I’m sharing the goods with you so you too can be productive while working from home!

Workout First Thing In The A.M.

Working from home sounds good in theory because you’re prob. able to sleep in a little longer but TRUST ME when I say, working out in the morning is a great way to boost your energy & jumpstart your day! As hard as it may be to get your butt out of bed, it’s honestly easier to just get it out of the way so you don’t have to worry about finding the time later on to do it. You will feel more productive, focused, and energized for your day after a morning workout. I also recommend whipping up a good post-workout smoothie so you can really fuel up for the day!

Set & Stick To Work Hours

Flexibility when it comes to #WFH has been one of the things I’ve struggled the most with. It’s so easy to get distracted and do other things rather than focusing on actual work. By setting & sticking to work hours you not only hold yourself accountable for that time, but it also helps you to avoid overworking yourself. Especially if you work in social media like me, your job can be 24/7, but I promise you setting boundaries to your work is so helpful. 

Create A Dedicated Work Space

Listen, I’m the first to admit I LOVE working from my bed or my comfy couch,  but wow I did not realize how much more work I could get done until I actually tried sitting at a desk. Working from your bed or couch can signal relaxation to your mind, so to be as productive as possible it’s important you create a dedicated work space- this includes a desk, a comfortable chair, preferably in a room where you can close the door for privacy (this is more so necessary for those who live with a roommate, partner or family.) You can also help to make your work space a little more appealing by setting it up in an area with a lot of light, keeping it tidy and having a cute plant; I personally like snake plants cause they’re low maintenance so I have a pretty good chance of NOT killing it! LOL

Take Breaks

Take..and I can not stress this enough..BREAKS. Make sure you set a lunch hour and take regular 5-10 minute breathers whenever you feel yourself losing energy- get up, stretch, make a snack, have a dance party and then get right back into it! This is soooo important so your brain doesn’t experience a burnout. Taking small breaks will help you re-focus. 

Communicate, Communicate, COMMUNICATE

If your job, side hustle or whatever it is you do while working from home requires a team that normally works together in person, then it’s important all levels of communication are stepped up so you can all stay on top of your game. If you need a little help on a project, don’t just toss it to the side and say “I’ll deal with that later,” let your team know and rely on their support! Emails and texts can be tricky when it comes to context and even tone, so I highly recommend setting up Google hangouts, Zoom meetings, Facetime calls, whatever your preference so you can at least SEE and communicate with each other a little easier-plus it’s just nice to have a little human interaction even if it is virtual. In my opinion, it’s so much easier to pick up the phone and call someone than an email in depth explaining whatcha need. 

Limit Distractions

I’m the type of girl who will be writing an email, then will get a text from a friend of a tiktok post, and then SOMEHOW spend an hour on tiktok and completely forget about the email I was sending. I am SO easily distracted lol. To limit your phone time, set some reminders/alarms on phone, and if you have an iPhone you can actually get notifications when you’re spending too much time on your screen. Whenever I’m editing a video with a deadline, I turn on do not disturb on my phone. I probably save SO much time doing that.

Healthy Snacking

I love to snack on mini little healthy things when I am deep in work. Also, brain power, duh. Grapes, popcorn, cherries, carrots.

Plan Ahead

I’m all about living in the moment and just going with the flow, but when it comes to productivity, planning ahead is KEY. I’ve found it to be super helpful when I write out a To-Do list the night ahead. (you’re probably like, yeah duhhh Katie..) But I write down everything I want to accomplish for the day and I list my top priorities first to make sure I tackle those and get them completed- save the less urgent tasks for the afternoon when your energy starts to decrease. As old school as it may sound, writing out a list really does help to hold me accountable, keep me organized and it honestly feels good when I start crossing off everything on my list. My best advice for prioritizing and lists, is to download an app. I use an app thats actually no longer available to download (HAHA worst advice) BUT I just searched in the app store for a “to-do list” and OMG there are hundreds of amazing apps to help you. Physically checking off a box always helps me feel productive. 

These may sound like simple tips but they really do help!! To be your most productive self it helps to stick to a routine but even more important is to recognize when you need a break! We’re all human and we’re def. gonna have more productive days than others, but just show up for YOURSELF and know that better days are coming. Let’s keep kicking ass and use this time to accomplish every and anything you want!!