5 Creative Ways to Stay Productive While Working From Home

You’ve heard of time blocking, changing out of your pajamas, and setting boundaries, but here are a few other creative ways to stay productive while working from home.

Whether you typically check into an office each day, frequent coworking spaces, or love discovering new coffee shops, working strictly from home can be tough when you’re used to a change in scenery. But nearly six months into the COVID-19, and that seems to be the reality we’ll be facing for the foreseeable future.

By this point, you’ve probably read every article under the sun about how to stay productive while working from home, so we wanted to bring you a few tips that may not be on your radar yet. From setting up virtual coworking sessions to racing against the clock, we hope these creative tips help you to continue rocking that work from home life as long as you need to.

Create the office space of your dreams

When you’re used to bouncing between coworking spaces, working from home can seem a little blah. However, it’s actually an exciting opportunity to create the office space of your dreams. You can choose what type of music (if any) you play, what kinds of coffee you serve, how your workspace looks, what temperature you keep your home, and so much more. Even the tiniest details can play a role in our overall productivity, so this is your chance to really hone into your preferences and make the most of working from home.

Designate times to check your phone

An all or nothing mentality probably won’t get you very far. It’s unrealistic to say you won’t check your phone at all during work hours, but it also isn’t great for productivity purposes to keep your phone within reach while you’re trying to work. Instead of choosing one or the other, set predetermined times you’ll intentionally check your phone. The cadence you check your phone will definitely vary by your personal needs, but it’s an effective and sustainable approach to ensure you don’t fall into mindless scrolling or feel restricted from giving your brain a break.

Set up a virtual coworking session

Why is coworking so desirable and effective? Because there’s nothing like being in like-minded company to keep you on track and focused! Chances are, someone else in your life is also working from home and looking for accountability. Find that person and schedule out virtual coworking sessions. When you feel that after-lunch slump begin to set in, you’ll just need to look over at your virtual accountability buddy to be reminded of the commitment you both made.

Meal prep

It’s noon, so it’s time to pause work, grab some ingredients, whip up an incredible lunch (because you work from home!), and enjoy your gourmet meal. Suddenly it’s 2 PM and you aren’t really sure where the time went. Sound familiar? Cooking, cleaning up, and enjoying your meal take longer than you may think. Avoid letting those precious work hours slip away by prepping your meals - either the day before or all at once at the start of the week.

Try to beat the clock

When there’s no sense of urgency, it can make a task that’s supposed to take 30 minutes take an hour or more. You check your phone. You get a coffee refill. You pop into your email. Instead of meandering through your tasks, try having a race against yourself! This works best if the time limit you choose is a little tight, because that sense of urgency is what you need. When you reach the end of the time limit, be sure to reward yourself with a quick break.

You’ve got this!

We’re all just trying to find our groove, so be patient with yourself. It will probably take some trial and error before you find a routine that works best for you. Stick with it and remember there are so many resources and people out there who want to see you succeed!