10 Ways to Keep Yourself Motivated When Working From Home

10 Ways to Keep Yourself Motivated When Working From Home. The covid-19 pandemic has forced many of us to adapt to new ways of doing things. To avoid overcrowding in one place, there are online classes, online church services a well as virtual events among many other things. On top of that, a lot of people are now working from home, and as exciting as this may sound from the start, as time goes on, it can be a daunting experience.

The following tips will surely help you to become motivated and productive, while you work from home;

1. Get Up Early

Quite often, people who work from home think they have all the time in the world, hence the wake up late. With no office to go to, and no boss to tap his watch and look irritated if you’re late, there can often be little motivation to get up at a reasonable hour and start work. Training yourself to get up on time like you do have a more traditional job will get you into a routine that encourages productivity.

2. Make a Schedule and Stick to It

It goes without saying that most people will not be able to function properly working from home if they don’t have at least some sort of regimented schedule guiding them. This can start with waking up as a set time each day, but also translates into whatever you need to get done in a certain day.

3. De-Clutter Your Home Office

Organize your home office by getting rid of paper, trash, and any other unnecessary items. Also, clutter doesn’t just refer to physical things. Nonessential software on your computer can be considered digital clutter. Try organizing documents into folders and delete any unneeded files. Go through your email inbox and archive important emails so you can focus on the most critical messages.

4. Dress Appropriately

Clothes have a strong psychological impact on motivation when we work from home. Research shows that dressing too casually can make us less focused and alert. When we put on an item of clothing, it is common for the wearer to adopt the characteristics associated with that garment. Avoid casual clothing items like pajamas, slippers etc.

5. Get Off Social Media

Even in a traditional office setting, there is no bigger motivation or productivity killer than social media. Many offices have banned such services, and there’s a reason for that. It’s not just the physical time it takes you to read and type messages to your friends that makes social media your mortal enemy. It’s the fact that that innocent notification noise instantly jolts you out of thinking about whatever you’re supposed to be working on. The constant mental interruption saps your motivation and distract you from being productive

6. Take Regular Breaks

If you work from home, it can be easy to work too long without stopping. That’s why taking regular breaks is so important. Not only does working non-stop make you feel drained, but it also takes a physical toll. Not taking frequent breaks can cause muscle and joint problems and even cause repetitive strain injuries. Pausing throughout the day boosts our energy, improves our focus, increases our motivation and makes us more effective.

7. Go Outside

When working from home, your house or apartment can become your bunker. It’s a safe spot that has everything you need, so why should you ever bother leaving? This generally isn’t a problem for extroverts, as they’ll seek out adventure elsewhere as part of their personality. In addition to your body needing actual sunlight to live, going outside to do anything, run errands, take a walk, etc. is required for your mental sanity.

8. Work Out

The advantage of working from home is that it allows you to schedule activities during your workday that you wouldn’t normally be able to do in a traditional office. One of these is working out, which plays into both motivation and self-discipline. Working out gives you a boost of energy that’s incredibly helpful for productivity.

9. Challenge Yourself

Sometimes, a little challenge can help get you moving, too. For example, you might try to write a certain amount of words in 30 minutes. Once you see how many words you write in 30 minutes, you might try beating that during the next 30-minute time slot. Challenging yourself in some way might provide the extra incentive you need.

10. Reward Yourself

You might find you work best when you know there’s a little reward waiting for you. For example, tell yourself you can watch your favorite show if you get your work done by 6 p.m. Or tell yourself you can have a cup of your favorite tea as soon as you finish this report.

A little incentive can often go a long way toward helping you get work done efficiently. And it’ll help you see what you’re capable of accomplishing.