How To Be Productive When You Work From Home.

Working from home definitely sounds like a dream. Even now I’m writing this, I can picture this fab life where everything is sunny, my productivity levels are high and my apartment is spotless. What could be better than jumping out of bed, grabbing a Nespresso coffee and walking no more than 10 steps to your desk and being greeted by new beauty samples or a quick article write up!?

Nothing.

Nothing is the answer until you think about the reality of the situation and how quickly productivity can dip!

Working at home isn’t always the dreamy wonderland that you’d imagine and it can often be a bigger challenge than the 6am alarm to head to the office. Switching from work to home mode in the same space means you’re either unproductive or struggling to put your MacBook down at 9pm. Its also difficult not to compare yourself to other bloggers who seem to be superwoman!

But, I hear you cry, this post is about being productivity working from home!? Without blowing my own trumpet, I think that after a year being a full time blogger, I might have finally cracked a few tips to help better juggle the two! (If you’re considering it soon then I’ve also got a post about that..)

Seperate your office and living space.
This is obviously more difficult if you’re in a smaller apartment but try to seperate your living and work spaces. I currently live in a shared house and have my desk facing the window, divided from the main bedroom furniture. Being able to see out of the window helps the office vibes and as soon as work is over, I can leave my work at the desk and get back to watching the Kardashians or browsing Instagram.

Avoid working from the bed or sofa.
As I mentioned above seperating your living and office spaces works wonders for inspiration! If you work from the bed or sofa, I often feel like I’m in a much lazier and more relaxed environment which leads to a way lower productivity. I find if I’m not at my desk, I generally procrastinate more and get less work done. Even if you don’t have a desk - sitting at a table feels more ‘work like’.

Create a background playlist.
I am a sucker for any playlists that mention ‘chill’ or ‘focus’ because they seem to work magic for my productivity. As my job involves a lot of switching between desk to filming or photography, I always plug some headphones into my phone and crack on. These Master & Dynamic MH30’s are the perfect over ear headphones for me. Not only do they have amazing sound for video editing or listening to playlists, but they are also noise cancelling so whenever there are builders outside or I decide to work from a coffee shop - my distractions are limited. I would really recommend investing in high quality headphones as not only does it make listening to a playlist more enjoyable, but they are also much better for zoning out for the edits..

Allow set hours of the day to focus on work alone.
My main productivity levels spike in the morning so I try to wake up around 7:30am and crack on with the main bulk of my work before 1pm. I then allow myself an hour to watch television while I eat lunch and have my midday coffee before getting back to lighter tasks in the afternoon. Then as soon as 7pm hits - it’s my time to chill with a series and glass of wine! My days can vary dramatically so this is only a general idea.

Plan your days in advance.
My step mum is an avid list maker and I think it rubbed off on me. Every morning, I make a list of tasks that I need to do in an order of importance. For example, submitting content by 10am or making sure I film three videos before the lighting goes. By seeing a list in front of me, my focus stays and my work flows better. I always notice that days when I haven’t made a list, my productivity levels are lower and I tend to procrastinate more.

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I could probably go on for hours about ways to be productive but ultimately, what works for one might not work for another. You could enjoy working in silence or find that working from the sofa is your most productive - so essentially take these tips and incorporate them into your life however you think they would work. My days vary significantly depending on events, meetings or even needing to be outside to shoot content - so I’m giving advice from a ‘stay at home’ day.