How to Be Productive Working From Home

There are times when seeing the “P” word in an article or tweet or Facebook post makes me want to tear my hair out. We all know we need to be productive. We know that being productive as a remote worker is more difficult than working in a corporate setting (or am I wrong?).

Why do we have to keep on talking and reading about productivity when we can be using that time to do some work?

Because reading is part of our job, that’s why. 

Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.

Enter the other “P” word: procrastinate. You know where I stand when it comes to this.

Procrastinating is supposed to be detrimental to productivity, but I disagree. Remember how you can procrastinate productively? Well, reading is part of that, so if you’re still with me at this point, you’re doing great!

However, I do believe that there are certain habits and activities that can contribute to being a productive remote worker. The graphic below is a pretty good summary of these good habits.

How to Be Productive Working From Home

  1. Pet your pet(s). If you don’t have one, get one. Studies have shown that stroking cats and dogs help relieve stress. When your deadlines are killing you, get your cat or dog and go stroking!
  2. Get out of bed. This is too close to home, but I’ll do it one of these days. Maybe tomorrow…Seriously, though, work in your home office. Use your dining table if you must. Go to the park or coffee shop. It doesn’t matter where as long as you don’t work where you’ll be tempted to sleep or get distracted by other comforts.
  3. Dress up. I’ve always believed in the importance of “pretending” you’re going to the office where you are expected to dress decently. Although the life of a work-at-home writer is often portrayed as working in your pajamas or even your birthday suit if that’s how you roll, dressing up as if you were going out helps in entering the productive zone. And, as the graphic below will tell you, you’ll do others a favor as well.
  4. Fuel up. It’s easy to forget to eat regularly when you’re all caught up in work – especially when you’re on a creative roll. Being a lean mean writing machine is awesome, but you’ll crash eventually. Ensure that this crash won’t be too bad by giving your body fuel. To make it easier for you, keep food and drinks within an arm’s reach.

Here’s a lighter summary of what I just wrote.

how to be productive working from home

Source

Is this you, or do you need to work on these areas?

How about your own tips, quirks, and habits? Maybe you have something to share with us – feel free to do so!

Comments

12 responses
  1. Ava Avatar

    I loved this! Cats, check. Fuel, check. Nice computer set-up, check. Outfit, give or take :p

    Ava

    1. Noemi Tasarra-Twigg Avatar
      Noemi Tasarra-Twigg

      You’ve got the perfect setup, then! 🙂

  2. Josh Avatar

    Good stuff! I find that going anywhere but my actual home when “working from home” makes me get things done quicker. When I’m at home I can watch TV, lay on the couch, even take a walk. When I’m at Dunkin’ Donuts or any other local place with internet access, there’s a limited amount of things for me to do — drink coffee or work. I do both, a lot.

    1. Noemi Tasarra-Twigg Avatar
      Noemi Tasarra-Twigg

      I know what you mean, and I would do the same if I could push myself to get out of the house more often. I guess I’m too much of a homebody. I work at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf or Starbucks once a month (or even less).

  3. Daniel Quintanilla Avatar

    I couldn’t agree more with number 3. It’s something about us that gets us going when we’re properly dressed for the day. Being in pjs all day can be a little too comfortable and all you’ll want to do is relax. Great article, always very enlightening to learn something new from you guys!

    1. Noemi Tasarra-Twigg Avatar
      Noemi Tasarra-Twigg

      Thanks for dropping by, Daniel. I’m with you on the pajamas “issue”. I think something in between decent clothes (like going to the mall) and PJs works best. It’s not always easy, though.

      Hope to hear from you again!

  4. Dennis Avatar

    Working from home has been both bliss and hard for me. I am glad to see that someone has figured out how to make working from home more productive.
    Thank you for this insightful post

  5. Eklavya Avatar

    One thing that I have always observed is the fact that a guy working from home needs more self-discipline than his counterpart who goes to office. When we don’t have an institutionalized set up with its own rules and regulations, we tend to move towards chaos. However, if we want to be productive, we will have to develop a self-discipline regime containing its own rules and regulations. The tips suggested by you in this posts serve as a good example of self regulation in the life of a freelancer.

    Regards,

    Eklavya

    1. Debbie Magnin Avatar
      Debbie Magnin

      i hear exactly what your saying.

  6. Debbie Magnin Avatar
    Debbie Magnin

    Sometimes i just feel like i cannot get going i stare at the screen and my mind goes blank, i want to be a freelance writer but i am always convinced my writing is not good enough, how do i get past this?

  7. Ashley Avatar

    My partner and I have been location independent for over two years now, by consulting for boutique hotels and resorts… to say the least, we spend a lot of time in hotel rooms. More often than I’d like to admit, we work from bed. Not only is that where the magic happens, that’s where ALL THE MAGIC HAPPENS. Heh.

    I love these suggestions, they certainly do make a difference to one’s productivity. Also I can’t wait to tell my partner that there are “scientific reasons” why we need a cat. 🙂

    1. Noemi Tasarra-Twigg Avatar
      Noemi Tasarra-Twigg

      You got me at magic. 😉

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