Top 7 Work from Home Tips

If you’re lucky, you’ve been allowed or even encouraged to work from home during the pandemic. While working from home has its perks, it can make balancing your work-life balance tougher than ever.

For better or for worse, remote work may be here to stay for many workers, so it’s time to find a way to make the most of your newfound work from home life. These seven tips will help you survive and thrive through the remainder of the pandemic and beyond.

7 Tips to Maximize Productivity While Working Remotely

1. Create a daily routine

Whether or not you’re working from home, routines are essential for leading a productive life. If you feel like you’re floating aimlessly from week to week, a schedule might be the anchor that your life has been missing. Not only do schedules help you manage your time more effectively and work more efficiently, but they can also reduce anxiety and build self-confidence.

Without the need to drive to the office, you might be tempted to hit the snooze button one too many times. To keep your work on track, create a routine for yourself and wake up at the same time every morning. Beginning and ending work at the same time each day is also necessary for establishing a healthy work-life balance (more important than ever when working from home).

Sleeping in until minutes before you clock in is another temptation that has arisen from remote work. However, it’s important to give yourself enough time in the morning to fully wake up and mentally prepare for the day. Although you no longer have a morning commute, set aside time in the morning to do yoga, take the dog out, do your skincare routine, or even just brew a pot of coffee. Whatever you need to help you feel ready to take on the day!

2. Workout every day

A regular exercise routine is critical to your physical and mental health. If you’ve been putting off getting back into a physical exercise regimen, the start of your new schedule is an excellent place to begin.

Your work-from-home day can accommodate your exercise routine as well. Simply work out before or after work or squeeze it in during one of your breaks. Exercising and getting your blood flowing will do wonders for avoiding that 3 p.m. crash that seems to hit even harder at home.

4. Maintain a balanced diet

It’s no secret that proper nutrition is key to both your physical and mental wellbeing. However, you’re not alone if your healthy diet fell away with your exercise regimen. Along with getting back on the exercise wagon, it’s time to get your nutrition back on track.

No one is saying you can’t snack. In fact, eating a snack during the day will help increase your brain activity and mood levels, especially if you’re hitting that afternoon slump.

When you’re feeling peckish, pay attention to what you’re putting into your body. Instead of mindlessly snacking on chips to stave off boredom, limit processed foods by eating protein snacks, fruits, and vegetables. You’ll feel much better. 

3. Create a workspace you love

Creating an appealing workspace is necessary when working from home. Working on your laptop at the kitchen table might have worked for the first couple of months. However, if you plan to work remotely permanently or semi-permanently, it’s time to create a dedicated workspace for yourself.


Even if you don’t have a home office, setting aside a workspace will increase your productivity by putting you in a ‘work’ mindset, even while you’re at home. Plus, it will make setting boundaries with family members or roommates much easier.

Not only should you designate a work area for yourself, but you should also create a space that you genuinely enjoy. Natural light, some meaningful wall décor, or even a houseplant can go a long way in making you feel happier in your workspace. In addition, make sure that the wall in back of your desk area is decluttered. If you make a lot of video calls, you’ll want to make sure that your background looks clean and professional.

5. Set boundaries and stick to them

One of the biggest challenges of working from home comes in setting boundaries – not only with bosses and coworkers, but also with yourself. Your workday tends to bleed into your home life if you lack clear boundaries. So, when you set your scheduled beginning and end to your workday, stick to them. Work can wait until your scheduled starting time. Enjoy your home life in the meantime.

6. Communicate with teammates

It’s essential to maintain strong communication when working remotely. Tell coworkers when you’re taking your lunch break, if you’re clocking in late or clocking out early for an appointment, or simply if you need to step away from your computer for 15 minutes.

This over-communication helps takes the guesswork out of remote work if you don’t respond to a message or email right away. Managers will value your honesty and transparency about your hours, and teammates will appreciate this open communication, especially if you’re collaborating on a project together. Taking the time to give your manager and teammates these updates will make a big difference in everyone’s work-from-home productivity.

7. Take breaks

While it’s important to limit distractions like your phone during work hours, it’s equally important to take breaks throughout the day. Working in an office creates natural breaks throughout the day, such as grabbing coffee from the break room or stopping by a coworker’s desk to catch up. However, it’s much harder to incorporate these pauses into your day when working from your home. Without these natural breaks, it can be difficult to maintain your stamina for eight hours.

Taking a 10 minute walk in the afternoon, getting up to stretch, or making yourself tea or coffee are easy ways to add short breaks into your work day. Lastly, say no to the temptation to skip your lunch break. Taking some time away from your desk is important for ending the day on a strong note.

Conclusion

Working from home is a blessing, but even the biggest blessings seldom come without challenges. Working from home is undoubtedly one of those blessings, but following these seven tips will help you stop feeling like you’re aimlessly floating through COVID life and start making the most of this time.