Being Productive While Working at Home

Being productive while working at home can seem impossible at times. For me, when I’m home, I just want to relax, my home is my little sanctuary because I love being home. It can be hard to get into the groove of a productive routine when being home. Which is why we’re here today, so I can share my tips with you!

Some of you may not work from home or you work from home part of the week like me. And I’m sure some of you work from home while working for someone else, if that makes sense? For example, my mom works from home but she works for Mayo. I work from home part of the week, but I work for myself. See what I’m saying?

Whatever reason it is that you’re working from home, I think these tips can be useful! Apply them to your life as needed. You can even use these tips if you’re not working from home but working the typical 8 to 5 job.

Create a Routine

No matter what, create a routine for yourself. Perhaps the routine starts the night before or morning of. This means doing the same things that prepare you in the best way for the day ahead of you. Maybe you wake up at 6am to go to the gym and then you meditate and have your morning coffee. Do what works for you. Waking up at 6am doesn’t work for me, but I’d LOVE to be able to do it (I won’t rule it out yet). I wake up between 7am-8am. First thing I do is brush my teeth & wash my face. Then I make my bed and take care of my cats. Next I drink at least one glass of water before drinking any coffee. While I drink my coffee at my kitchen table, I write my morning pages with a candle lit. It’s so soothing & prepares me for the day. While doing all of this there is complete silence (I love silence in the mornings, it’s energizing. Then I’ll do an Instagram post, work on a blog post, or edit/film a YouTube video. I might have to run errands somewhere in there or I’ll get my work out done! My first meal is between noon & 1:30pm (I’ve been intermittent fasting), but at this point I’ve had at least 30oz of water. After this point, my days can go whichever way because I know I’ve already gotten done what I really needed to get done that day!

Follow a Schedule

My schedule is made on every Sunday for the week ahead. If need be, I’ll add more to the schedule to keep me on track with everything that needs to get done. I make my schedule in my planner. You could use a Google Calendar too. I like writing things down in my planner because there’s something so satisfying about being able to cross it off once I’ve finished it. Everything gets written down in my planner from when Instagram and blog posts need to be published, when I need to grocery shop, vet appointments, when I need to travel, & any errands I need to do like go to the bank. They’re laid out in days so I know what I need to finish the next day if I didn’t get to it the day of. Following a schedule allows me to stay organized & holds me accountable. If I didn’t get an Instagram post up on Monday and it’s now Tuesday, then I know on Tuesday I need to get two Instagram posts up. I also never forget important appointments because they’re always written down. Organization and accountability is what my planner does for me. And this leads me to having days that don’t go wasted because I’m using the time I have the best way I know how.

Get a Good Nights Sleep

Sleep is one of my favorite things ever. Crawling into bed after having a busy & fulfilling day is such a rewarding feeling. But you need a good nights sleep to be able to take on another day that will be busy. I average 7 hours of sleep a night, but would love 9 hours. Anything under 6, I feel like a god damn zombie who’s crabby and has dark circles under her eyes. Like, no, not my cup of tea. You know your body better than anyone and maybe you don’t need 8 hours of sleep. Again, do what works for you AND what’s good for you. There’s not a chance I could run off of 5 hours of sleep a night every night. My head would be so foggy and my days would not be as eventful.

Have a Relaxing Night Routine

This one is simple and goes with getting a good nights sleep. Nighttime is when I relax. I’ll get my workout done, shower, make dinner, & watch The Haunting of Hill House. Around 10:30/11:00pm, I feed my cats, tidy everything up, brush my teeth, do a good body stretch, and crawl into bed (not looking at my phone until the next day during this time). If it’s still early enough, I’ll read too! Having this relaxing night routine allows me to fall asleep fast and have a good nights sleep. Which all leads to having a productive day the next day. Maybe for some, a relaxing night routine is going to the gym, coming home to shower, & then they’re in bed. Or it’s reading from 7pm to 10pm. As long as you’re doing something you enjoy so you can feel relaxed, is all that matters.

Take what you’d like from this post & leave what you don’t, this is based off of my own personal experience. If you are wanting to feel inspired, read this post to learn where my daily inspiration is coming from! Hint: the book is very good.

xx, Aubrianna