10 Ways to Be More Productive Working from Home

A lot of us have had to make the transition to working from home during this crisis. As someone who worked from home for nearly ten years, I have written a list of 10 things that I believe will help you not make some of the mistakes I made (and in some cases continue to make). Not all of these will apply to each of you, but I encourage you to go over the list with an open mind. Ask yourself, if I implemented any of these suggestions, would I be more productive? If the answer is yes, then you know what to do!

1.   Understand that “working from home” and “home life” are two different things. 

This point is my longest because I believe it is the most important. We no longer divide our day between going to work and being at home. We do not have to commute, nor spend as much time getting ready (see point #3). Everything revolves around the house, and our routines have become blurred.

For example, I remember (in my previous career) my wife asking me to take out the trash in the middle of the workday. A bit agitated, I reminded her that I was working and that she needed to pretend I wasn’t at home! However, I would sometimes mow the yard in the morning. In my mind, it made sense as most of the offices I oversaw were in the Midwest (1 hour behind me). I could mow the grass and be ready for work by the time those offices opened. To my wife, it seemed that I could do other things around the house when they needed to be done (and therefore OK to interrupt me). These are typical situations that are going to arise in our new normal. You just need to plan on how to handle them.  

Here are three things I did to help me differentiate between work and home: 

A. Pick a spot in your home to work from every day. Treat this space just like you would if you were at the office. If possible, try and avoid using this space at other times. 

B. Choose a time to start your day, as well as a time to end your day. I know it is difficult sometimes, but try not to respond to texts, emails, calls, etc. after the time you chose to end your day (I will admit I am terrible about this!). 

C. Communicate with your family. Let them know where you are working from, and what your schedule will be. Situations will arise (like when my wife was screaming there was a snake in the garage!). The idea is to limit them as much as possible.

Remember, your family is having to adjust to you working from home as well. For a stay at home mother or father, having you work from home is going to interrupt their routines. On the flip side, use this as an opportunity to help them. For example, take the kids outside and play with them for a few minutes during your lunch break. This can be a win-win for everyone. You and the kids get some exercise (see point #7), while also giving your spouse some much needed alone time. 

2. Develop healthy habits that will help you get through the day. 

It is scientifically proven that the fewer decisions we have to make each morning, the more productive we will be throughout the day. We all have our morning habits (brush our teeth, shower, coffee, etc.). However, when our circumstances change as they have now, it is a great time to learn to develop other healthy habits. One great habit to incorporate is preparing for tomorrow the night before. Decide what time you will get up, what you will wear, and when you will begin working. The fewer decisions we have to make in the morning, the more productive we will be for the rest of the day.

3. You will be more productive if you get dressed before starting your workday. 

No, I am not saying you need to put on a suit or a dress to work from your kitchen table. What I am saying is don’t go to work in your pajamas! A good rule of thumb is if you wouldn’t wear it to work, don’t wear it at home. Sometimes you might wear a suit to work, but at other times you might wear a golf shirt. If a golf shirt is the lowest form of dress you would wear to the office, then that is what I recommend you wear at home. Is this a big deal? No, not necessarily (unless you are on Zoom calls, then I might argue that it is). I just believe that this is one of those helpful habits (see point #2) that can help you differentiate between work and home (see point #1).

4. Start planning your next week’s work after you finish this week’s work.

Schedule some time on Friday afternoon to reflect on what you accomplished this week. You will have some learning adjustments in the first few weeks, and that is fine. Learn from them and make tweaks accordingly. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will your schedule be dialed in immediately. The key is to identify the weak points and correct them for the future. 

5. Find opportunities for social connection. 

 

Whether you are an introvert or extravert, our brains need time to connect with other brains. While working from home, we don’t have the normal daily interactions our brains are used to. Make sure you take time each day to Facetime a co-worker or family member. This is also a great time to reconnect with friends you haven’t spoken to in years. What better excuse then to say you are checking on them to see if they are doing OK during this crisis?

6. Find Opportunities for Isolation.

I know this sounds counter-intuitive to the previous point. However, just like our brains need social connection, it is also essential to make sure you make time to be alone. A lot of us have kids at home, as well as spouses (some of them working from home as well). Try and take a few minutes each day to decompress from all that is going on.

7. Get moving! 

It can be effortless to sit down at your desk when you start your workday, and not move the entire day! Believe me; this happened to me on many occasions in my past career. Our bodies and mind depend on movement. Just think about all the moves you made every day when going to the office: walking to your car, walking from the parking lot to your office, walking to meetings, walking to the breakroom for lunch, and then the reverse at the end of the day. I am not saying you need to walk miles and miles, but just getting up and walking around the house. If it is a beautiful day, I recommend doing this outside for some added vitamin D. 

8. This is a great time to focus on our spiritual discipline.

We are all in a different place when it comes to our spiritual discipline. I am in no way an expert, but I do know it is essential to have time every day to connect with God. Whether that be through prayer time, reading your Bible, fasting, etc. I think we would all agree we could do better. To me, there is no better way to prepare for every aspect of my day than to set aside time to focus on my spiritual health. Connecting with God may look different to each of us, but we each need a plan to which we can commit. I would be happy to help anyone who needs help with developing a plan. You can also download the YouVersion app, which has all types of reading and prayer plans available. 

9. There is more to entertainment then Netflix.

It is easy to get caught in the wormhole of binge-watching shows. Yes, shows about exotic tigers can be great to unwind from a stressful day, but our brains need other stimuli. How many of us have said they need to read more? Well, this is the perfect time to do so. If reading is not your thing, there are some great podcasts to listen to (ask me for some of my favorites). Maybe it is drawing or painting? Just find some form of entertainment besides scrolling and streaming. 

In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with doing this during your lunch break. I believe it can help you refocus for the rest of the day and cause you to be more productive. 

10. STOP WATCHING THE NEWS! (yes, I am yelling this)

This last point I added for the time we are living in today. We all know putting negativity into our minds is only going to cause anxiety and fear. My suggestion is to check the news twice a day (at the most). This way, you stay informed, without the constant negativity. Keep in mind that the media is a for-profit industry. They make their money through advertising, and the more people that watch/click/listen to them, the more money they make. Thus, they are more interested in causing fear because that is what drives people to their platforms. Instead, use this time for better purposes (see points 5,6,7,8,9)

I hope these ideas will be as helpful to you as they eventually became to me. With that said, I will leave you with a short synopsis of a story I recently read. In 1665 Cambridge University was shut down due to the Great Plague of London. During this time, Isaac Newton was a student at Trinity College at Cambridge and had to return to his family’s home. It is believed that during this time, he invented calculus and parts of the optic theory. It was also alleged that while sitting in his garden, he saw an apple fall from a tree, which inspired his understanding of gravity and the laws of motion. I would say that quarantine time was pretty productive for the soon to be knighted, Sir Isaac Newton! What if we were to take this time to slow down and focus more. Maybe we would become more productive? Perhaps we find ways to be more innovative?

Or most importantly, we take this time to grow spiritually? Whatever you do, take this time to improve yourself. You may never have an opportunity like this again!

If you're a pastor or spiritual leader, consider joining our CSN community. We are a group of passionate Christ-followers with a burden to teach and equip God's people with God's financial principles so they can live purpose-filled and generous lives. Sign up for our mailing list to get new content from CSN directly to your inbox!

Paul Cooper serves as an assistant pastor at Bayside Community Church in the greater Tampa Bay, FL region, overseeing the Stewardship ministry at all 8 of their campuses. Previous to coming on staff at Bayside Paul worked in management for a Fortune 500 company, overseeing training for all North American operations. He is married to his beautiful wife Janet, and is father to two amazing children, Haley and Paul Jr.