Everything You Need to Work Remote Comfortably (While Staying Productive)

Get up, get in the shower, and get dressed like you’re going into the office. Set yourself up for success. Set a morning ritual of getting ready. Sometimes it helps trick the mind into thinking you’re at work, so no pajamas! Jot down your to-do list for the day and eat a good breakfast.

Find a spot that works for you. Do you need a quiet space, or do you need to be in an area with background noise to help keep you focused? You could set up shop on the coffee table in the living room or at the dining room table. You could have a dedicated office, or spend your day moving around the house. Spend the morning brainstorming ideas at your office desk and spend the afternoon answering emails on the couch. Nothing is taboo when it comes to making your space work for you.

This can mean your mind and/or your working space. If your mind is on household chores you need to begin, you won’t be able to focus on the tasks at hand. Create a clutter-free space to work in and keep your mind on the work chores that need to be done each day.

This is a habit that should be followed both in the office and at home. That schedule at home may be more effective because it can give you more structure to your day, makes it easier to check tasks off your list, and helps keep you more focused and on track.

One of the benefits of having a home office is that you can decorate it just the way you want, more so than you can an at-work office. Decorate your office with things that make you happy, comfortable, and that suit your working style. The benefit here is that you will have created an ambiance that you won’t mind sitting in for up to eight hours a day, making it easier for you to focus on your work.

It is easy to work straight through breaks and lunchtimes when working from home. It’s a less structured environment and so it’s easy to forget to sit back for a minute and relax. The most important benefits of taking regular breaks are better decision making, sparks creative ideas and new solutions and, most importantly, helps you to stay focused over long periods of time.

Don’t just stay at home if you can work remote from anywhere. Take work with you to a new spot like Starbucks, or anywhere else that may have free wi-fi for you to use. The background noise and chatter can help with productivity because it helps you feel like you’re in a work environment and it’s a nice change of scenery.

No two people are the same, no matter how many qualities they may have in common. What works for your work bestie may not work for you. Others may get more done early in the morning as soon as they wake up, while others may need some more time to shuffle around the house before they can begin work. Set your schedule around the time of day you know you’re at your most productive.

Working from home may be a way to avoid this if you’re and introvert; however, as humans we need social interaction at some point every day. Without it we can become depressed, leading to even less productivity. Find a way to keep in contact with your coworkers throughout the day and possibly even reach out to those you don’t work with.

When you work from home, it’s hard to disconnect completely from your job. Especially if you’re comfortable and relaxed in your workspace you can get so caught up in what you’re doing, you can lose track of time. If you log out for the day and are tempted to log back in because you’ve had a great idea, write the idea down or set a note on your cell phone to remind you for the next workday.