I’m excited to share another collaborative post with y’all about one of my favorite work/blogger perks!
The working from home struggle is real! You may expect that your day will all be lady of leisure stuff, but finding yourself in your pajamas at 3 pm eating cereal on the sofa is a bit fall that many self-employed people who use their dining table as an office have fallen prey do. Is there a way to work from home and stay sane? How do you avoid wasting half the day on Instagram or getting drawn into websites offering a Playgrand casino bonus? The benefits of having no commute and no office politics can still be shiny and new if you follow these golden rules:
Separate Your Life
A lot of the issues with working from home and productivity come from feeling like there are no boundaries between home life and work – so make sure you create them. Choose a space as your work-place but keep it that way. If possible try and keep it separate from areas where you usually eat, sleep or watch TV. If that isn’t possible, consider looking into getting a foldaway desk that you can just use for work, and put away afterward. Some people also find that dressing the part works. Keep up a separate ‘work wardrobe’ and make a point of putting it on each morning to make the distinction clear.
Turn Up The Volume
Although peace is highly desirable and even essential for tasks needing deep focus, sometimes a lack of atmosphere can stifle your creativity. So look into ambient noise apps or make sure part of your working day is spent at a local coffee shop to give a bit more atmosphere. Or if you like some music, use Spotify to find working playlists that provide motivation.
Take Proper Breaks
Set a time in the morning and afternoon to take a coffee break, and also make sure that you take time away from your desk for lunch. If possible walk around outside to press reset on your tired brain and soak up some vitamin D. This can also help to make you feel that you’re seeing daylight instead of spending the entire day inside. When you have lunch, don’t just snack on whatever’s to hand. The advantage of working from home is that you can easily create a simple, healthy lunch that will leave you feeling full and ready to tackle an afternoon of work. If you’re feeling a bit isolated try looking for local blogger meet-ups to go along to.
Make it Harder to Mess Around.
The temptation of social media is always present, and if you’re a blogger it can be even harder as you have to use those channels for work! Use of a social media blocker at times where you should be focusing on creating content is a great idea. That way you know you won’t find at 6 pm that you fell down a YouTube rabbit hole several hours ago and lost a whole afternoon.
Planning ahead, scheduling in regular breaks and creating a bit of vital separation between leisure and work time can make working from home a whole lot more productive- all while being a much more pleasant and motivating experience for you.
This post was a collaborative effort – please check out my disclosure policy page for more details.