If you are fortunate enough to have the permission to work from home – then you should feel proud that your company trusts you enough to give you this freedom. However, this type of freedom can often feel overwhelming which can affect your career performance detrimentally. So for all those struggling with this, here’s how to stay motivated working from home:
Before tackling how to stay motivated working from home; it is important to classify why this is an issue for so many individuals:
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There is no time constraints:
When working from home there is no rules for when you should start and end work. There is also no boss to be behind your back micromanaging the crap out of you. Therefore if you lack on the willpower end – it may be difficult to set strict guidelines for yourself.
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It can be easy to forget that you still work:
Being at home is usually associated with holidays or weekends; therefore when you start to blur this line – it can sometimes be difficult to stay focused on your work instead of being tempted to take a break after every five minutes.
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Disturbances:
Having your office based at home also comes with the burden of disturbances – especially if you have children or noisy neighbors. Therefore staying focused in this type of environment can often be a difficult task.
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Gap in communication
When working from home there is also the added difficulty of not having colleagues close by to ask question or just find out about things. This makes communication a big issue especially when data is required.
Now to the stuff you have been waiting for. Here is how to stay motivated working from home:
Have a work-space
One of the best methods for how to stay motivated when working from home is to establish clear boundaries in the form of a working space. This space needs to be a respected territory with strict rules. This should be an area with limited access from other family members and in addition, an area which you reserve purely for getting work done. Choose a quiet room with no distractions like a television set. This should be a room that when you walk in immediately shouts out – “it’s time for work!”
Set- alarms and schedules
Just because you are working from home, doesn’t mean that setting schedules and timing your day isn’t necessary. The key to stay motivated working from home is to create positive habits by giving your day structure. Have a set time for waking up and taking breaks and stick to this religiously. The advantage of working from home is that your times can be flexible; however there should always be some generic structure that you follow each day. For example: if you choose to allocate 8 hours a day for work – then make sure that you cover this 8 hours irrespective of which time of day you get down to this. You can also schedule your time based on work deadlines for e.g. identifying by when you want to accomplish certain tasks.
Set goals
As mentioned previously, setting goals is extremely important for how to stay motivated working from home. Goals create that added positive pressure which prevents procrastination. It also prevents Parkinson’s law which essentially dictates that the longer time period you allocate for a certain task the more unnecessary elements you add to fill up the time. Read this post on the importance of setting goals.
Develop habits
Habits are great ways for how to stay motivated working from home. It may take 21 days to form them; however after they have been submersed into your life – it will be easier to stick to your schedule and routine. For example creating the habit of waking up early everyday will ensure that you make the most out of the time in your day.
Keep in regular contact with the office
When working from home it can sometimes feel as if you are disconnected from the outside world or even the company you work for. Therefore it is important to get out for a breath of fresh air. Alternatively, take a trip to the office from time to time to reaffirm to yourself that you are still clued up on how things are running in the business. Also have someone at the office who will keep you updated on all new changes in the office – so that you don’t get a surprise the next time you decide to pop in.
Find the best time to work
Lastly, the best way for how to stay motivated working from home is to find your best time for optimal performance. If during the day is difficult to get things done – then ensure that you allocate nights for completing your work. Creating this flexibility will make you happier because you are choosing the way your day goes.
To learn how to fully achieve success in all facets of your life, read: Applying A Growth Mindset To Achieve Success
