Working from home sounds like a dream. You’re free to create a work atmosphere that suits you and in the comfort of your own home. Fewer distractions, fewer pet peeves, and access to snacks anytime you want.
You would think this is the recipe for guaranteed happiness at work. Well, depending on your self-discipline and personality, motivation may eventually dwindle.
Seasoned freelancers, self-employed company directors, graduate interns in the Covid aftermath, or digital nomads, for anyone that avoids commuting to a desk job, it’s helpful to have some inspiration for ways to work from home better.
Tidy your work area
Create a welcoming work area by keeping your desk clean and free from clutter. In fact, a law journal found that minimalism “reduces stress and improves mental wellbeing”.
When your desk is buried under a mountain of papers, notes, empty mugs, and tangled earphones, it’s difficult to get any work done. Organise your papers in folders, put your pens in a pen pot, and throw away anything you don’t need.
Buy baskets, storage, file holders, and install shelving to put everything in its place. Try keeping your desk as clear as possible and only use it for your laptop, keyboard, mouse, and notebook. Everything else can be put on shelves, in drawers, or in handy storage boxes.
A good clear-up of your desk can be therapeutic and help you feel motivated to keep it tidy every day.
Take care of your back
Improving your posture can help you work from home better. Hours at an ill-equipped desk, on the sofa with your laptop, or at the dining table, can quickly cause neck and shoulder pain. Especially if your home doesn’t have specialised office furniture.
It may be tempting to finish your work campaign from your bed, but suffering a trapped nerve or twisted neck muscle will cause you misery for weeks. Instead, take care of your back and neck with an ergonomic office chair.
An office chair with adjustable height and a flexible, supportive backrest will transform your working day at home. By sitting with proper posture, you will be able to concentrate better, and feel more motivated when working at home.
Find a change of scenery
You can also try moving your desk to another area in your study or a different room in the house. A spot with plenty of natural light will make a huge improvement to your mood while you work from home.
If you’re dog tired of being at home, treat yourself to a co-working office. Some are free such as new “bank cafes” - like Starbucks but cheaper coffee, more space to work, and owned by a bank.
Other co-working offices are affordable and provide a place to escape if you struggle with annoying flatmates or you just don’t want the monotony of being home alone every day.
Stick to a schedule
It’s easy to get off track with your daily timetable when you don’t have an office to drive to. If you have control of your working hours, create a routine and stick to it during your workweek.
You might find that working out in the gym first thing in the morning helps you start your workday earlier at home. Creating a schedule and a to-do list the night before can give you the motivation to complete these tasks the next day.
Buy a wall calendar to help you visualise deadlines or dates for goals. A weekly planner will organise your working days.
Use an hourglass
Stay focused on your tasks by keeping an affordable sand timer on your desk. It can be easy to lose track of time even though laptops have a digital clock. Seeing a different vision of time going by can boost your motivation to complete tasks at your home office.
Try a 15-minute hourglass to break up your tasks into short parts. A 30-minute hourglass is great for motivating you to speed up your work pace, or to change tasks.
Sand timers are less aggressive than setting alarms or timers on your phone.
Adopt a cat
Having a cat or dog at home can boost your motivation to work from home. It is widely found in research that companion animals can improve your mental health and provide therapy. One medical journal found that pet dogs lower blood pressure. Researchers also found that dogs and cats as pet therapy reduced depressive symptoms.
A furry companion gives you other responsibilities in the house to break up your day. Leaving your desk for 20 minutes to walk your dog can give you a much-needed break from a difficult work project.
Cats love to sleep by your laptop or monitor for moral support, and dogs love to sleep by your feet. There’s something about having an animal companion that brings joy to being at home.
Remember the benefits of working from home
Even when you are facing writer’s block or feeling severe boredom, just remember the great freedom of working at home. You will achieve a balance between work and life.
No annoying coworkers, no tedious office gossip, no loud office noises, no long commute to work, and definitely no real clothes necessary. Every normal person loves the comfort of working in PJs. Plus, no ironing!
