Productivity Tips For Working From Home

Staying focused when working from home isn’t always an easy thing to do. There are distractions everywhere, from family members working in nearby rooms to the lure of turning the TV on for a quick break. In order to stay productive, it’s important to eliminate or reduce distractions in your working space.

If you don’t need your phone for work, put it on silent.

Put your phone on silent, not vibrate. When your phone is silenced, you won’t go to pick it up every time it makes a sound. Having it on vibrate is basically the same as having the ringer on and the temptation to look at is still there. Only pick up your phone if you need it for a work related task.

Disable app notifications.

If you need to use your phone for work, disable app notifications so that they don’t pop up while you’re working. This serves the same purpose as putting your phone on silent. With fewer notifications, you’ll be able to put your phone down when you’re not using it, rather than getting sucked into a loop of ‘just a quick check’.

Open a separate browser window for work.

Keep your work internet separate from your personal internet by opening up a separate browser window. When all of your open tabs are work focused, you’ll be less tempted to open Amazon and order something or check Twitter. When you take a break from working, you can switch to your personal browser window. This helps reduce distractions and provides a separation between work and free time

Use your TV as a bigger monitor.

Sometimes you need more real estate than a laptop screen can provide, but you don’t have an external monitor. That’s where your TV comes in. You’ll need an HDMI cable and most likely an adapter for your laptop. A quick google search of your computer model plus HDMI will tell you which adapter you need. A Bluetooth keyboard is another good addition, as it gives you more freedom

Take breaks and move around.

Taking breaks and getting up to move is the best way to stay productive. Breaks help you re-focus and re-energize, and movement gets your blood flowing. Do a few stretches, take a lap around your apartment, or spend time outside. There’s no wrong way to move around, and you can do it even if your space is small.