When I started working from home, I was still living with my family, so the chores around the house were divided. My mom did most of the cooking, which helped a lot because I didn’t have to take breaks to prepare the meals. But that opened a possibility to take fewer breaks, do more tasks, and even work longer hours. That was my first WFH productivity trap: I thought that working more and staying overtime was okay because I’m home, so I can easily do it.
Is working from home more productive?
I don’t think there is a yes or no answer to this question. I feel more productive when I work from home, because there are fewer distractions. If I want a cup of coffee, I’m not going to bump into a coworker in the kitchen and end up chatting for 20 minutes. But let’s face it, sometimes I do miss that. Online coffee breaks don’t really have the same vibe. When you work remotely, meetings usually need to be super efficient and productive and not a waste of everyone’s time.
Some people like working from home, and some don’t, that is a fact. So your productivity will depend on that. If you like working remotely, you probably know how to organize and structure your days, and when your most productive (peak) hours during the day are. If you don’t like it, it can be difficult to feel productive when you’re home. Maybe you feel more productive when you are around other people, when everyone around you is also working on their projects. Or, on the other hand, maybe you need the silence and peace you have at home.
How to stay productive working from home
If you have trouble staying productive, there are a couple of things I want to suggest you try. Nothing here is groundbreaking, but it can help bring some structure to your day. These tips are also great if you’ve never worked from home before and you need a guide on working remotely.
Plan your day
I don’t mean buy an expensive planner with an overwhelming amount of mini tasks to do during the day. Simplicity is key here. Have you used a planner before? If yes, did it work for you? I love the idea of a physical planner, but I sometimes get overwhelmed by the pressure to populate it daily. Especially when I have so many things to do that writing it all down feels like another task.
What I’m trying to say is to find what works for you. Try a few options. But commit to them for a couple of weeks before deciding it’s not for you.
If you’re new to planning (you’re gonna love it!) I would suggest printing out a couple of daily schedules and seeing how that feels. Do you prefer planning hourly, or do you like the flexibility of a blank planner? Try them both.
Also, you can try writing your main tasks on a piece of paper and keeping that close by, so you always know what your priorities should be.
Take breaks
Don’t make the same mistake I did when I joined the corporate world. Breaks are necessary during the day. You take them when you work from the office, why wouldn’t you do it when you’re home?
Because you think you don’t need them. Or you want to get more work done. Because xyz. Does your manager take breaks? Yes, they most likely do. If they don’t, you shouldn’t feel pressured to follow their structure (or lack thereof).
Our brains don’t function the same way at the beginning and the end of our workday. We feel tired even if we are not doing any physical work, and taking breaks is an important step you shouldn’t skip.
What happens when you try to do it all?
I’m going to write down all the WFH productivity traps I can think of, and I’m sure you will nod along as you read them. Do you start a new load of laundry and get them out as soon as the washing machine is done, even if it’s 5min before a meeting? Do you suddenly feel the urge to vacuum your room because you might not have the time to do it later? Do you go grocery shopping in the middle of the day?
You see where I’m going with this.
Somehow, work and life merged into one when we started working from home. Even if you have a separate room for work, you still feel the need to do the small chores around the house whenever you get a minute or two. It feels like a good compromise – “I’m gonna do this one thing now, and then I can stay to work it off”, and before you know it, you’re working until 9 or 10 PM and your day is a mix of household chores and work.
I’m not saying that’s necessarily bad, I still do a chore or two when I can, but we need to talk about the pressure it creates when we work from home.
This is the pressure we put on ourselves, and the most difficult conversations are usually the ones we need to have with our own minds. I know that others can also pressure us, but in this case I’m talking about the pressure we create.
It is okay if you can’t manage everything
I’m saying this to myself, too. We need to remember that we are human beings (what a privilege in this AI era we’re in, right?), and we can’t do it all. Maybe you’re a superhuman and you can, but then I’m guessing you wouldn’t be reading this.
Some days you will have a lot of meetings, tons of tasks to do, and barely any time to take a break. Do you think you can fit washing your dishes in between all that? Of course not. But that’s when we feel the pressure kick in. You’re probably thinking, “I’m home, why shouldn’t I do it now?” Well, if you were at the office, would you be doing the dishes in the middle of the day?
You wouldn’t. If you are having a chill day at work, not a lot of tasks, then sure, wash the dishes and stay 20-30 minutes extra to work it off. But if you’re not, give yourself a break. You are working, and if your focus needs to be solely on work for the next 8 or 9 hours, that’s how it should be. And you should be proud of yourself for surviving that tough day, instead of feeling guilty that you didn’t do more.
Setting boundaries
It is difficult to have a work life balance when your place of work is in the same area as your fridge. I still haven’t met anyone who’s so disciplined that they act as if they are at the office. It’s fine if you’re not acting the same way as you would when you work on site.
And while that is a great perk, it can also lead to feeling like you don’t know when work begins and ends.
Sometimes your manager might ask you to work after hours. Or worse, expect that of you. In that case, I usually organize my day so that I can start later and be there. And in full honesty, I might even stay an hour more, I’m still working on boundaries myself, you see.
I know it can be hard to say no, but you should set your boundaries and let others know when they are crossing them.
Create your work-life balance version
Lastly, I want to remind you: this is your life, and you get to decide what you do with it. In my opinion, having a structure is so important when you work from home. It helps you define what work life balance means for you and helps you stay out of the WFH productivity traps we talked about.
Tell me, what makes your day feel lighter, what habit gives you a morning boost? Not caffeine, that goes without saying.
Write it down, journal it. But have it on your mind every morning, and remember that work should only take a part of your day, the rest is for you to do with it what you like!
