How To Stay Motivated When Working From Home

Working from home isn’t easy. It is very convenient though. We are able to save
on drive time and gas money. The biggest plus is being privileged to sit in our homes and work for companies and ourselves. What a concept! It eliminates all of the woes of commuting and having to deal with coworker distractions as well as having people breathing down our necks. From the start, working from home seems like a great idea, until we have to maintain the level of excitement to pursue our jobs and careers.

Many of us like the flexibility of being available to do the pick ups and drop offs that many parents have to do. I have two boys, they are 15 and 11 years and each have different after-school activities and needs. Your boss may not know that you sneak in your own to dos, but that is also a huge aspect of the appeal. You may clear out your dish washer or call the insurance company or put a load of laundry on to wash. It’s one less thing you have to do in the grand scheme of things. Ultimately, it’s taking you away from leveling up in your business and/or career.

Maybe you like the convenience of getting up, brushing your teeth, making your morning smoothie or coffee and heading straight to work, aka your desk. Working from home for us gals has taken convenience, efficiency and effectiveness and merged the three to create the ultimate trifecta!

As with anything, there are draw backs. Motivation being the most significant. It’s hard to stay motivated to work independently at a company or in your own business. If you find yourself doing the bare minimum and not going above and beyond, these steps can help you create and maintain motivation.

Routines can keep you stay on task. Know what you are doing from the time you awake to the time you finish your work day. Every moment should not be calendarized. That will just annihilate the spontaneity that you should keep after work hours. What you do before work sets the stage for a productive day. The time you wake up and how long you dedicate towards exercise, meditation, etc. Usually, during your work day there’s a certain set of tasks you accomplish. For instance, you may check your email and then get a head start on your agenda for the day. I have an insane obsession with crossing to dos off my list. As the kids say today, it’s so satisfying. You can apply the ancient yet effective pen and paper, the calendar on your device, a Google Calendar or you can use an excellent routine app like Clickup. Clickup can track your progress, add and engage your team so that you are on the same page on any given project.

Distractions can be the bane of our progress. It can suck our time like the succubus it is! That paints a picture so let’s go with time demon instead. Whether it’s Facebook, Tiktok, Instagram, podcasts, or television, these distractions can plummet our motivation to a mindless pit of desperation. Distractions are much like addictions. If we are not careful they overtake our lives and consume our minds. Turn off your notifications when you’re working. It will be one less ding pulling you in its direction. Schedule a time limit for shows and social media. Put the phone away. Find ways to stay on task. You don’t have to go cold turkey. However, you can reduce time spent on non productive time wasters.

One thing that being in the workplace was great for was getting up and dressing well for work. When we look good, we tend to feel good. The work from home culture brought about casual day every day or even better, pajama day all day everyday. Dressing down makes us feel too comfortable at home and not in an at work mindset. If we are in pjs all day, we may not be too inclined to be very productive throughout the work day. I make it a point to get up and get dressed. I even put on light makeup. This is a magic trick for staying the course.

Know what the next day brings. Jot down your goals for the next day. There will be no confusion regarding what needs to be done. Knowing takes the guess work out of the work day. Bite sized goals are useful in the grand scheme of fulfilling larger goals. Writing for 45 minutes each day may eventually lead to that blog or book you’d like to publish. We are creatures of habit. We must first have habits worthy of our goals.

My 11 year old loves to be rewarded so he works extra hard to get good grades and progress in his tasks. All he wants is to be taken to Starbucks or to get some new toys or the coveted jackpot; good food. He likes to be wined and dined! The kid is too much! It’s a fairly simple ask and I comply. The same for you. What reward will fuel your motivation? Is it a SPA day, a massage or a Starbucks Chai Latte? When you stick to the plan and you do whatever it takes, you deserve a pat on the back and that reward you worked towards.

The aforementioned steps are all facets of being disciplined. When you are disciplined you do not need a motivation pick me up. When you have a routine, goals and you’re prepared for a productive day, you will find discipline is paving your path for success. You will no longer need to rely on coping mechanisms because you have set yourself up for progress.

C.T.A:

What’s holding you back from optimal efforts and results in your business? And what steps are you implementing or have already put in place?