5 Proven Hacks To Keep Your Motivation High When Working From Home

5 Proven Hacks To Keep Your Motivation High When Working From Home

So you have your virtual office in London, but you’re finding working from home can be difficult, mainly because home is the place you go to relax and get away from work. However, if you’re in the process of starting your own business, you may find that you don’t have the funds to travel into town every day and buy coffees in Pret or work in a coworking space. But don’t sweat the small stuff; it’s important to stay motivated and driven so that you don’t lose sight of the bigger picture. You won’t be working from home forever so put in the work now and reap the rewards later! Here are our 5 proven hacks to boost your motivation.

1. MOVE YOUR BODY

It’s not rocket science that exercise leads to increased levels of productivity. When you break up your day with exercise, you naturally boost your mood and increase your energy levels.

Ulrica von Thiele Schwarz argues that increased productivity comes, “on the one hand, from people getting more done during the hours they are at work, perhaps because of increased stamina and, on the other hand, from less absenteeism owing to sickness.”

Steve Olenski highlights studies that suggest that exercising in the morning can actually improve productivity, performance and mood throughout the entire day. He argues that “the study showed multiple improvements following exercise: Critically, workers performed significantly better on exercise days and across all three areas we measured, known as mental-interpersonal, output and time demands.” Check out all the great benefits of exercising here.

So get to steppin’! (Or running or gymming…whatever you enjoy most.)

2. TRACK HOW YOU SPEND YOUR TIME

Maybe you’re losing motivation at home simply because you don’t realise how much time you are wasting on things that aren’t work-related. If you want to increase your productivity and decrease your tendency to waste time- try installing an apps like RescueTime or Time Doctor.  They track time spent on applications and websites and jobs, helping you understand your daily habits so you can focus and be more productive.

3. DON’T BE A RECLUSE

It can be easy to hide away in your house day in and day out, tirelessly staring at your laptop screen. By the end of the week it may seem like your computer is your only friend, staring back at you blankly and never saying a word. If you have a tendency to get sucked into a technology vacuum when working from home, remind yourself to take a break and go outside! Often times, it can be lonely working by yourself so schedule time to see other humans. Even simply walking down the street to the store and chatting to the person behind the till can help you exercise your social skills. Check out this post by Scientific American to see just how beneficial being social can be!

4. WAKE UP EARLY

Ah, the old “wake up early” hack. We promise you, it works. Getting out of bed with ambition and motivation is crucial when you are working from home. When you get out of bed early with a plan, you own the day, not the other way around. That difference is extremely important, especially when trying to run a business. This Forbes article details the top 10 advantages to waking up early. If you’re having trouble opening your peepers when your alarm goes off, check out this post by Zen habits which lists the most successful techniques for rising early.

5. SET UP A SCHEDULE AND STICK TO IT

Every evening, make a schedule of all the tasks you need to complete the next day. Write it neatly, tidy your desk, and then hit the sack. When you wake up you will have a clean working environment with a pre-written plan for the day, ready to go. By being organised and identifying the tasks that take priority, you are more likely to spend time working on them. Entrepreneur magazine suggests that you “take advantage of your body’s natural rhythms and plan your work around your most productive hours” when trying to tackle your work schedule effectively!

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