Table of ContentsView AllTable of Contents1. Create a Schedule2. Establish a Dedicated Workspace3. Work in Small Blocks of Time4. Limit Distractions and Interruptions5. Practice the “10-Minute Rule”6. Reward Yourself7. Challenge Yourself8. Practice Good Self-Care9. Experiment With Different Strategies10. Practice Regulating Your Emotions

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

  1. Create a Schedule

  2. Establish a Dedicated Workspace

  3. Work in Small Blocks of Time

  4. Limit Distractions and Interruptions

  5. Practice the “10-Minute Rule”

  6. Reward Yourself

  7. Challenge Yourself

  8. Practice Good Self-Care

  9. Experiment With Different Strategies

  10. Practice Regulating Your Emotions

Close

And sometimes, pajamas and a comfortable seat on the sofa just don’t provide the same type of motivation you get from sitting with your coworkers amidst the buzz of a busy office space.

Whether you’re home alone and the house is too quiet, or you’re home with the family and the kids are out of control, you may find it’s tough to stay on task, get your work done, and feelproductive. Fortunately, the following strategies can help you stay motivated when you work from home, whether you are at home full-time or have a hybrid schedule.

Without a structured workday, time can get away from you. You might find that you start shifting your workdays later and later as you sip an extra cup of coffee. Then, your work hours extend later into the evenings, which causes you to stay up later at night, as well.

Or you might find that you easily get off track or distracted while working. Projects that used to take 20 minutes are suddenly lasting 2 hours.

That’s why it’s important to have a clear schedule. Establish a time to begin and end work. Try to stick to it as much as you can.

You might be tempted to work in bed. After all, it’s likely the most comfortable space in the house.

But when you associate your bed with work, it caninterfere with your sleep. And trouble sleeping will affect your performance the following day. Most sleep experts recommend reserving your bed for sleep and sexual activity.

So even though your bed might feel like a comfortable spot, create a workspace somewhere else. If you don’t have the space for a home office, the kitchen table or a desk in the corner of the living room might be better alternatives to your bedroom.

Blocking out small amounts of time—and planning what you’ll do during that timeframe—can make big tasks feel more manageable.

Scheduling your timewill also hold you more accountable. You’ll be less likely to get lost on social media when you know you only have 15 minutes to complete a task. And you’ll beless likely to procrastinatewhen you’ve given yourself a tight deadline.

This may mean muting your phone notifications and only checking your email once an hour. Or placing your phone on “Do Not Disturb” until you complete a specific task.

If you’re working from home with kids, keep them occupied to reduce how often they interrupt you. Give them tasks to do and plan to check on them at a certain time.

Establish some ground rules about what constitutes a legitimate reason for them interrupting you while working. Then, you can reward them for playing well on their own with a chance to do something extra fun when you’re finished working.

It can be hard to convince yourself to start working on atask you really don’t want to do. Whether you know it’s going to be boring, frustrating, or just really challenging, convincing yourself to get started is tough.

More times than not, you’ll likely find that at the 10-minute mark you’ll choose to keep going. Usually, getting started is the toughest part. But once you do, it’s easy to keep the momentum going.

A littleincentivecan often go a long way toward helping you get work done efficiently. And it’ll help you see what you’re capable of accomplishing.

Sometimes, a little challenge can help get you moving, too. For example, you might try to write a certain amount of words in 30 minutes. Once you see how many words you write in 30 minutes, you might try beating that during the next 30-minute time slot.

You might also make some discoveries about yourself. Maybe you type faster when you’re sitting at the kitchen table, or perhaps you have better focus right after lunch. Learning these things about yourself might help you set up your day for success.

Being more aware of your time helps you use it wisely. And challenging yourself in some way might provide the extra incentive you need.

You’ll never be at your best if you’re exhausted and running on caffeine and sugar only. You need a healthy diet, plenty of rest, and good self-care strategies to perform at your peak.

But meeting your physical, social, and emotional needs right now will be a bit more challenging than usual. Eating a healthy diet might not be as easy when you’re limiting your trips to the grocery store. And video chatting with friends isn’t the same as meeting in person.

So take a step back every once in a while and ask yourself what else you can do to better take care of yourself. As your stress level increases, yourself-careshould increase right alongside it.

There are plenty of online tips about how to work well from home. But everyone is different. And what works for one person might not work well for another.

So it’s important to experiment with different strategies to discover what works well for you. You might find you feel more motivated in the evenings, or you might have more energy after a morning workout.

Research shows we tend to put off tasks that stir up uncomfortable emotions.If you’re anxious about a medical appointment, you might not be motivated to call the doctor. Or, if you’re afraid studying will bring frustration, you might find yourself binge-watching Netflix instead.

In these cases, the lack of motivation stems from your desire to avoid discomfort. And when you’re working from home, there are always plenty of opportunities to engage in something more fun than the work you’re supposed to be doing.

So consider what emotion(s) you’re trying to avoid feeling. Acknowledging the emotion might make it feel less scary. Remind yourself that you can handle feeling uncomfortable.

Additionally, remind yourself of how good you’ll feel when you get the project done, as opposed to how bad you’ll feel if you don’t do the work. This might remind you to take action regardless of whether you feel like it.

1 SourceVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Eckert M, Ebert DD, Lehr D, Sieland B, Berking M.Overcome procrastination: Enhancing emotion regulation skills reduce procrastination.Learn Individ Differ. 2016;52:10-18. doi:10.1016/j.lindif.2016.10.001

1 Source

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Eckert M, Ebert DD, Lehr D, Sieland B, Berking M.Overcome procrastination: Enhancing emotion regulation skills reduce procrastination.Learn Individ Differ. 2016;52:10-18. doi:10.1016/j.lindif.2016.10.001

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Eckert M, Ebert DD, Lehr D, Sieland B, Berking M.Overcome procrastination: Enhancing emotion regulation skills reduce procrastination.Learn Individ Differ. 2016;52:10-18. doi:10.1016/j.lindif.2016.10.001

Meet Our Review Board

Share Feedback

Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

What is your feedback?