Working remotely has a lot of advantages.
✔️ For the employer, it means lower costs (since they don’t require space and resources in the physical office) and the ability to choose from a wider pool of applicants (since distance and time zones aren’t an issue).
✔️ For the employees, it often means increased efficiency, a more flexible time schedule, no office distractions, and no commuting time.

However, comfortable home surroundings can also become an isolated and demotivated environment, which might affect work efficiency. So, today, we’ve gathered for you 5 productivity tips on how to avoid burn out and become more successful when working from home.

1. Make your environment comfortable yet productive.

✔️ The mental association you make between work and an office can make you more productive and you should use it when working from home as well. Of course, it’s best to dedicate a separate room for your workspace, but if that’s not possible, just a corner of the room will do. The important thing is that you associate this specific place with working and leave the rest of the house for rest and relaxation. This way when you leave your work station for a break or at the end of the workday, it will let you also symbolically and mentally leave work behind.

✔️ Your home isn’t necessarily the only comfortable workspace. Coworking, coffee shops, libraries, public lounges, and similar spaces can also help you simulate the energy of an office and make you more productive.

2. Plan out your schedule and include breaks.

✔️ When working remotely you have more freedom, but also more responsibility. Setting a schedule and sticking to it will help you be more productive and stay on top of your deadlines. You can figure out the times of the day when you are least and most productive, thus making the most of the hours when your brain is most efficient and resting when you need to.

✔️ It can be easy to get distracted and avoid breaks altogether, so you really need to schedule them and use this time to get away from your workplace. You can go for a walk outside or do some exercise, whatever will help you shift your attention from work matters and make your brain feel clear and fresh again.

✔️ It is also advised to pick a definitive finishing time each day as it might be easy to get caught up in your activity, in a relaxing environment, and completely lose the track of time. You can simply set an alarm at the end of the day to indicate your normal workday is coming to an end.

3. Prioritize tasks and organize workflow.

✔️ There are lots of ways to better organize your work, such as making to-do lists, to-don’t lists, checklists, and so on. One of the best advice here is simply to stay in touch with your team and your supervisor and structure your day around your objectives.

✔️ Just as important as knowing how to proceed, is knowing when to stop. When working from home there is a risk of the line between home and work blurring out, which eventually might lead to burnout. So, once your allotted work hours are over, stop and give your brain the well-deserved rest.

4. Don’t forget about communication.

✔️ While typing is an easy way to communicate with a lot of people at the same time, but if you really want to push ideas through, you should talk. Calling your team members instead of just texting will help you make a deeper connection with them.

✔️ Also, your communication doesn’t always have to be just about work, chatting on a variety of unrelated to work topics can improve your relationships with teammates and help you get additional human interaction, which many people may lack when working remotely.

✔️ You should also take advantage of any company meetings or gatherings outside the office. For example, you can join a remote retreat – a trip with other remote workers, within your own company or from other companies. Don’t forget about the chance to socialize at the industry meetups. And from time to time simply go out for lunch with your supervisor or your teammates.

5. Maintain your work-life balance.

✔️ Just as you’ve allocated specific time for your work tasks, allocate time for things unrelated to work, such as your hobbies, meeting with friends and family, doing chores. Having a schedule for those will help you resist the temptation of working outside your allocated work hours and will help maintain a healthy work-life balance.

✔️ Also, don’t forget about exercise, try to work out more or go for a jog. This helps you be more relaxed while working because your muscles won’t be stiff from being in the same routine every single day and it does wonders for refreshing your brain.

✔️ And go outside more often. Not only are sunlight and fresh air crucial to your health, but they’ll also clear your head and motivate you. Staying stuck in front of a screen all day would actually be detrimental to your productivity.

Another way to increase your productivity when working remotely is look into the science behind the very phenomenon of productivity. And with a better understanding of how the brain self-sustains productive behavior, it’s easier to establish the triggers that will set the behavior in motion. Read more on how exactly this works here ➡️ “Triggering Productive Behavior: Motivation Tips for Work”