How To Be Productive Working From Home (7 Productivity Hacks)

Working from home has become the new norm.

The Coronavirus pandemic has forced a lot of people to stay home as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of the virus.

If you're not used to working from home, being stuck inside can make you feel less motivated.

It is possible to be productive and be efficient with your time while at home.

Do you want 7 productivity hacks that will help you achieve laser-like focus? If so, keep reading!

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Are you working from home right now?

In the U.S. alone, more than 100 million Americans have been told to stay at home to protect themselves and others from spreading the Coronavirus. During times like these, the Internet has proven to be a critical tool for companies and business owners around the world.

If your company has forced you to work from home and it's a new experience from you, I want to help you stay productive. The same thing goes for business owners or students. I understand the challenges that come with working from home. Yes, it's great to have the freedom and comfort of working in an environment that you're familiar with. However, it can also be hard.

I've been working online for over 12 years now. As an entrepreneur, I know how easy it is to get distracted at home. Scrolling on social media, checking your phone, or turning on the TV only serve to take your focus away from important tasks at hand.

According to a University of California Irvine study, once you get distracted, it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back to the task. Can you relate? If you spend time doing things that aren't moving the needle forward in your work and/or your online business, you will only stay stuck in one place.

Over the years I have learned how to master the art of setting boundaries and creating healthy habits. Doing so allows me to get the most out of myself and my days. Today, I have become a master of my time. I want to help you do the same. Let's explore 7 productivity hacks that will help you be productive while working from home.

1. Plan Your Day

Improving your productivity starts with planning. When you don't have a plan for your day, you fall into the trap of reacting to everyone else's demands. As a result, you end up missing out on the highest leverage actions that will make the biggest difference in your day.

This is why I'm a big believer in being proactive versus reactive. Before I even open my computer each day, I make sure that I do my morning ritual. I start by taking out a journal or Evernote and I create a plan for my day. I ask myself, “What do I want to accomplish today?”

Once I write that down, I get clear on why I want to accomplish this goal.

This gives me the emotional juice behind why I do what I do. After that I ask myself, “What is everything that I could do to achieve this outcome?” I don't create a to-do list. Rather, I create a could-do list. Usually, I come up with 3 important things that I want to accomplish on a given day. Once I have this list of actions, I prioritize the list.

It's important for you to understand that not all of the actions on your list need to be treated equally. Some will move the needle more than others. This is referred to as the 80/20 principle, meaning that 20% of what is on your list is going to equal 80% of your results. I take it one step further and I schedule my could-do list into my computer using Google Calendar.

2. Eat The Frog

You want to spend the first part of your morning working on your hardest and most important task. This is what is referred to as “your frog.” It is the task that you will procrastinate on the most if you don't make it a priority. Your willpower is at its highest early on in the day.

In the words of Mark Twain, “If the first thing you do in the morning is to eat a live frog, you can go through the rest of the day knowing the worst is behind you.” If you leave something that's really important until the end of your day, you will be more distracted and have less energy.

Have you ever tried going to the gym after a long day of work? I don't know about you, but my motivation is at its highest when I exercise first thing in the morning. The longer I wait, the harder it gets. When it comes to your business or your career, make it a priority to execute your highest leverage task first, before doing anything else. I promise that it will make a huge difference in your productivity levels.

3. Eliminate Distractions

We live in an age of digital distraction. We are constantly “on” which means that our attention is being pulled in multiple different directions. When you work from home it’s very easy to get distracted. Distractions disrupt your focus and take you away from what you need to do. 

This is why it’s really important that you limit or switch off anything that will distract you from completing important tasks. If you have an overactive mind, I highly recommend starting a meditation practice. It helps to calm the mind so that you are less inclined to fall back into compulsive behaviors.

4. Set A Timer

This has been a game-changer for me. I like to work with a sense of urgency because I believe in the speed of implementation. A lot of people aren’t productive because they move too slow. If I’m working on a project, whether it’s writing a blog post, creating content, or crafting an email, I like to set a timer. I give myself a realistic amount of time to achieve an activity. 

When I set that timer I’ve created a deal with myself. If I don't get a task done in time, I have to live with that result and move onto my next task. Creating a sense of urgency will allow you to work faster and more efficiently. High standards are great. However, at a certain point, you just have to take messy action. Trust me… success loves speed.

5. Manage Your Emotional State 

Your emotional state is going to dictate your behaviors throughout the day. How you feel determines how you perform. If you want to be unstoppable, you need to be at your best. This is why I'm such a big believer in creating a morning ritual. Top athletes and performers always carry out a routine before they play a game or go on stage.

This could be in the form of stretching their bodies, listening to music or meditating. Rituals like these help them perform to their maximum potential. The same line of thinking applies to you in your business or your career. If you spend time every morning nourishing your mental and emotional state, you will be more productive in your job and you will feel more grounded. It's a win-win.

I have a very detailed morning ritual. No matter where I am or what is going on in my life, I never waver from it. Every morning I exercise to loosen up my body and turn on my mind, take supplements, practice gratitude, recite affirmations, read a book, and meditate. I believe that how you start the day is how you end the day.

Engaging in these rituals allows me to be in a peak state. As a result, I'm faster and more efficient throughout my day. If you are interested in creating a morning ritual, I encourage you to download my free morning ritual habits cheatsheet. Inside you will find 21 rituals that will help nourish your mind, body, and spirit. If you want to go deeper, I've also got a 30-day Morning Ritual Mastery program.

6. Have an Accountability Buddy

One of the biggest challenges that I had when I was building my business is that I lacked accountability. I didn't have a boss because I was my own boss. Hence, it was easy to slack off and waste away my days. The best solution that I found was to get an accountability buddy. This is someone who is also working from home and in a similar situation as yourself.

My accountability buddy and I did check-ins every morning at 9 am via Skype. Both of us shared 3 things that we were committing to achieving every day. We held one another accountable for accomplishing these tasks. At the end of every day, we touched base and debriefed about how our days went.

If we accomplished our 3 tasks, we congratulated one another. If we didn't, we troubleshot why this happened and how we could learn from it. The power of a debrief like this is far-reaching. It allows you to get better and be more productive in moving forward.

7. Reward Yourself

If you have a productive day, reward yourself. Whatever gets rewarded, gets repeated. When you reward yourself, you are more likely to build positive habits moving forward. If you don't have a productive day, don't beat yourself up. This will only cause you  pain, frustration, and anger.

It teaches your brain to give up. The line of thinking becomes, “Why even try if I keep experiencing pain?” Before you know it, you will fall into a mode of learned helplessness. You won't even want to try because you will link pain to taking action. Instead, acknowledge yourself for things that you do well. You deserve it.

These are my 7 productivity hacks for how to be productive.

I hope these strategies help you be more efficient while working at home. Keep in mind that it takes time to adapt to new habits. This is why I try to set up a different environment in my home that is designated solely for work. Play around with what works for you.

I have no doubt that if you implement these 7 productivity hacks into your daily life, you will be more productive than you've ever been. Which productivity hack will you experiment with?

Do you want to know the 7 online business models that made me an Internet millionaire in less than 3 years? CLICK HERE to get instant access to my FREE business course!