How To Stay Productive When Working From Home
No commute, no dress code, better work-life balance – these are just a few benefits of working from the comfort of your home. However, working remotely is not all sunshine and rainbows – many home workers struggle with self-discipline and productivity.
At Kelly we recognise that there’s a need to ditch the script and embrace new ways of working. Based on our employees’ experience, in this article we provide some tried and tested tips on how to stay productive when working from home.
- Set work hours - Starting on time and setting standard working hours will go a long way towards your self-discipline, but also will strengthen your focus. Your family and friends should also be aware of your work time.
- Reduce distractions - Whether it’s your kids, pets or mobile phone. The latter one can be especially deceptive – keep your mobile phone at bay as it’s easy to lose the track of time once you start scrolling through your news feed.
- Don’t work in your PJs work self weekend self - Having said that, there’s also no need to wear your best suit. But putting on something comfortable yet presentable will help you separate your work self from your weekend self. Dr. Karen Pine, who gives lectures on the psychology of fashion, states that, “When we put on an item of clothing, it is common for the wearer to adopt the characteristics associated with that garment. A lot of clothing has symbolic meaning for us, whether it's 'professional work attire' or 'relaxing weekend wear', so when we put it on we prime the brain to behave in ways consistent with that meaning.”.
- Stick to your morning routine - One of the main benefits of working from home is the fact that you devote less time to your morning routine and on top of that you earn extra time as you don’t have to commute to work. However, this shouldn’t be misinterpreted with an absolute lack of routine.
- Have a permanent work space - Once you decide which part of the house is best to work, keep it neat and declutter on a regular basis. Invest in good lighting and add some colourful gadgets which will have an inspiring effect on you.
- Get out of the house - Discipline doesn’t mean that you have to stay in the house and feel like you are in prison. Have a stroll or grab lunch with your friend, just like you would do in the office.
- Socialise with others - Working from home can be lonely. Hang out with your friends after work or pop in to your office every now and then and say hello to your colleagues. Make sure you attend conferences and events which will help you make new connections.
For many, working from home is a dream come true and it’s no wonder why. Having said that, if you are seriously considering a remote job you will need to excel at self-discipline so as to maintain job satisfaction and to further progress your career. The good thing is, nowadays hundreds of employers allow flexible working and therefore there’s plenty of opportunities to choose from. So, stop dreaming and search for your new flexible job today!

