How to Stay Organized When You Work at Home
Working from home can be amazing, but it also can easily turn into a nightmare. Are you struggling with productivity at home? Read our tips on how to stay organized when you work at home. We've compiled the best work at home tips so you can make the most of your time.
Working from home comes with its pros and cons, and nowadays, we are not afraid to say that many people are on the quest to master this discipline. Although the whole idea might seem appealing, working at home can easily be much harder than working from an office.
As you are reading this post, you are either looking to start working from home, you are already self-employed or have a home office, and you've come to a recognition that staying organized while working at home is actually much harder than you have ever imagined.
Yes, working from home has its specifics, and although we are quite experienced in that way, we are not going to lie to you. Some days are tough.
Staying organized is closely connected with your working space, routine, and self-motivation, and if you put all those puzzles together (and many more small pieces), only then you have a chance for success.
It does not matter what is your job, we are convinced that our tips on staying organized while working from home can be implemented by everyone.
You can be a content creator, copywriter, marketing expert or virtual assistant, and even though all those jobs we've mentioned could not be any different, they have something in common. You can do all these modern jobs from home.
To be productive, it is compulsory to stay focused.
Create a routine that works for you, and figure out how to balance your work and personal life, how to cohere your working pace and drinking several cups of coffee (or tea in our case) a day with healthy habits which will help you to compensate the stress and keep your mental health in check.
If you are looking for tips on how to stay organized when you work at home, you've come to the right place.
We've been working from home on and off for a few years now. Although the beginning was not easy, we are quite confident to say that we've found out the most significant things which help us keep going, walk us painlessly through a working day, and at the end of the day, we (almost) always have a good feeling.
Remember that working from home is mainly about flexibility, so it does not mean that what works for us will be fine with you.
But this is what we do, not only to survive a day and make money but also to ensure that working from home won't be only a short period of our lives but a lifestyle.
Working remotely can be incredibly fulfilling, we will show you how to achieve that.
FIND YOUR WORKSPACE
To be as productive as possible, it is essential to find your workspace.
It should be a place where you feel comfortable and where no one will disturb you during the time you have allocated for your work. It should be a place where once you sit down you will feel the rush of thoughts and where you can focus on your daily tasks.
Some people need to have a private room, but it is often hard to find, especially if you live in a small flat, and in case it is not only you who needs to work from home.
For example me and Martin, we live in a small flat with two rooms, one is a living room and the other one is the bedroom. Although this situation is far from being ideal, we came up with a plan on how to stay organized.
We think that the most important thing is to have own desk.
If until now you had been imagining working from home like sitting on a couch or lying on a bed with a computer on your lap, you could not be further from reality.
Really, get a proper desk, not only you will be able to finish all your tasks efficiently, but your back will thank you later.
Your workspace should be far from easy distractions such as internet or social media.
We know that the internet is a time-killer, but as you will hardly avoid that when working on a laptop, you just need to learn how to stay focused.
We are now talking about distractions such as TV, radio, or dishes piling up in the sink.
From our personal experience, it is necessary to organize your workspace the way that the place will be dedicated to working only. Only this way you will be able to stick to the routine.
HAVE AN EARLY START
Of course, this one depends on your schedule and daily routine, and on the fact whether other people from a different part of the world rely on your work or not. But for us getting early works well.
We prefer to get up between 7 - 8 AM, usually, we do not need an alarm clock, then we have breakfast and our day starts.
Personally, I have a feeling that when I get up late I find hard to get into a rhythm, and then everything takes me twice as long, as usual, I cannot focus, which makes me nervous, and then it is much harder for me to get things done.
To be organized and super-productive at home, I simply need to know I have plenty of time.
Of course, working from home gives you the freedom to get up whenever you want, but unless you want to get really behind or you are able to work till midnight, try to make from having an early start your routine.
You'll see that after a couple of days it will seem natural, and you will be sitting by your desk around 9 AM, which is very similar to going to a 'normal' job.
KEEP YOUR DESK ORGANIZED
If you want to stay organized while working remotely you also need to keep your desk organized. Do not let unnecessary things distract you. When working from home you usually do not need many things.
So on your desk should be your laptop, I have an external lager screen not to ruin my eyes even more, and also I prefer when the screen is on the same level as my eyes.
Then you should have on your desk only things you really need, such as a calendar, notes, and a pen for taking notes.
Other than that I like to have on my desk only a cup of tea, phone (that's just a habit, I do not need it for my work), and that's it.
Even though I am not obsessed with cleaning, many unorganized things on my desk distract me, so I always keep my workspace simple and well-arranged.
STAY OFF SOCIAL MEDIA
Although social media are for most of us useful marketing tools, spending too much time on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook can easily ruin your efforts.
We must admit, that both of us have the opposite problem. We must force ourselves to log in to social media, and we are terrible with posting fresh content on Instagram, even though we know it would help us to boost our traffic.
We just do not find social media that interesting but know that many people have a problem staying off while working.
In case you are not able to be that hard on yourself, you can use one of the new mobile apps, which will help you to limit your time on social media.
How does it work? In the app, you will simply set a limit for how long you are allowed to check the social media per day and once your time has been used up the site will be blocked for the rest of the day.
We know that most of you make living out of Instagram, but then you really need to distinguish between a productive time you are spending in the app and time when you are just mindlessly scrolling through.
LET YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS KNOW THAT YOU ARE WORKING
The fact that you are working from home does not mean you are always available. We think this might be the hardest part of working from home.
To explain to your friends and family that when you are sitting behind the desk at home really means that you are doing something valuable which makes you money.
It is necessary to set boundaries.
Of course, you can make exceptions a couple of times, but it must be clear that the rules for working at home should be similar to when you were working from an office.
No one could just walk into your office and ask you what will you eat for lunch.
If your household has more members who are present at home during your work hours, all the unnecessary interruptions should be kept to a minimum, and you should never feel bad for telling someone that you will be available once you're done with your work.
There is nothing hard on it, but the boundaries need to be set from the very beginning, as it is much more unpleasant to explain it later.
SET YOUR WORKING HOURS
To set the working hours, you need to first figure out what works the best for you and then follow that routine. Even though it might sound weird, at the beginning of working remotely, we worked way too longer than the standard eight hours.
To stay productive and motivated long-term, we recommend you not to overwork, and although we know it can be sometimes hard, it pays off to find a certain balance between your work and free time and stick to it.
We are not saying you cannot work longer than eight hours a day, but setting your working hours will ensure that you won't work longer than you should have, but you will also avoid procrastination. To be honest, I prefer to have a schedule of what I want to do that day.
As I am a content creator for our blog, my daily routine is to write a meaningful text.
By now I know I am able to write a blog post 2000 - 4000 words long (depending on the topic) when I work from 10 AM - 12 PM, and then from 1 PM till 5 PM.
That's six hours of work every day. I also know that I am productive the most during this time therefore, I set my working hours like that and try to stick to this routine every day from Monday to Friday.
It is really about a personal experience, and you must try what works for you the best. Later in the evening, I usually spend some time on creating tasks for the next day.
CREATE YOUR ROUTINE
It is easy to get distracted at home. In the beginning, the sense of unexpected freedom can hit you hard, and it requires discipline not to over-enjoy it.
Some people like to follow the same routine as they did when working in the office. Hello to my 9-5 office job friend once again.
Get up, eat breakfast, make coffee, dress up, and sit by the computer till lunch break, and then work again until late afternoon. That's great, but this working style also needs a lot of self-discipline.
We say you should create the routine that suits you best, but this routine should also reflect your personal needs. We can show it to you on our example. We like to go out for a walk and stretch our bodies.
So from Monday to Friday we get up quite early, have breakfast then we go jogging for approximately an hour. Once we get back home we take a shower, make tea, and then start working, around 10ish.
Then we work for about two hours, around noon we eat lunch, have a break, and then we work until 5 PM when we again go for an hour-long walk.
We do it this way year-round, only when it is winter and it gets dark really early, we usually go out around 3 PM to enjoy the daylight, but then we work for another two hours or so after we come back.
Moms working from home, those of you who work for an international company with different time zone, or everyone with different needs must find the routine that suits them the best, but the bottom line is that working remotely should be your advantage, and you should set it the way which is comfortable for you.
BUT DO NOT FREAK OUT WHEN IT DOES NOT WORK
Once you find your routine, stick to it. But if you cannot follow it one day, do not freak out. Either adjust your working hours or re-do your schedule. When you have a doctor's appointment on Monday, and you do not know for how long it is going to last, no worries.
Working from home gives you the freedom to manage your time the way you need.
It is possible to work longer that day to finish what you planned for that day, you can decide to work on Saturday instead, or in some cases, you can just take an extra day off - in the most of the cases nothing will happen, and the good part is that you are your own boss.
Of course, this once-in-a-time exception should not become a rule.
DRESS UP...OR NOT
Well, it is easy to stay all day in your pajamas, but it is necessary to say that this outfit will most likely not push you to your best performance.
Of course, you should feel comfortable when working, but probably also not too comfortable.
We do not tell you to do make-up and dress office clothes. We do not do it ourselves, although we know that many people like dressing nicely at home to get the feel of responsibility.
The key to success is to dress smartly.
For us, staying in comfortable clothes all day long is one of the biggest advantages of working from home.
MAKE A TO-DO LIST
Probably the worst thing I can imagine when starting my day is to sit behind the desk without an idea of what am I going to do. To stay organized when working from home, it is necessary to define your tasks and know perfectly well your duties for the day.
Making a to-do list is a practical way of how to stay productive and organized.
Some people like to make a list for the whole week, but I prefer to do it day by day. When I am not able to finish a post one day, it is pretty clear what I am going to do the next day.
But if I am about to start from scratch, in the evening I usually create a draft of my next post. I write down the theme and also headings to create the structure of the future post.
Even though this tip might seem unimportant, it really saves you time and the start of your working day will be much smoother.
TAKE BREAKS
To stay productive all day, it is compulsory to take breaks. If you are a workaholic, set an alarm clock, at least every hour and a half, or every two hours.
It is not healthy to sit for several hours straight, so go to a kitchen, make tea, eat a snack, and after ten, or fifteen minutes get back to your table.
You will feel refreshed and your productivity will stay high. Here is a catch. Even though taking regular breaks is compulsory for your well-being, make sure you will not stretch them too far.
We recommend you not to start reading news on your phone or watching TV.
Not only the time flies differently when you are having fun, but also we find it quite nice to take a break from sitting and staring on the screen.
DON'T BE DISTRACTED BY HOUSEWORK
There's nothing worse than being distracted by housework when trying to focus. Even though some people are immune to their surroundings when in the zone, it is not my case.
I should like to point out that I am not a perfectionist when it comes to cleaning, but it bothers me when I see that my household needs my attention. Keep your home as tidy as you want, it just needs to be on the level you prefer.
Do not let your mind wander to piling dishes in the sink or unvacuumed floor.
Even better, if you are working from home as a couple, you can share your household chores with your partner to avoid fights and disputes.
BE ACTIVE
When working from home, one thing is missing. Commuting, having meetings with colleagues, simply the normal life that comes with being employed in an office.
We see it as a big danger because working from home can make you lazier and less healthy because this natural exercise is missing.
To stay healthy when working from home, both physically and mentally, it is essential to set goals and be active.
We know that everyone likes to be active different way, but you should at least put on your list some back exercise to compensate sitting all day. And we also know that our habits might not be for everyone, but we will share with you our routine which keeps us going.
Because we spend so much time at home, we are craving fresh air. Therefore we either jog or walk in the morning for about an hour, around lunchtime we do yoga just for a couple of minutes, and in the evening we go for a walk (usually connected with shopping for dinner).
Daily we run/walk altogether between 10 - 15 kilometers, and feel healthier and fitter than ever.
This might be also a good time to pick up a hobby you always wanted to try, but never had a time.
SET GROUND RULES WITH YOUR COWORKERS
Do you work from home just yourself and other members of your family leave the house every morning? Good. Then you can skip this paragraph.
But if you, like us, work remotely with your partner or any other family member, it is necessary to set ground rules.
No one is the same, and it took us a while to coordinate our work habits, working pace and expectations from working at home. So far we must say we've been quite successful and enjoy each other's company.
We're having the breaks together and as we often work on the same project, it is nice we can talk together about things we are currently dealing with, discuss it thoroughly, and thanks to it we avoid diversions.
If you are starting your business or you are just about to start working remotely with your partner, it can be stressful and the rules are necessary for the long-term work/personal relationship.
Working from home is not always rainbows and butterflies, and you need to find a compromise to be successful.
If your experience with working from home with someone around was not great, but you do not want to give up your dream, there is an option to try working from co-working spaces or coffee shops occasionally.
FOOD
Are you wondering what food has in common with staying organized when working from home? Well, unless you plan on eating in restaurants every day, you will soon find out that cooking every day for yourself is no fun. But it can be, once it is well-planned.
During the week, we recommend you to cook quick healthy recipes, so it won't take you that much time. We cook every other day as we usually make four portions and save the two plates for the next day to save time.
Even though it can seem that you will kill a lot of time by cooking, we see it as a way how to relax during the day for a while and how to take our minds off things.
In one of our future posts, we will share with you some of our favorite recipes designed for people who work remotely and for those of you who want to eat healthy and nourishing lunch at home.
When working from home, your time should not squeeze to walking between the desk and the fridge. Eat regularly, and try to avoid sweets and junk food because it will eventually slow you down.
The drinking regime is important as well. Stay hydrated! Your brain will function better.
LIMIT YOUR HOURS
Work, but do not overwork. When you work just for yourself and you are financially dependant on your productivity, it is not hard to work many hours a day.
At least many more hours than you would have been willing to work for your employer. If you want to avoid burnout at your home office, try to limit your hours.
It is much better to stay organized and work less and be more focused than to sit in front of the screen without enthusiasm.
Yes, there are days when we are full of energy (usually after we take a trip and come back home with new adventures we can write about), but it is impossible to work 10+ hours every day.
Remember, that sometimes less is more, and you are not in the position when you need to prove to your boss that you are more efficient than the others. This is a huge plus on working from home.
ENJOY IT
Staying organized when working remotely can seem like a daunting task. We feel you.
Find the courage and pursue your dreams. In the end, working from home is rewarding and you are going to enjoy it!
Let us know in the comment section down below in case you have more tips that help you stay productive when working from home.
RESOURCES
So what programs we use to keep Laidbacktrip running?
The absolutely necessary expense is purchasing the domain and paying for hosting.
We opted for Squarespace, an all-in-one solution as we like it is clean and straightforward.
But the most popular option among bloggers is Bluehost because you can install Wordpress.org on it.
In the beginning, we were reluctant to pay more for external services.
But we later found that some of them are necessary, and some of them make our work much more comfortable.
We use a professional email, Tailwind that helps us schedule pins for Pinterest and Instagram.
As we use only our own photos, Adobe Creative Cloud that is an excellent tool for editing photos in Lightroom and Photoshop is a must-have.
To improve our writing skills we use Grammarly Premium.
It all costs several hundred dollars per year, but it helps us with our business.
