Are you a PhD or a researcher struggling to stay motivated when working form home? Here are our tips that will help you efficiently work from home!
Even though the world has largely adjusted to the consequences of a global pandemic, this had wider implications for how we work. For almost 2.5 years now, most of us have been literally forced to work from home. No matter where you live and what you do, you probably struggle now in the same way as we all do!
Lots of us had this unique opportunity to keep our jobs and work from home. Although we have adapted quite well, it’s not always easy, isn’t it? There’s always something that may distract you…
And because of that, I’d like to share with you a few tips that help David and me to stay motivated. Yes, I do recognise that our lives are all different – some of you are single, some of you have families, children, dogs, cats or even fish in the tank.
However, I trust that the productivity tips I share with you below are pretty universal for all of us. After all, efficient planning and prioritising are the keys to success. I’d love to hear about your productivity tips – please share your thoughts in the comments and help others to work from home more effectively!
Table of Contents
Work from home essentials
Let’s start with the essentials to work from home. Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is a PC with a decent internet connection. I know this can be tricky these days, but it’s worth getting in touch with your broadband provider to see if they can offer an upgrade at the same price.
What’s even more important is to organise a workspace that supports productivity. You might be creative here! I’m sure you’ve already seen already some funny photos with the home office based on the iron boards or the kitchen cupboard!
Let’s not forget about motivation. As a freelance graphic designer and marketer, I decided to work from home more than two years ago. Therefore, I can understand and assure you – it’s not easy to keep your motivation at a high level all the time. And it’s totally fine! All you need to do is to ensure that your work is done on time.
Plan your day and keep tracking!
If it’s the first time you work from home, you may be a bit overwhelmed, especially at the very beginning. I want you to realise that it’s really normal and nearly everyone is going through this phase (even David!). Everything is super stressful, you’re probably worried about your family and friends, so you’re allowed to feel uncomfortable in this situation. It’s fine – you’ll get used to this new uncertain world and will be able to move on, no matter what will be next. It’s not easy, but the show must go on!
I found that the best way to maintain high levels of motivation and productivity is to set up a plan of the day, write it down and to stick to it. Such a plan should include the time when you want to start and finish working that day and what you need to do in the order of priority.
Write down your three most important work-related things to do on that day. You may also include some smaller home-related activities, like doing laundry or taking a walk (where allowed!). In this way you will remember you need to do it, but you can easily focus on your work. Keep this piece of paper near you throughout your day and when you remind yourself about something, just write it down. In this way, you can plan it for the next or the following day!
Importantly, don’t try to push the work-related activities for “later”. Because you stay at home the entire day, it doesn’t mean that you need to sacrifice your work-life balance!
To help you plan the day and work from home better, I’ve designed for you a minimalistic daily planner, ready for print. It can be printed on both sides of an A4 sheet. I included two days on a single page when you print it on both sides, you’ll have daily planners for 4 days! Download here!
Click the photo to download your free daily planner to print
Track the time!
We all sometimes have this weird feeling that we were working all day, but we haven’t actually completed anything! How to help with that? Well, it’s quite easy. Track your time!
You can use some app to keep track of what you’re doing. Alternatively, you can use the simple timer on your phone or PC to keep monitoring your work.
Important tip – remember to pause it when you don’t work! In this way, you’ll exactly see what you did and how much did it take. I also find it beneficial to split the time into some blocks (i.e. by task). Also, if you work in the office and usually take a lunch break, so don’t change that! Keep your daily routine alive!
There’re a few useful tools available, like Pomodoro. But I believe the way you track your time is down to your preferences and type of work you do.