How to Stay Motivated While Working from Home

Working from your couch might seem like a dream come true, but it can be a major hindrance to productivity. The Apple TV remote is just within reach, and you haven’t yet finished the first season of The Last of Us. “Yeah, I can have it running in the background while I work…”

🚩 RED FLAG.

Instead, set up a designated workspace in your home. This could be a spare room, a corner of your bedroom (like mine), or even just a specific area of your living room that is well away from immediate distractions. Make sure you have a comfortable chair, a sturdy desk, and all the tools you need to do your job. Having a dedicated workspace will help you mentally separate work from leisure and make it easier to focus when you're in "work mode". But that is just half the battle. That space is only for work! When the day is done, close your laptop and be done. Now you’re in “pleasure mode.” For some, it can be a major temptation to return back to work mode, but keeping work and life / pleasure separate is just as important as staying motivated during work hours.

One of the downsides of working from home is the potential for isolation. When you're not in the same physical space as your colleagues, it can be easy to feel disconnected from the team. Inside jokes are being passed back and forth during your biweekly online call-in meeting, and you’re not quite sure how to respond to what is being shared.

🚩 RED FLAG

To combat this, make a concerted effort to stay connected with your team. Schedule regular video calls or check-ins to stay updated on projects (and office gossip) and stay connected with colleagues. At TeamShirts, we offer custom printed business T-Shirts, so why not consider ordering matching t-shirts for you and your team? Maybe it sounds cheesy, but physical shared connection, even something as simple as a custom printed T-Shirt, will not only create a sense of unity, but will also help you feel like part of the team even when you're not in the office. Don’t be shy to suggest such “ridiculous” ideas. You might be surprised how easily a team can be unified through these shared experiences.

Last but most definitely not least, it can be easy to feel like you're not accomplishing much when you're not in the same physical space as your colleagues. You finish a task but no one is there to take note of it so you just move on to the next item on your to-do list.

I mean, what's the difference? It's all just work that needs to be done, right?

🚩 RED FLAG

Don't ever forget or underestimate how important it is to celebrate your successes, especially when working from home. This is one tip I cannot stress enough. At first, celebrating a success will feel more like self-indulgence than a necessity, but that’s OK! Just because you're not in the office doesn't mean you're not making progress. And regardless of who sees it or notices, celebrating wins - no matter how trivial or small you MIGHT think they are - will lead to better productivity, efficiency and even stronger mental health!

So, take time to celebrate your accomplishments, whether it's hitting a big deadline or mastering a new skill. Treat yourself to something special, and don’t forget to mention it to your team and/or boss. In today’s corporate world there is nothing wrong with a little self-championing, so long as you remain a team player.