How to work from home and stay motivated

The number of people working from home in Britain is continually rising. According to The Office for National Statistics over 3 million people now work from home and this figure has grown from just 2 million in the last few years alone.

Although the benefits of working from home may seem obvious, the challenge can be in keeping up the inspiration and work ethic throughout each day.  This article is to share some simple tips on how you can work from home and stay motivated.

How to stay proactive whilst working from home

Have clear goals on what you need to achieve for each day

When working from home it is really important to clearly define what you want to get from each day. 

Many people write to do lists and this is fine, however it is not enough for everyone.

A great way you can create a little more inspiration in your day is by looking at your to do list and asking yourself the following question:

“Which tasks on the to do list excite me the most?” 

If you can pick out one or two tasks that you can get excited about (even if just a little bit) then get stuck into those tasks first.                       

Reward yourself regularly

By setting yourself smaller milestones throughout the day you constantly have something positive to work towards. 

Highly motivated people know to reward themselves when they achieve something as opposed to stopping just because they feel tired or unfocused.

Minimise distractions

One of the biggest challenges when working from home can be the many distractions that exist within the household.  It can be the television, family members, pets, even the radio in the background. 

Motivation comes from great focus and being proactive about your environment.  At the beginning of each day, set up your working area and make it an area where you will feel good about working.  A messy kitchen table or an overly soft sofa may not be optimal for you to work at your very best.

Creating a great working environment can equal great work.

Understand procrastination

The definition of procrastination is putting off essential work and replacing it with meaningless tasks, which results in not getting the work done you originally planned to do.

Some people struggle with procrastination more than others however overall, remember that the best way to beat procrastination is to get things done in the present moment as opposed to waiting till later.

Another great question you can ask yourself is:

“Is it more painful to do this work now and complete it or more painful to leave it till later?”

Move your body

Motion creates emotion.  Many people struggle with their motivation when working from home because they sit in their favourite chair and don’t move for hours at a time. 

Make sure every 30 minutes you get up for at least 30 seconds and move around.  Every hour take five minutes to get your circulation going. 

Consider what actions will keep you proactive

Overall, being proactive when working from home is the key to a motivated day.  Take a bit of time after reading this article to write down some simple activities that you can do when working from home that will keep you inspired. 

Finally - Enjoy the process

Not many people are very efficient or effective when they are in a bad mood.  Simply choosing a good state of mind and a positive emotion can help tremendously when managing your workload.

In a nutshell, choose happiness.

Written by Pete Scott, a learning consultant at Capita Learning & Development.