Create a Dedicated Workspace
Sure, it’s great if you already have an office or den in your place, but not everybody has that luxury. If you don’t have a room to spare in your space, make sure you carve out a section of your home that’s specifically designed to help you get your work done. The kitchen table can work in a pinch, but it shouldn’t be your go-to place throughout the workday. Instead, set up a desk in a quiet corner of your home where you can have your computer, monitors, paper, and pens readily available at all times.
Your dedicated workspace will help you separate your work life from your leisure space so you can get away from work when it’s time to clock out. This will help minimize stress and the feelings of confinement you might otherwise feel if your dinner plate shares the same real estate as your laptop. When the stress is put away, you’ll maximize your productivity and be more efficient throughout the day.
Also consider heading to a coffee shop or other place outside of your home once in a while to get a change of scenery and recharge your brain.
Set a Schedule (and Stick to It)
Even though you’re working from home, you’re still on the clock. Make a point to get up on time to do whatever you would normally do before going to the office – whether that’s brushing your teeth, walking the dog, or putting on the coffee. Also, be sure to get up at the same time every day so your body will fall into a routine schedule, making the mornings less dreadful as time goes by.
To stay ahead of your workload, try to tackle a few tasks as soon as you get out of bed. But, be mindful of the times that work best for you. If you’re more of an evening owl, talk to your boss and see if you can spread some of your tasks into the evening hours to help you achieve your goals.
No matter what schedule you choose, set a specific time each day that signals the end of your work time so you can readily go into your personal life, and leave your tasks behind.
Dress Like You're Going to the Office
Even if you think you’re just dressing to impress your dog, it’s important to wake up and get ready like you’re heading to the office. As a digital marketer, you’ll undoubtedly be speaking with clients and colleagues, and these days, many of those calls will likely occur over video chat.
When you’re working from home, it’s important to put your best foot forward. In fact, the way you dress can actually affect you psychologically. The way you dress can not only impact how others perceive you, but it can also impact the ways in which you act and communicate with others. Taking the time to shower, eat breakfast, and get ready for the day — including picking out a great outfit — can influence your confidence and make you more ready to tackle the tasks ahead of you.
Take Breaks
It can be easy to get sucked down a rabbit hole or 10 when you’re deep in your work, especially when you’re at home without colleagues to converse with who would otherwise help break up the monotony of the day. When you work from home, it’s important to remember to take frequent breaks throughout the day. Stretch for a minute, walk around the house, take the dog outside, or enjoy lunch on your patio or deck.
You’ll often have a lot more flexibility when you work from home, so find ways to incorporate important things into your day. Hit the gym or make a gourmet midday meal. Socialize with friends over a mid-morning coffee or explore a corner of the park you’ve never been to.
Energize yourself with brain challenging games like solitaire or word unscrambling. These games are quick and fun, and allow you mentally refresh so you can be productive.
It’s vital to recharge during the day, so you don’t get burnt out by sitting at your computer. Just 10 or 15 minutes away from your desk can completely change the way the rest of your day goes.
Hold Yourself Accountable
Working from home can be fraught with distractions. When you don’t have colleagues or peers checking in on you, it can be easy to become distracted. You might suddenly find yourself needing to run errands or do chores that should wait until after the workday is done, but they’re staring right at you. Do your best to put household tasks on the back burner and make the dishes and laundry wait until you’re no longer on your company’s time.
To stay focused during the day, limit your access to online distractions. This is easier said than done for a digital marketer who literally spends almost all of their time online, but it’s a vital component to optimal productivity. Make sure you’re not spending hours and hours in your personal email, on your own social media, or on websites that aren’t related to work.
Set a timer for yourself to ensure you’re working a solid 60 minutes before you take a distraction break, then set another timer to make sure that distraction break doesn’t last an hour all by itself.
Working from home is a great way for digital marketers to maximize efficiency and productivity, but it often comes with a few learning curves. By following these best practices, you can be sure you’re hitting deadlines and delivering the best results to your clients while simultaneously keeping your work- and home lives separate.
