If recent years taught us anything in our working career, it’s that most of us love working from home. Companies that were completely in-office and turned into fully remote or at least hybrid workplaces. This has freed up a lot of people’s work schedules, giving them the ability to work from home (wfh).

This has become such a popular trend that it has completely reshaped the way people think about work. It’s commonplace to have coworkers on the other side of the country now.

Some of these people are doing this for the first time, which is no easy task. Having a work/life balance is key to being productive, but it’s not as simple as putting your head down and pushing forward. You need a flow, which is exactly what we’re talking about today.

Whether you’re working remotely for the first time, or you’re a hardened veteran in the matter, these work from home tips are for you, to help you stay productive and efficient with work.

Set a schedule and stick to it

One of the biggest issues most remote workers experience is their schedule or lack thereof. You might find yourself putting things off, waking up late, or taking extra-long lunch breaks. And while these things are perks of working remotely, the lack of a solid schedule can be detrimental to your productivity.

One of the best tips for working from home anyone can give you is to plan, schedule, and execute your daily tasks like clockwork. Nothing is worse than putting deadlines off until the last minute and forcing yourself to work late into the night.

Wake up at 7 and get to your desk by eight. Plan on taking an hour lunch at noon and a 15-minute coffee break at 2. Once you’ve completed your tasks or finished your 8-hour workday, close the laptop. You need to put everything in a routine from the time you wake up to the time you’re done working for the day.

Find a space where you can focus

Home offices are exactly that: an office. You need a place where you can get in the zone and eliminate all distractions. That’s not to say you should lock yourself in a white room and stare at your laptop for 8 hours, but you should most certainly have a space dedicated to working remotely.

Ironically, one of the best wfh tips doesn’t even involve home, it involves an office space. Nooka Space is a great way to work remotely without having the distractions of working from home. You can come and go as you please, making it the perfect office-away-from-office. 

Even if you thrive in your home office, it’s nice to get out and change your environment. Nooka offices have a variety of locations, giving you the ultimate freedom to choose where you work, changing it up daily if you want.

Socialize with your coworkers

Just because you don’t see each other face-to-face doesn’t mean you should avoid your coworkers. In fact, one of the most important tips for working from home is to maintain a social life within your work. Chat with people, email them, and schedule meetups. 

It might seem a little redundant, but maintaining office socialization while working from home is important. The last thing you want to do is to lose touch and develop cabin fever. That might sound a little crazy, but according to this study from Harvard Business Journal, working relationships are vital to productivity. 

Without these relationships, it’s been discovered that employees become much more siloed in their work, losing focus on the project, and falling behind. All the more reason to communicate regularly, and step out to a proximity office when you get the chance. 

Use the right tools for the job

Using the right tools isn’t just a part of the work from home tips. It’s a tip that anyone and everyone can use. Unfortunately, not everyone utilizes this tip, and projects fall behind, data becomes unclear, and people get confused.

Working from home requires a certain level of focus, dedication, and communication. If you’re not able to work efficiently, you will not only put yourself through more stress than needed, but you will probably cause a lot of stress within the team.

I’m not here to shout out any specific tool, but I am here to tell you that investing in the right tools is well worth it. Research communication tools, data analysis tools, project management platforms, and more. Leave no stone unturned! 

Eliminate distractions

I’m as guilty as anyone else. Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, and even video games get tempting after a few hours of work. The issue isn’t these things, in particular, it’s their excessiveness during work hours. 

It can be easy to pick up your phone and scroll for a bit, but getting back into your routine after you snap out of that daze might not be as easy. For that reason, one of the life-changing work from home tips is to eliminate distractions completely. 

I know, this can be hard to do. You might find yourself mindlessly picking up your phone or going to your socials. The key is to just say no. Tell yourself that you will only use your phone during breaks, and set a timer. 

What helps here is to take yourself out of the environment where distractions are common. This is why so many people have a dedicated workspace in their homes and why many others choose to change their scenery completely. 

Conclusions and takeaway

Don’t get me wrong, there are seemingly an infinite amount of tips for working from home nowadays. These are just a few of the ones that so many people have found helpful recently, including me. 

What’s important when you work from home, or remotely in general, is that you’re comfortable. You want a place where you feel like you can work. This is a basic necessity and is the biggest of the work from home tips. 

All-in-all, if you’re working remotely for the first time, there will be a learning curve. Yes, you have basically all the freedom in the world, but things still need to get done and deadlines need to be met. You are the master of your own work universe, take control and stay productive.