Staying motivated is one of those things many of us get wrong. Unless you are one of the few who has cracked the code to being motivated. What is even harder is staying motivated while working from home. How do you stay motivated and sane working from home? That is a question that isn’t as simple as it sounds.

The problem with working from home is the distractions. It is so easy to slip into old habits, for example, watching your favorite television show. We are human after all. The thing though is you need to understand what it is that you want to achieve. It isn’t impossible for you to stay motivated and sane working at home. In this blog post, I will share all the ways you can stay motivated and sane working at home. 

Get up and get ready as normal

If you want to stay motivated then you have to act as if it is a normal day. If you do this then you are likely to get into the flow a whole lot quicker. Working in your pajamas might seem like it will work, but likely it won’t. The earlier you wake up, the better. You need to act as if you are going to work that way you push yourself out of the holiday mode.

When your mind is set to holiday mode, it is harder to get into the flow so you need to act as if it’s a normal day. What is your routine when you are going to work? Whatever it is, keep doing what you were doing before if it worked for you. If it didn’t then find a morning routine that will put you in the mode. The key here to is stay motivated and sane working from home and to act as if it is a normal day. It will feel weird at first, expect that, but in time you will ease into it. 

Also Related: 5 Habits That Will Change Your Life For the Better

Have a dedicated work zone and set your time

There needs to be a dedicated work zone that you use. This will help you focus on the task at hand. This is one of the ways you can stay motivated and sane working from home. You should also set your times. This way you won’t get distracted and lose focus. This also helps you in becoming more productive.

If you know that at certain times you are working on certain projects then that motivates you to keep going. If you lose track it is also easier to get back into the flow. Having a dedicated work zone and a timetable will also stop you from doing things you shouldn’t be doing. Just like you wouldn’t watch TV shows at work, the same applies here. You are training your brain to focus on important projects and not get caught up with things that will slow you down.  

Try the Pomodoro Technique

If you have never worked from home before then you need something that can help you stay focused. The Pomodoro technique can help you to remain focused. When I was first starting out and even now, I use the Pomodoro technique to help me stay focused. 

The twenty-five-minute intervals will help you to not only stay focused but to use your time wisely. Often, that is the main problem. We can get distracted and with this technique, it is a lot harder to do. This is one way to stay motivated and sane while working at home. If you want to move forward in what you are doing then you need something to aid you. Sometimes, the best way to be productive and motivated is by having an app. There are a couple of great Pomodoro apps out there that will help you stay motivated.  

Also Related: Best Pomodoro Apps to Try

Have a strict cut-off time and breaks

We are not robots, therefore you need a cut off time. This will help you stay motivated because you will remain focused until your break. If you have several breaks this will also be seen as a reward. If for example, you work for four hours straight, you will reward yourself with a forty minute or an hour break.

 Another important thing to note is that by having breaks you don’t work yourself to the bone. Working from home is hard, but that is because it is easy to fall prey to overworking or slacking. What you need is to have strict times for your break and cut off. You might not be working the traditional 9-5, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have breaks. Depending on what time you wake up and start working you can focus on that. If you wake up at 4 am and start working at 5 am then you can cut-off at around 3.

Be kind to yourself and remember there’s still tomorrow. 

Do a relaxing activity

 When you are on your break do something that relaxes you. For some people, it is a stroll or basking in the sun. It depends on you. You could also journal, play an instrument, watch something funny, or prepare your favorite meal. Whatever it is, this is an important step to stay motivated and sane working from home.

Relaxing activities make us focus better. They give us insight and keep our minds ticking. This is so important because when you forget to take care of yourself, it is hard to stay motivated and sane. The objective here is to stay motivated and sane working from home. You don’t want to lose yourself to the extent where you forget why you are even doing it. An easy step to figuring out what relaxes you is to write down all the things you enjoy doing. Once you compile your list, you look at the top three activities that relax you. 

Take advantage of virtual tools

If you are self-isolating like most people and need to communicate with clients and customers then your best bet is virtual tools. They will allow you to communicate with your clients. They are a lot of virtual tools out there. It is hard to pick the right one. There’s, of course, Google Hangouts and Skype. But Zoom is great as well. What matters is showing your face whichever tool you decide to use in the long run.

Showing your face to your customers or clients provides a personal touch. Schedule meetings and maintain relationships. As hard as it is self-isolating, your clients feel the same way. This will help you stay motivated and sane. Some people also use Zoom Rooms and that will help you to beat the loneliness of working at home. The way Zoom Rooms works is you will have fellow creatives in the background. Virtual tools also will help you stay in the loop and relate to other people. When we relate to other people, it is then that we know that we aren’t alone in this. There’s a 30 day trial for Zoom Rooms, but Zoom is completely free.

What is your main takeaway from this and how will you stay motivated and sane working from home. Please comment below.

                                                              Keep Pushing

                                                             Vanessa