Top 10 Ways to Boost Your Work-at-Home Productivity

Many men and women dream of working from home. The luxury and flexibility that comes with it are priceless…nothing beats it!. There are so many advantages to working from home and I'm sure you agree but you gotta admit…there are certain distractions that also come with it and they do hinder your productivity sometimes.

So what do you do to get going and accomplish as much work as possible?

Here are some tips to boost your work-at-home productivity:

1. Have a Dedicated Office Space
Even though you're working from home, it's still important to have a dedicated space that is conducive for working. Having a dedicated space just for work sets your mind up to "working mode." Every once in a while I tend to stay in bed and work there. However, I do find that I'm the most productive when I'm on my desk because my mind tells my body it's work time!

2. Keep Your Working Space Organized
Visual clutter sends mental clutter signals. Having a clean and organized work environment makes your mind clear. You may not always have the time to do this everyday but making it a point to make your home office tidy at least before a new week begins will help a lot to get your work week start right!

3. Dress for Success
One of the advantages of working from home is not being tied to a certain dress code: Suit, Tie, Business Casual. Those promoting work-at-home opportunities have used the very enticing line "work in your PJ's" and it sure is great to be able to work in your PJs if you choose to! However, I find that dressing up even if you're working from home, increases your productivity a lot. Again, this comes back to setting your mind up to work mode. I don't necessarily dress business casual at home because I am mostly a jean and shirt gal but I wear a comfortable outfit that still tells my mind and my body "Hey, it's work day!" Even when I'm staying in bed to work, I still get up, shower, and get ready as if I'm going to work on my desk. *Smiles!*

4. Find the Hours that You're Most Productive At
Are you a morning or evening person? Do you find that you get most of your tasks done at night when everything is quiet? Do you feel more creative in the evenings? Set the bulk of your work in the hours that you're most productive at. If you're more productive at night, take the mornings just to respond to emails and attend to client's needs and spend the evening working on your tasks if this type of schedule permits. Bottomline is don't spend staying on the computer idling and socializing or other unimportant activities if it's not helping your business grow.

5. Create a Realistic Daily To Do List
To-Do Lists still work whether you believe on it or not. To-Do list helps you prioritize what's important and it helps you accomplish things on a given timeframe. Instead of just going blindly through the day, write a realistic to do list. Do not overload it with so many things to do that it drives you crazy trying to accomplish it. Some people like to have the hardest tasks done first and then the easiest last, while others like me would like to do the easy ones first then the last one hard. This method makes me feel that I'm actually accomplishing my tasks one step at a time.

6. Apply Parkinson's Law
Parkinson's Law states that "Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion." This simply means that if you set your mind up to complete a certain task within a given timeframe, you will be able to do so. If you program yourself to accomplish a certain task within a certain amount of time, it will help you be more focused on getting your tasks accomplished.

7. Take Short Breaks Throughout Your "Shift"
Don't be too hard on yourself. You are your own boss, you have the flexibility on your time. If you feel getting overwhelmed with your tasks or if there are too many things on your plate, take a breather every now and then. Go outside and smell the fresh air!

8. Keep Your Focus
Getting focused isn't always easy when working from home. There are certainly things around the house that sometimes scream for your attention and there are things online that just kinda calls your name for a "little socializing" (If you know what I'm talking about, *wink*). If you give in, before you knew it, one or two hours have gone by and you've probably already commented on so many status updates, looked at hundreds of pictures of your friends, or watched YouTube videos. I'm guilty of this! But if I do apply the Parkinson's law and stick with my to do list, I do keep my focus, no matter what and still able to accomplish my tasks. Whatever it takes to keep your focus, do it!

9. Get Enough Rest
Home-based business owners tend to be a little bit more workaholic. When working from home, the challenge is to separate home life and work life because really there is no barrier anymore. Nobody to boss you around, watch over you, tell you whether we're working under time or over time. You just do our own thing, including work and work more. You get so consumed in trying to make your business grow that you forget that you won't enjoy what you've worked hard for if you're sick and in bed. Can you tell I am talking from my experience? Rest is important. Having enough rest throughout the week gives you more energy for the following week and it helps you be more productive.

10. Enjoy What You're Doing
Your day to day duties related to your home-based business can tire you. It does take a lot emotionally, physically, and mentally to maintain a business. This load though can feel a lot less when you enjoy what you're doing. Your enjoyment releases substances in your body that is healthy. If you don't find joy in what you're doing anymore, perhaps it's time to reevaluate and time to go a different direction or an adjustment on your perspective is needed.

Do you have any tips or advice that help you make your day productive? Please feel free to share them in the comments section below. Also, please don't forget to RT this, like or Digg!

Until then!…