Buenos Aires todayWorking from home

Well, everyone is doing it now. At least those who are lucky enough to have jobs that can be done from home. And it’s rather hard to keep motivated when you’re working from the same place. In fact, I think most people will be struggling with motivation because we’re working in a place full of distractions. And also because the world is crazy right now. So the first thing is not to be too hard on yourself. You’re not going to get this right in your first week.

Method #1. Find a space

One method I’ve found to have really upped my productivity is to have a dedicated workspace. And this can be put into practice even in a studio apartment, where your dining table might become your work desk. So when you sit there, you know it’s work time. And when you’re elsewhere, nothing gets done. So if you can, try to find a place in the house where you can at least pretend you’re really at work.

Method #2. Set a timer

Another method is to somewhat intuitively give yourself regular breaks. Set a timer on your computer while you are working some 15 or 20 minutes. And close Facebook and news sites closed during that period. You will focus on what you’re actually doing. At the end of that period, you can set another timer for 10 minutes, during which to browse the web, get a snack, or whatever. This will help you not to burn out and stay focused during the periods you’re actually working.

Method #3. Keep up with routine

Finally, to stay motivated when working from home, routine is important. It’s very tempting to start getting up late and working well past your knock-off hour. For what else are you going to do? But sleeping in and working late tends to ruin your sleep schedule and inevitably leads to lower productivity per hour. Even if you can’t go out, do you really want to be spending 10 hours to do what you could finish before 8? No way!

Best luck to everyone out there struggling to adapt to this strange new world!. And remember, we will get through this!