I have been working from home for over two years now, and people often ask how I manage to be productive at home when there are so many distractions. The key for me is to start the day correctly.
How you start your day can be a catalyst to how productive your day is.
Over time this is what I have found works for me.
Want a productive day? Get the right start!
Read on to see what works for me!
- Wake up naturally (I do not use an alarm, but tend to wake between 8 and 9. I would like to wake earlier, but that requires going to sleep earlier).
- Shower first thing, and put on smart casual clothes to set the tone of the day. If I do not shower first thing I tend to laze around the house, and treat it as a weekend day.
- In the shower I think about what it is I REALLY need to do for the day, and visualize the next steps to achieving that. By visualizing I mean think / plan out the next actions.
Photo by Steven Fernandez
- Eat breakfast – I tend to have a grapefruit or cereal, take my vitamins with water ( I’m currently trying to drink more water). Showering, taking vitamins and drinking water re-enforces my brain into thinking I have started the day well, and encourages me to continue the day this way.
- Stay away from the computer for now and sit down with a pen and paper. I ask myself what is the top task/ project for the day, and what are the next steps to achieve this. (I highly recommend the livescribe pulse pen as I can import and digitize my notes afterward, this allows me to think differently than if I am in front of a keyboard, and saves having to re-type later)
- Put on music which features a fast beat but minimal vocals (as vocals tend to
distract me). Daft Punk or similar music works best for me. - I commence work on the project with the highest priority (or importance).
(Initially i would break my projects down into smaller mini-projects) - I am trying to get some exercise before lunch time (P90/ P90X), and tell myself I will not eat lunch until I exercise (this can sometimes lead me to not get lunch on time).
- If I find I want to take a break, or get bored with a project I try to do a household task, put on some laundry, turn on my roomba, empty the dishwasher etc
Things that turn a potentially productive morning into an unproductive morning:
- Lying in bed thinking about what will I do today.
- Checking email first (it is guaranteed to put me on a tangent, or firefighting a task that can wait. If it is urgent a client will call). DO NOT check your email until you have made some progress on your first task.
- Going onto Facebook and looking at a friends updated photos (will end up going on a 2hr Facebook photo session)
- Going anywhere near Google Reader (I will end up with 30+ tabs of interesting stories open, and this will nag at me all day until I read them , or instapaper them). I am currently experimenting with checking Google Reader every second day as it is more efficient, and a lot of breaking stories will have updates allowing you to skim quicker.
What works and doesn’t work for you in the morning? Please leave your comments below.
I really enjoyed reading this Adam. After 4 years working from home for most of the time I can see my weak points and strengths very well defined in your post. I totally agree with waking up naturally (no alarm) and my trick for that is complete lack of curtains in the bedroom. I started this "technique" of mine few years ago, and it is one of the best things I ever did. I find my perfect time around 7am, I can even do 6am sometimes… but 8am is the winner most of the time
My other little trick is no TV and when I want to watch a movie I use the Mac. No TV is a blessing… believe me
I also find gardening a great way to get away from the computer and get a bit of fresh air.
But if there is a piece of advice I would give to anybody working from home and self-employed is to avoid the "news" as much as possible. And when I say "news" I'm talking about all those stories of disasters, crisis, more crisis ad more crisis… focus your energy in solutions… no problems
I agree 100% it's all about how you start your day. Facebook, Twitter,e-mail or Google Reader first thing is a no-go zone (and unfortunately, I too often drift there while having my morning coffee…). Interesting tip about waking up naturally – I set up the alarm clock, thinking I'm more in control that way – but will try your way for a few days
I find that getting some fresh air first thing in the morning sets me up nicely for work-mode. I learned that when I was looking after a friend's dog, and noticed the motivating effects of the morning walk.
I agree 100% it's all about how you start your day. Facebook, Twitter,e-mail or Google Reader first thing is a no-go zone (and unfortunately, I too often drift there while having my morning coffee…). Interesting tip about waking up naturally – I set up the alarm clock, thinking I'm more in control that way – but will try your way for a few days
I find that getting some fresh air first thing in the morning sets me up nicely for work-mode. I learned that when I was looking after a friend's dog, and noticed the motivating effects of the morning walk.
Spot on, Adam. Great post.
I've linked to you from mine as a thank you for the logo – hopefully you will get a bit of traffic!