1377: 5 Hacks to Improve Your Home Office Productivity by Elizabeth Plumb with Money Mini Blog

[00:00:00] This is Optimal Work Daily Episode 1377. 5 Hacks to Improve Your Home Office Productivity by Elizabeth Plumb with MoneyMiniBlog.com And I am Dan, I am your host and I am here with you every single day bringing you this

[00:00:40] content that focuses on all aspects of work like work-life balance, entrepreneurship, getting your own business started, and remote work. And that's where we're going to focus today, it's working from home and how you can maximize that experience.

[00:00:53] So let's get to it as we hear from Elizabeth and optimize your life. 5 Hacks to Improve Your Home Office Productivity by Elizabeth Plumb with MoneyMiniBlog.com Working from a home office has a ton of advantages, including eliminating that frustrating daily commute to the office.

[00:01:15] But it also has its drawbacks too and one of them is complacency. With no office mates to interrupt you, no more back-to-back meetings all day long, you may be looking forward to getting a ton of work done from your home office.

[00:01:27] But if you've worked from home for any amount of time, you've likely realized that this isn't always how it works. Complacency can really impact your home office productivity. Family members and friends who now know your home all day can mean constant phone calls or unannounced visitors.

[00:01:42] So how do you get the best of both worlds? How do you maintain productivity when you work from a home office? We've put together some tips to help you ramp up the productivity of your home office. 1. Create a Dedicated Workspace Believe it or not, having a dedicated

[00:01:57] workspace can really ramp up your productivity. The main reason for this is that your brain is conditioned to focus when you are quote-unquote at work. By having a dedicated workspace, your brain knows when it's time to work and when it's time for play.

[00:02:11] Your dedicated workspace doesn't have to be an entire room. It can be a desk or a specific table you work from every time. Having a dedicated workspace also tells family members that you're working and helps prevent distractions. 2. Ditch the pajamas One of the most talked about bonuses to

[00:02:28] working from a home office is the ability to forgo the work wardrobe and work in your pajamas. But one of the biggest drags on your productivity can be not getting dressed for work daily. Again, it has to do with fooling your brain into focusing on work.

[00:02:42] Wearing pajamas or clothing that is too comfy signals to your brain that you're in the mood for sleeping, not working. So another big tactic to help increase home office productivity is to dress for success. Get up each morning, shower, and get dressed.

[00:02:56] You don't have to wear a suit, but you should at least change out of your pajamas. 3. Eliminate distractions One downside to working from home is that there is no one but yourself to hold you accountable for getting things done.

[00:03:08] It's pretty easy to get lost in distractions, including email, phone calls, and drop-by visitors, your favorite television show, or social media. The best way to boost home office productivity is to eliminate these distractions so the temptation is gone. Try these tactics.

[00:03:24] Get an app that prevents you from visiting social media during specific times of day. Check email at lunch and end of the day instead of first thing in the morning. Set boundaries with family and friends that discourage drop-by visits during work hours.

[00:03:37] Let the phone go to voicemail and pick up messages periodically. Use your favorite TV show as a reward for getting your to-do list done. And stop multitasking. Studies have proven that this isn't as productive as it feels, and that most people just aren't that good at it.

[00:03:53] Organize and declutter You'd be surprised at how much time can be lost during the day searching for a file, that quote you printed out for a client, or even trying to locate your notebook.

[00:04:04] Decluttering your workspace so it contains only the things you need to do your work is one way to boost home office productivity. Make sure your work materials and supplies are organized so that you can quickly find the hands-on items you need to keep working.

[00:04:17] It also helps to tidy up the rest of the house the night before, so your mind isn't thinking about that sink full of dishes or other items on your home-to-do list. And five, take time to recharge.

[00:04:29] It's important to take time out to recharge yourself to maintain home office productivity. Reduce eye strain if you spend a lot of time on the computer by giving your eyes a break every 20 minutes or so throughout the day.

[00:04:41] Stand up, stretch and move around a bit every hour or so. Set aside time daily to recharge either through exercise or some other activity that you enjoy. Those that don't do this regularly will find that they spend full days at their

[00:04:54] desk but never seem to accomplish much at all. You just listened to the post titled, Five Hacks to Improve Your Home Office Productivity by Elizabeth Plum with MoneyMiniBlog.com. And thanks to Elizabeth for today's post, she is a guest writer over at

[00:05:13] MoneyMiniBlog and we also want to thank the creator of that site, Kaelin Bruce. Kaelin and his wife had $24,000 of debt and they wanted to get out from under that. So Kaelin became a student of finances.

[00:05:25] The couple is now debt free and building wealth and he shares what he's learned over the years with you on MoneyMiniBlog.com. It's a website featured very regularly over on one of our other podcasts, Optimal Finance Daily. That's the show where we narrate blogs that cover personal finance

[00:05:40] and other money topics like how to save more, make more and invest more. So if you liked today's post, do check out that show for some more great content from Kaelin. But that is it for another edition of Optimal Work Daily.

[00:05:53] I hope you're having a wonderful day out there. Keep on optimizing and I'll see you right back here tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.