Check out these ideas to help get your work from home motivation levels to new highs!
Workspace Setup
- Create a dedicated workspace
You’re going to spend many hours in one space to make sure your work from home setup is well catered to keeping you motivated and productive.
As well as focusing on ergonomics to keep you comfortable, add individualistic touches that inspire you and make you smile to help keep you on track.
- Organize your space
Not everyone works best in a pristine environment, but if you can’t find a pen or a notepad amongst the items on your desk, a tidy up might be in order.
Even if your workspace isn’t messy. Giving it a spruce up can help you reset and refocus your energy.
- Limit distractions
I feel most motivated when I’m able to focus and get work done at home. There’s nothing worse than ongoing distractions, like pets, kids or noisy neighbours to drain that energy from you.
A good pair of noise cancelling headphones is the first point of call. If that fails, try listening to some music to help drown out anything that could interrupt your flow.
Goal Setting And Planning
- Create a to do list
A to do list can be a great way to keep you on track and motivated that you’re moving forward and achieving something new every day.
There’s something satisfying too about crossing off a to do list item, especially if it’s a big task.
I’d honestly say just the process of crossing an item out can feel motivating – if your to-do list is digital, try using a notepad to see if it reframes the notion of completing something.
- Set Goals
We can get a bit lost and unmotivated if we don’t have direction in what we do.
You can set goals with your manager, your team, or with yourself to create something motivational to work towards.
Just always make sure they’re realistic. Creating goals that are unrealistic can have the opposite effect.
- Schedule
Planning your day around work and your personal life can not only lead to better work-life balance, but help break up the day and your energy into bite size parts, making it easier to manage.
A lot of the time I find I’m focused and motivated when I’m varying my day so that my mind is frequently being re-energized by something new.
If your job allows flexible hours – try mixing up how you schedule your day to see what works best for you.
Productivity Techniques
- Routine
A consistent work from home routine is a useful way to keep you on track and plan your day for productivity.
It takes 66 days to form a new habit. By the time 2 months have past, you’ll have built a productive behaviour into your day that feels like second nature.
- Pomodoro Technique
The Pomodoro Technique involves splitting your time into bursts of work and breaks.
It can be a really useful method for those lacking motivation to help structure their working day.
Give it a go if you feel that you need a bit more structure to your working patterns.
- Listen To Music
This one’s down to personal preference. I sometimes put some music on in the background whilst I’m working, or the radio when I’m doing light work.
At home, we can often be surrounded by blocks of silence that inevitably create a stale atmosphere. If not music, a podcast or some light background noise could be a good way to add variation to your environment.
- Experiment
There’s not one size fits all approach to productivity, especially when it relates to motivation in a remote work environment.
Experiment with a few ideas. Usually trial and error is the best way to get you to where you want to be.
Self-Care And Wellness
- Get Dressed
We’ve all been guilty of spending the day in our sweatpants or PJs! It’s probably even fine once in a while.
Framing your mindset for the working day by putting on some more formal clothes can really work for some people in segregating work and life to give focus. It does for me.
- Take breaks
Too often motivation can wane from extended working hours and a lack of external stimuli.
Make sure to take breaks when you should, probably at least every 2 hours. When you do get up and move about to get blood flowing and give your body some relief as well as your mind.
- Reward yourself
I think a lot of people are guilty of not doing this. When you complete a project, or get positive feedback on your work, take time to acknowledge it.
Reward yourself by buying a new pair of shoes, getting a take out, going to the theatre, whatever. As long as you’re creating that feedback look in your mind, you’ll be more motivated to complete and do good work.
- Get outside
This is one of my favorites as it’s so simple, yet so effective. I try to get outside in the morning or on my lunch break every day. Even if it’s just for 10 minutes.
It freshens up my perspective and energizes me for when I come back to my desk. The benefit you get from being outside, especially amongst nature, just can’t be replicated at home.
- Look at some memes
A really quick fix can be to check out some motivational memes or quotes for inspiration.
Here are a few to choose from:
- Hobbies
Always try to make time for your passions. At the end of the day they’re the things that we get the most fulfilment from.
The motivational impact of investing time in them is the more you make time for them, the more content you’ll feel generally; making it easier to undertake other aspects of life (like work).
- Exercise
I’m a jogger. I go about 2 times a week on my lunch. When I do go I tackle the afternoons better than when I don’t.
The mental and physical energy it gives me is unparalleled. I think that this is true for any exercise, so if you’re able, try to incorporate some into your working week if you don’t already.
Communication And Collaboration
- Interact with colleagues
A quick Slack convo or impromptu Zoom call with a colleague can do wonders to brighten your day when you’re working from home.
Hearing what’s going on with someone else’s day or sharing ideas on a shared piece of work or company news helps reduce the solitude that can come from being at home.
As most if not all of our meetings are formal and work related, recreating a virtual water cooler moment can help break up the day.
- Seek Feedback
Feedback on how you’re doing in your role can often be daunting to ask for. More often than not it will give you something to either appreciate or work towards so don’t be afraid to ask for it.
Feedback can also come from HR if you need some ideas on staying motivated at your company they will be able to offer support.
- Make time for family
Another common bad habit we can get into working from home is not making time for family, even if they’re living under the same roof that we’re working in!
They’re our immediate outlet for some much needed R&R when we need it. Take time to appreciate that and be there for them if they’re equally seeking some comfort. Either way it helps you reset.
Personal Development
- Learn new skills
Whether you’re looking to learn new remote work skills or a life skill like playing the piano or coding, the rewarding nature of taking on a new skill can be a good way to boost your motivation generally.
- Start a side hustle
If your work’s struggling to motivate you, look to use your abilities in other areas. There are tons of ways to make money from home nowadays and a new endeavour might be just what you need to bring some zest back into your working life.
- Get a new job!
Ultimately, it could be your job that’s demotivating you. Either the job itself or the company you do it at.
If you feel like a change might be the best solution, take time to think about what’s demotivating you about the current position to help you know what to avoid at the next.
Work From Home Motivation Conclusion
I hope some of those ideas helped.
These articles of remote work productivity and the best work-life balance jobs might offer further inspiration.
James Waite
Founder of Remoteopia, James has worked in remote roles for 6 years. After a stint in recruitment, he now works as a director of website strategy in tech.
