How to Stay on Track When Working from Home

It’s 3 o’clock in the afternoon, and you’ve hit a wall. In a traditional office, you could reignite your creative spark by getting up from your desk, heading to the water cooler, and making small talk with your coworkers. But what happens when you work from home full-time and have no one to talk to but your cat? More importantly, how can you end each day feeling like you accomplished more than just sitting on Zoom and reheating the same cup of coffee several times? If you still struggle with working from home, you’re not alone. Here’s how to stay the course throughout your day.

End on a high note

At the end of every day, dedicate 15 minutes to reviewing your checklist and deadlines. What did you accomplish? What’s left to be done? Even cleaning up your workspace (like finally washing that old cup of coffee) will help to start off a new day with a clean slate. Put cleanup time on your daily calendar or checklist, so you stick to it and don’t rush to wrap up your workday. It’ll help you to slow down and anchor your day.

Come in hot

If you’ve set yourself up for success the night before, you should be able to hit the ground running every morning (or at least know at what time you need to be awake, caffeinated, and presentable). Start with the lowest-hanging fruit — return emails, place a few phone calls — so you can feel some accomplishment after crossing some items off your list. You’ll then be able to focus on the more significant tasks at hand for the rest of the day. Think of it as your daily power hour.

Find what works for you

Maybe you’re the type of person who has checklists for checklists. Perhaps in a former life, you were the server who didn’t have to write down everyone’s orders. You can use electronic calendars, lists, and reminders to organize your day or go old school with a notebook and pen. It doesn’t matter what your system is but rather that you have a system in place and use it consistently. Choose one you can easily go back to and reference should the need arise.

How do you stay on task?