Working from home is one of the most rewarding ways to make a living.
The importance of work-life balance is a relatively new phenomenon in 2019, but we’re seeing more and more people factor this into their lives. Gone are the days of the strict 9-5 work experience. It’s time to enjoy life the way that we’ve always wanted to.
We can be sure that this trend isn’t going to slow down any time soon, either. The generations that supersede ours will place even more importance on finding comfort in their employment. For now, we’ve got to be the ones that pave the way for those after us.
But, how do you create an environment that’s comfortable, looks like a place you’d want to live, and also promotes productivity?
In this post, we’re going to give you some minimalist living tips that will help you stay productive when working at home. It’s easy to get distracted by all the gadgets that we have nowadays, so we’re going to show you how to create a space within your home that will keep you focused on your work. Let’s begin.
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6 Minimalist Living Tips for Working at Home
If you’ve ever made money working from home, then you know how hard it can be to just sit down and work for a full day. It’s way too easy to get distracted by books, TV, staring out the window, and eating.
You’re in luck, however, because we at Work/Home/Life have figured out how to do this right. Here are 6 minimalist living tips for your home office.
1. Choose Your Space
Whatever kind of job you’ve got, whether it’s freelancing or a regular job that you get to do from the comfort of home, you’ll need a space to call your work area.
If you’ve got a whole house to yourself, you can choose a room to turn into an office, but for those of us that live in apartments, you’ll have to settle for the right corner of the room. Try to pick something that’s comfortable with some decent natural light so you’re not just staring at a computer all day.
If you’re a writer or someone who is on the computer a lot, get yourself a nice desk and a comfy chair, because you’ll be spending a lot of time there. If it’s something else, find the right materials and cultivate a good atmosphere to work in.
2. Get Rid of Distractions (But Be Open to Them As Well)
The hard part about working from home, if there is one, is staying as productive as you would at an office. All of your stuff is at your home, so there are numerous distractions staring you in the face at all times.
It could be a book that you’re deep into, watching Netflix, or pacing around your living room to procrastinate. You should try and limit these types of distractions as much as possible, but don’t cut them out altogether.
Sometimes it’s okay to take a little break in the middle of the day to watch an episode of Frasier or read a chapter of your book, but don’t make it part of your routine. Only give in to the distractions when you can’t think of anything better to do.
Unless you need it for work, put your phone in a different room and don’t look at it until you decide to take a break. Same goes with any other handheld gadgets that you have. And, try to keep the TV off as much as you possibly can. Some people like to work with noise in the background, but a TV will stifle productivity.
3. Treat It Like an Office
One way to cut out distractions and put yourself in the right frame of mind is to treat your workspace like it’s an office. You’ve got your desk, your fancy chair, and your computer already, so you might as well use them.
It can be really easy to be tempted by working in bed or on your couch instead of your workspace but resist this urge, it’ll only lead to laziness and never putting real clothes on. Picture what it’s like to work in an office and create your version of that at home.
4. Encourage Creativity
The beauty of working from home is that you can decorate your office space in a way that will put you in the mood to work. If you’re doing something creative, it could come in the form of art prints or photography. Creatives will tell you how important it is to derive inspiration from the things around you.
If you can turn your office or studio area into a space that puts you in the mood to be creative, doing the work will come much easier to you. Display the things that mean the most to you, like your books or any artefacts that you’ve accumulated that have a particular story to tell.
5. Scheduling & Daily Goals
When you wake up every morning, you should have a goal in mind that you want to hit. If you’re a graphic designer or copywriter, maybe you can shoot to finish a certain number of jobs in a day. If you’re working on a single large-scale project, maybe you can try to get to a certain checkpoint by the end of the day.
If you don’t hit the goal, that’s okay, there’s always tomorrow. It’s important not to beat yourself up if you don’t hit your quota for the day. The best part of working for yourself at home is that you get to do things at your own pace, to some degree.
However, it should be said that scheduling your time is a huge part of working from home. To do it right, you should stick to a schedule so that you can keep yourself on track throughout the day.
It’s okay to have an impromptu trip for lunch with a friend, but doing things like getting groceries for the next day will keep you from starting and stopping too much.
6. Know When to Pull the Plug On Your Day
In a normal office environment, you would have people around you all day. When you’re working from home, you’ll most likely be alone all day. This can make you a little bit stir crazy, so it’s good to know when to call it quits for the day.
If you’ve been staring at your computer trying to think of something to do for an hour, you’ve probably exhausted your brain. It’s okay to unplug a little bit early and get on with your evening. Tomorrow will be waiting for you.
Enjoy Working From Home
Working from home affords you a simple life. You don’t have to leave the house for weeks at a time if you don’t want to, though we don’t recommend it.
Minimalist living is important for cultivating a great working atmosphere. Remove your distractions and keep yourself on schedule and you’ll have no problem getting lots of work done.
All that you’ve got to do is remember that you’re still a normal person, so don’t get too wrapped up in your work or being on your own. Just enjoy the solitude and the comfort of knowing that you’ve figured out a great balance between work and life.
For more tips on how to work from home and lead your best life, check out our blog. We’ve got loads of informative posts on how to find work from home jobs and case studies showing how to be productive once you’ve got one.
