5 simple tips to boost your productivity when working from home

Hi all, welcome back to the 3XM blog.
 
Today we’ll be looking at ways for the modern photographer to stay productive while working from home.
 
We’ve got a whole range of marketing tips in our previous posts, you can check them out here: Learn how to market to millennials, how to start a photography blog and different types of social media for photographers! 
 
So, onto today’s topic!
 
It’s something nearly all photographers will have to deal with at some stage – working from home.
 
There are times when you just need to get in the zone and get things done and a home office can be the perfect place to do so – provided you’ve taken the right steps!
 
So, we’re here to help, we’ve thrown together 5 easy steps you can take to ensure you’re always productive when working from your home office. 

1.Set regular work hours

​Ok so the first one might seem a bit obvious but you’d be surprised how easy it is to fall into bad habits.
 
It’s important to keep a semblance of structure in your home office. You need to establish times that are strictly your work hours. It’s incredibly easy to fall into the habit of answering emails all day or staying in front of your computer until all hours.
 
Now, there’s nothing wrong with working hard or putting in a long shift but there should be a clear and concise office and home divide. 
 
It’s a balancing act that can be tough to manage at first.
 
But it’s essential if you want to treat your space like a real office.
 
Which brings us nicely on to point number 2. 
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2.Establishing boundaries

​It’s always tempting to have the tv on in the background or maybe have a friend drop by for some of the day, but Netflix is not your friend here. This is a workspace, it’s important to treat it as such.
 
When you’re first choosing or creating your space it’s crucial that you choose somewhere that can be separated from the everyday goings-on of the house.
 
It’s as simple as being behind a closed door. It’s easy, and even inviting, to think that you can easily work from your bed or chilling in the sitting room.
 
But trust me, this is a bad idea. You'll aim for this: 

And end up like this: 

There is also no separation here. If you’ve worked all day and you just stay in the same spot where you worked it’s very hard to separate work and play.
 
It can be hard to do at first but boundaries must be established, the battle lines must be drawn! Ok, a bit dramatic but you get the point.
 
This is an office and that’s that. If you have kids or a partner at home during the day it can be difficult to navigate this, but it’s something that you’ll figure out for yourself as your "stay at home" journey continues. ​​
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3.Start your day like any other

​Ok, so your alarm goes off and you drag yourself out of bed. You’re still half asleep and not at all ready to work.
 
But, we all have to do it, so start your commute – 10 seconds later you’re in your office – not too bad!
 
Now think about it, is this how you would normally go to work? If you were meeting a client is there something you might do different here?
 
Well, this is a normal work day. No matter where the office is, you’re in work and should treat it like a regular work day.
 
So, wake up, have a healthy breakfast, take a shower and get dressed for work like you usually would. Obviously you can take a more casual approach to dress but don’t spend the day in your pjs. if you want to be productive, get yourself in the right mindset. 
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4.Be sure to take regular breaks

​Much like setting yourself regular hours to work within, be sure that you’re taking regular breaks to keep yourself sane.
 
At home by yourself, earphones in, and no distractions can be a great way to get work done but don’t let yourself realise that 7 hours have passed and you've eaten nothing all  day.
 
Get up from your desk / workspace and have lunch or take a break every time you complete a task.
 
Ideally you want to get out of the house. After all, you’re the boss. Go for a walk or a coffee or maybe even meet a friend for lunch.
 
It’s important not to get too isolated. It’s so easy to get cut off in this type of environment so make sure you’re keeping in touch with people in the industry or your colleagues if you're part of a larger organisation.
 
Your networking doesn’t stop just because you work from home, so get out to events and conferences and business networking groups. You have to try even harder to keep this up when you're in the working from home zone. 

5.Plan your own schedule

So, we’ve given some advice on setting your work hours and how you should regulate your day, but the reality is, everyone is different.
 
If you know that you work better at midday or in the evening then trying to get to your desk at bang on 7am isn’t going to help you one bit is it?
 
If you have your own business this is probably one of the reasons why you wanted to get out on your own – to have the freedom to choose and work your own hours.
 
So tailor your day to suit your needs, if you want to work from 3–10 well who am I to tell you any different?  
 
If it’s working and you’re still hitting your goals then keep it up. I would strongly recommend writing a list of daily and weekly goals or tasks that you want to complete so that you know you're keeping on top of everything.
 
If you’re running your own business from your home stuff can easily slip by the wayside and be forgotten but you’re the boss so it's your job to keep on top of it!

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There we have it. Some nice and easy tips on how to be productive when working from a home office.
 
How do you structure your day if you're working from home?