Everyone is busy trying to get things done. Most people spend their day trying to get things done; however, they aren’t that productive. Particularly for those working from home, it can be a challenge to avoid distractions. With the endless number of distractions: like household chores that all of the sudden need to get done, phone calls to friends to make plans for this and that, posting to social media, books that were meant to be read a year ago that suddenly need to be read, a new episode of this or that tv show, etc. The excuses and distractions can be never-ending. 

 

So what needs to be done to be a productivity powerhouse without sacrificing one’s sanity? The answer boils down to structure and self-discipline.

 

Structure

It can be challenging for one to work at home and still be productive. However, if you develop a structure for working rather than merely attempting to ignore the distractions around the house, there’s a much greater chance of productivity. 

 

One of the best ways to develop a structure while working at home is to maintain a professional mindset. Those who worked in an office setting where they had to dress professionally should continue to dress professionally. While working at an office, most people use schedules and appointments to stay organized and focused. Even though one works from home, it is still possible to schedule work time from 9-5 and put appointments on the calendar. Work-related tasks should also be added to a to-do list. It doesn’t matter whether one uses Tasks in Microsoft Outlook or a whiteboard; all tasks should be documented and tracked professionally.

 

Self-Discipline

self-discipline is the more difficult of the two to maintain. It is one thing to design a structure so that one is working from 9-5 and then off until the next day but doesn’t start until ten or leaves at 2:30, or one has set up a structure to use various productivity tools, like Microsoft Outlook, but then doesn’t use them. If one doesn’t have the self-discipline to stick with the routines and processes set up, then there is no chance of being productive.

 

The trick to being a productive powerhouse and being stress-free is to create a standardized routine, and that can only be done by creating a structure for the routine and being disciplined enough to maintain that routine.