If you’re new to working from home, you might be looking for a routine that keeps you productive. With our tips, we’ll help you start the day with some insight on how to maintain a positive mindset and help you develop a positive work attitude as you are adjusting to your time of working from home.
Create Structure
If you’re wondering how to start the day with a positive mindset, it’s with structure. Just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean you should let structure go out the window. Stick to your usual morning routine. Now that you don’t have a commute, use that extra time to enjoy breakfast, squeeze in a morning workout, or even let yourself sleep a little bit longer than usual. The most important factor is that you stick to your usual office routine. Once it’s your usual time to begin work, sit down and get to work. Make sure to take breaks throughout the day and have a lunch break away from your computer. When the end of your workday rolls around, shut off your computer and enjoy something unrelated to work so that you can unwind for the day. Sticking to structure will create some sense of normalcy in your life and, as a result, help you keep a positive mindset at work.
Choose a Dedicated Workspace
One of the biggest problems people who are new to working from home face is that they are not setting up a dedicated workspace. For instance, if you find yourself working out of your bed or on your couch, your brain might become easily distracted since it associates these areas with sleep or leisure time already. Instead of working from your bed or couch, choose a spot in your home and dedicate a said space to work only. That way, when you make your long commute from your bedroom to that area in your home, your brain will associate that space with work. At the end of the day, when you leave that space after you’re finished working, it will help your brain disconnect from work so that you can relax and enjoy your life at home.
Try to find an area in your home that has a door you can close, if possible. If not, keep a pair of headphones handy if noise is often a distraction. If you don’t have a desk at home, consider buying one or taking over the dining room table as your new office space. Make sure to set boundaries with anyone you live with. Ask them not to distract you during work hours and to keep noise or interaction with you to a minimum as you complete your job.
Get Dressed
You might feel tempted to lounge around in your pajamas all day every day. Just like your brain associates your workspace with work, it also associates wearing pajamas with sleeping. Do yourself a favor and take a shower and get dressed in a casual outfit for the day. Changing out of your pajamas can change your entire work attitude and set you up for a productive day.
Take Advantage of Video Chats
It can feel isolating to work from home, especially if you live alone. Feeling lonely can make it challenging to have a positive attitude at work. Take advantage of video chats. If you have an upcoming meeting with a coworker, request that you meet over video chat instead of the phone. Seeing another person’s face can make all the difference in your work attitude. If you don’t have regular meetings with coworkers or your boss, maybe now is the time to start scheduling them.
Limit Screen Time
It’s easy to feel glued to the media as the news constantly changes. However, staying glued to your TV, phone, or news sites on your computer during the day is not only bad for your productivity but also for maintaining a positive mindset at work. If you get distracted easily, set up your workstation away from your TV, try leaving your phone in a separate room, or use an app blocker during working hours. If you get distracted on your computer, use a focus plugin on your internet browser to stick to work tasks only. Although it’s essential to stay on top of the news, consuming too much might do more harm than good to your brain.
Focus on the Positive Aspects of Working from Home
Working from home isn’t all bad news. Many people prefer it to working in an office. Instead of dwelling on the fact that you live in a tiny apartment or that your kids are driving you nuts while you’re trying to work, focus on the positive aspects instead. For instance, you get to spend more time with your family. You also get to cook meals and use your own bathroom instead of the public one at work. Working from home also gives you the flexibility to set your work hours if your company allows it. You might also be saving money from not commuting or buying lunch and coffee every day.
Create Goals for Yourself
Just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean that you should let all professional or personal goals go out the window. Working towards a goal gives you an extra reason to feel positive. Perhaps you want to expand your professional skills by taking an online course. Set aside a little bit of time every day and, eventually, you will reach your goal and reap the rewards. You can even give yourself a small reward for your accomplishments to change your work attitude.
Creating goals in your personal life can also help you feel more positive at work. For instance, if you’ve recently started a new hobby like playing an instrument, working on your goals after work can give you something to look forward to during your workday. Since you have something to look forward to outside of work, it can help you feel happier and more motivated throughout the day.
Keep a Journal Nearby
If you’re feeling overwhelmed with work or life in general, keep a journal. Write down your thoughts every time you lack a positive mindset. Journaling is a healthy outlet for your feelings.
You can also turn your journal into a positivity journal. Instead of venting about your frustrations, start your day by writing every positive thing you can think about yourself and your life. Thinking positivity at the beginning of the day and writing it down will help you keep these thoughts in mind for the rest of the day. In turn, you can keep a positive attitude at work.
We hope these tips will help you stay positive while working from home. If you’re looking for a fun way to get paid while working from home, sign up for Branded Surveys to make money from surveys!
