We have been working from home for a while now, since the beginning of Covid-19. Therefore we have accumulated a lot of tips on how to increase productivity and motivation when working from home. It took me a while to get my work from home setup perfect and to figure out what habits would be good to implement in my day to day life.

7 Working from home tips:

1.  Have a separate space for your WFH setup. Preferably in a separate room but if your house does not allow that then a section of a room dedicated to an office space would also work.
2. Make sure your desk is not facing something that could be distracting like a TV. The best is if your desk is facing a wall.
3. Your desk space needs to be comfortable, so invest in a desk and office chair that feels comfortable for you. Do not use random pieces of furniture lying around your house as your desk and chair. If your space is not comfortable it will make you less motivated to work and you will start to get aches and pains from straining your neck, back and wrists.
4. Phone's are very distracting especially when you working from home and there is no one looking over your shoulder. Best would be to place your phone in your desk draw and on silent, but if your work requires you to use your phone to answer calls from clients etc. . I would suggest getting a phone stand, especially one with some height. If your phone is at a higher viewing angle you will be able to see your notifications as they come in and won't have the urge to constantly check your phone.
5. With working from home some people have a disruption/distraction caused my members in their household. If you have a room for your office space you can close the door to help with this issue, it will block out some noise and they will understand that you are busy and do not want to be disturbed. However if you do not have the luxury of having your own office then good quality headphones should help. By wearing the headphones it will block out noise and also be an indication that you do not want to be disturbed.
6. When your working day has come to an end, it is good to get into the habit of shutting down your computer and leaving your desk. When we worked from the office you would leave the office and go home which would help your body identify that the work day is over but now it is very easy to just continue working since you are already home. Therefore it is important to have an end of work routine that can help you move from work mode to relaxation mode.
7. Working from home I find tends to make us lazy especially in the mornings. We do not have to worry about commute times and therefore stay in bed for as long as we can until we get to a point of only getting up 2 minutes before work starts. I think it is necessary to keep a good morning routine, it helps wake up your brain and prepare you for the work day. Get up about an hour to 2 before work starts and get dressed as if you were to leave the house, have a healthy breakfast and enjoy some relaxation before work starts.