Working from home can be hard.
Even if your day job involves going into an office, you probably work on your side hustle at home.
With so many distractions, in a space you psychologically associate with just about everything except work, it can be hard to concentrate and get things done.
There are a few things you can do to combat this problem.
A lot of it is psychological.
When you associate a physical space with certain activities, it can be hard to do much of anything else in that location.
That's why people who work remotely generally work from a home office, not from their bedroom or their living room couch.
It's all about structure.
You have to build structure for yourself, like you'd have at an office.
This means designating a distinct workspace within your home that's dedicated to working on your side project.
It can also mean dressing like you're going to work.
It's tempting to stay in your pajamas when you're working on your website on a Saturday afternoon, but this can subtly prime you to take it easy.
In a recent article from Entrepreneur, the author explains how dressing in your work clothes can make you more productive at home.
Dress for work.
Research from scientists at California State University, Northridge and Columbia University shows that the clothes we wear influence the way we feel and think.
In the five studies they conducted, they found that wearing formal clothing enhanced cognitive processing.
Of course, we don’t need research studies to tell us this. We have plenty of evidence that putting on our makeup or wearing a suit makes us feel good.
Similarly, by dressing up for work, even though we’re working from home, we’re mentally priming ourselves for work.
Sol Orwell, co-founder of Examine.com, has been working from home for 15 years.
In a conversation with me, he said changing his clothes is his No. 1 productivity secret. “It's common to talk about habits to get into the right mindset.
I've found the simple act of having a set of clothes you associate with work to be great for making that happen.”
So, while working in pajamas might seem like the best thing about working from home, it’s actually keeping you from being productive.
Get out of them, take a shower and dress professionally to be more productive.
You can find more tips for getting things done at home over at Entrepreneur.
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