Staying motivated during the workday can be especially tough when your home is your office. When you go to an office, it’s a little bit easier to stay on task with the structure of your day, management presence, and the office environment itself.

Although it’s a challenge to create a routine that will work to provide motivation, it’s essential to complete your necessary tasks and stay focused. Here are some best practices on how to stay motivated when working from home.

Dress Up

When you work in an office, there’s no choice but to dress appropriately. Although home-based careers allow you the freedom of clothing choice, you’ll be much more motivated if you continue to dress for the office. You don’t have to go all out, but doing your hair, makeup, and wearing casual to business casual clothing can help.  Dressing in sweatpants is incredibly comfortable, but doesn’t always do much to keep us motivated.

Create a Schedule

Schedules are key, especially when you work from home! You really have to strive to keep your work life and home life separate, so scheduling your time, appointments, and tasks is crucial to success. Make a schedule at the beginning of the week, and continue to move items down the list if you don’t complete them on a certain day. When you see your week laid out, it removes the overwhelm and tells you exactly what you need to be doing.  It’s easier to keep the motivation going when you can charge through your schedule.

Give Yourself Time Off

Whether it’s a 10-minute break or a few days off, you need to relax and recharge. When motivation is seriously waning, it’s typically because we haven’t had enough time to unplug. Taking a few short breaks during the day should go without saying, but add them to your schedule anyway! It’s always fun to take a quick walk, grab a snack, or get some fresh air.  When you need more recharging, make sure you’re taking time off to relax or spend time with family. Especially when you work from home, it can start to feel like you spend all your time in your home environment.  Keep your health intact by scheduling the appropriate amount of time off from work.

Do Something Fun

If you’re feeling unmotivated or your weeks are starting to run together, mix up your routine a bit. Call a friend or colleague and meet up for lunch, or take some of your calls outside, if at all possible. When you can change just the slightest parts of your routine, it can remove the monotony and spike motivation quickly!

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