How to Maximize Productivity While Working from Home

Tips from our Team

Productivity, motivation, energy management and focus are all things we need to think about when we’re working for any company in any capacity. Factor in working from home, and we’re adding an extra complication that can either be really awesome, or that can bamboozle your entire work situation. Below, each member of the Medialoot team shares his best tips for working from home. We also give you a fun sneak peek of a typical day at Medialoot headquarters.

As a company, each Medialoot team member works from home. In fact, we put together a short video to show you a day in the life at Medialoot “headquarters”, meaning each of our home workplaces. Video is at the bottom of the post!

We each have varying amounts of experience working from home, but no matter what, we all could talk about it and give mountains of advice to anyone that needs it.

Below are each of our best tips on how to work from home successfully, as well as photos of our work spaces (inspired by fun and friendly competition on our Dribbble page).

Quick question: just by looking at the photos, could you tell who the one Developer is amongst the rest? ;)

CEO Mason's tip: Separate your spaces

When working from home it’s easy to get distracted by a whole host of things; living and working in the same environment makes it difficult to distinguish between work and play. My favorite tip for working from home is to use your environment to help differentiate your work time from other time. Instead of saying “I will work from the hours of 9-12 and then from 1-5”, try to create actual visual or auditory cues in your work area that make separating the two automatic.

For example: use your laptop at your desk only when working (if you’re browsing the internet for fun, sit on the couch). Create a specific music playlist that you only use during “work hours”. Set a timer at your desk and let the ticking be a reminder that you are on the clock. I personally have a large daylight lamp in my home-office that I only turn on when I’m working: it helps keep me awake, happy, and focused.

There are dozens of different ways to do this; the key is to use your overall senses and environment to create an experience that helps differentiate work from play in a similar way to actually traveling to an office. Creating that distinct separation makes it easier to focus and avoid the types of distractions that typically hamper work-from-home productivity.

COO/Developer Natalie's tip: Pomodoro Timer

“25 minutes allows me enough time to really sink into a task without the mental block of having to sit down for hours.”

The Pomodoro technique is a time-based working technique where you work for 25 minutes and then take a 5 minute break. You’re supposed to repeat this until your day or task is complete, but I often take breaks a bit longer than five minutes and just use the Pomodoro as a way to get me back to my desk and working again.

I even have the official Pomodoro timer, which is a basic timer that only has marks up to twenty-five minutes instead of the full sixty.

I’m pretty sure I would get absolutely no work done without this technique. 25 minutes allows me enough time to really sink into a task without the mental block of having to sit down for hours. I just tell myself, “It’s only 25 minutes; it will fly by!” And it usually does. Plus, it really is good for your body to not sit for long periods at a time. That five-minute break period is essential for maintaining good posture and circulation throughout the day, which in turn makes you more productive and happy.

Tony's tip: Do what works for you

The best part of working from home is the freedom to decide how and when you work. But in order to stay productive it is important to have some structure to your day, too. With no boss looking over your shoulder and dictating your work hours for you, it’s up to you to decide when they will be!

One of the most important things to consider when designing a personal work schedule is when your “productive hours” are. This varies from person to person, and you may not have even considered it before. Some people can jump right out of bed and start doing their best work first thing in the morning (sans-coffee). Where as others will find that they get much more done in the afternoon or evening. Whenever they are, just try and make sure you’re actually being productive during your productive hours!

Around this foundation you can then allocate time for taking breaks to refuel, communicating with clients or colleagues, social media, picking up the kids, walking the dog, or whatever else needs doing! Of course not every day is the same, so allowances for flexibility are essential too. But once you have those daily guidelines in place, working from home should flow a whole lot smoother.

Jenn's tip: Get moving!

While working for yourself and/or working from home, it’s easy to put a lot of pressure on yourself since there’s a high probability you’re wearing a ton of hats. Because of this, you may find yourself in one of many situations. These two are the most familiar to me: focusing exclusively on one task for hours at a time and achieving flow; or bouncing around between 10+ different things like managing your calendar, making your to do list, firing off emails, tweeting, instagramming, making weekend plans, thinking about doing laundry, having 20 open browser tabs for articles you want to read, etc.

“90 minute focused time blocks are best punctuated by a 20 minute memory-improving walk.”

While flow is the ultimate goal, it can be incredibly difficult to achieve this, especially when you do need to allot time to multitask. How do I work to fix this? I’ve embraced the Tony Schwartz method of 90 minute focus time blocks, which I’ve found are best punctuated by a walking errand or an aimless meander around the city. Taking a step away from the computer helps me refocus and gain perspective on what task I should focus on next.

Turns out walks can be excellent way to improve your memory, too! Added bonus? Most of the Medialoot team owns a Fitbit pedometer, so there’s some healthy competition going on, too.

Here's a fun look into a day in the life at Medialoot headquarters.

Do you work from home? Share your tips below!