Tips For Productivity At Home

Updated: Aug 25, 2020

Here are 10 proven tips and practices to increase your productivity at home. We’re sure you’ll find something that works for you!

Declutter: Make sure there isn’t anything distracting you at your workspace. Neuroscientists at Princeton University say “physical clutter negatively affects [one’s] ability to focus and process information.” So, remember to put unnecessary devices away to keep you focused on the task at hand.
Improve ergonomics: Simply setting up your workspace so that you have good posture when working is so important since it can help prevent you from feeling strained, allowing you to work more efficiently. We have an entire article about ergonomics, so make sure to check it out here!
Include natural light: If possible, try to work by a natural light source, as Cornell researchers say that daylight can actually reduce eye strain by 84%, thus decreasing tiredness!
Add plants: It’s been proven that being in nature can lower your blood pressure, so keeping plants near your workspace can help replicate that. Plants can reduce stress and fatigue, and increase attention capacity, so keeping them nearby is a good idea!
Keep it quiet: Try to find a quiet workspace in which you can concentrate and avoid distractions. If that’s not possible, you can use noise-cancelling headphones, or listen to white noise or study music.

Maintain a healthy lifestyle: Make sure you are eating nutritious meals and getting enough sleep (a minimum of 9 hours a night for adolescents!) Easier said than done, but try your best to do so.
Make a schedule: Do it the old fashioned way by writing to-do lists on paper, or use programs to keep track of your progress. Some common ones include Microsoft To-do, Google Calendar, Google Tasks, TickTick, Todoist, and Evernote.
Take breaks: It’s difficult to keep focused for extremely long periods of time, so make sure to take short breaks at least every 90 minutes. This lets you come back to your task feeling refreshed and ready to work.
Reward yourself: You can try giving yourself incentives that you can work towards if you’re feeling particularly unmotivated or unproductive.
Exercise: Get at least 30 minutes of exercise daily -- this will improve your memory, focus, and boost your energy level! Here’s how: mitochondria, otherwise known as the “power-plant” of your body produces ATP, the chemical your body uses as energy. Physical activity triggers the development of new mitochondria, thus giving you more energy!

We know it can be tough to work productively at this time, but we hope you've picked up something new that can help you, even if it's just a bit!

Article Contributors: Valerie Shirobokov, Michelle Xiao

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Rampton, J. (2019, February 26). How Much Does Your Workspace Affect Your Productivity ...

Featured image courtesy of Cottonbro via Pexels

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