Do you do most, or maybe all of your work from home, as a proud member of the new breed or telecommuters, solopreneurs, and digital nomads responsible for taking over the world of business and putting their own brand new stamp on things?
Well, for all the benefits that come with such a working arrangement, you’ve no doubt noticed a few potential downsides as well. Some of these are pretty run-of-the-mill things, like struggling to stay motivated and maintain a consistent work schedule without a boss to keep a watchful eye on you.
Perhaps, however, you’ve also found yourself having to deal with staying productive during a move, where the process isn’t quite as simple as; hire movers, continue life as usual, but also requires you to think of a new temporary working arrangement?
Or maybe you’re having your home renovated and are faced with the same problem. When that happens, you may have little choice other than to improvise and work from a library or coffee shop.
Here are some tips for remaining productive under these circumstances.
Pack Headphones And Download Some Ambient Music
It’s difficult to focus in a public place, if people around you are having conversations, or making any other types of noises on a regular basis.
Even if you’re working in a library — a place where silence is all but sacred — you’re still liable to hear cars drive past outside, or to be distracted by the sound of turning pages, or even the unnatural silence in itself.
By downloading some ambient music and taking a good pair of headphones out with you, you can enter into your own private “focus zone” no matter where you are.
Don’t Occupy Space In A Business, Without Paying
One of the most popular places for remote workers to work from, are good old coffee shops. It seems like a pretty natural place to be, after all. You can get an energy-boosting beverage, while being surrounded by other people, and having a table all to yourself.
The problem arises when you decide to camp in the coffee shop all day, and only buy one cup of coffee when you first arrive.
Do this often enough, and you might find that you make yourself unpopular with the staff, and unwelcome in general. If you’re going to be working in someone else’s establishment, at least have the courtesy of buying a drink every hour or two.
Plan Your Day Before Leaving Home
It can be very difficult to stay properly productive, throughout the day, if you haven’t planned accordingly before leaving the house.
This planning should include creating a to-do list of your top tasks and errands for the day, in addition to deciding on your plans for lunch (and packing a pre-prepared lunch if needs be), and figuring out where you’ll be working from during the day.
Sitting in a public place, starving, and discovering too late that you don’t have internet access, is a poor way of ensuring a productive day.