Maintaining high levels of productivity while working from home (or in the office, for that matter) can become difficult as the day pulls on. However, there are many different strategies to focus in and stay productive. Read these 5 tips on how to make it possible!

1. Stand Regularly

Standing for at least 5 minutes every hour is imperative to our focus and health. Human bodies are meant to move and sitting all day can have long-term negative effects. In fact, most professionals recommend working up to a 1:1 ratio of sitting to standing.

If you’ve ever had a full-time office job, you truly understand the shoulder, neck, and back pain that is associated with sitting at a desk in front of a screen all day, no matter your age or fitness levels. However, there are major methods to reducing that pain, such as creating an ergonomic environment. Standing while working is not only is key to productivity, but also ensures you are watching out for your health.

If you are looking for how to make your workspace more ergonomic, consider a height adjustable desk. From lowering the risk of injury, decreasing stress, and reducing soreness, to increasing productivity and focus, sit/stand desks are a game changer in the office furniture industry.

2. Take Breaks

It is highly unlikely that you will be able to focus for a straight eight hours every day. Taking a lunch break or a ten-minute break in the morning and afternoon is the perfect way to refuel your energy.

Busy people avoid breaks because they believe they have too much to do. However, try not to look at your break as wasted time. Instead, grasp how that time will make the rest of your day more productive so you can ultimately achieve more in the long run.

In addition, simply taking the break is not enough if you are checking your emails on the side. Fully invest in your time to refocus on yourself.

3. Engage

Focus on a singular task at a time. Because multi-tasking makes it impossible to pay full attention into the tasks you are trying to complete, you are guaranteed to take a longer time in total multitasking than if you had engaged in each task one at a time.

This also applies to group tasks. For your meetings, Zoom or in person, engage, ask questions, take notes. Your email and other distractions will be waiting for you when the meeting is over. No one wants to answer questions later about things that were just discussed – it is both frustrating but also a non-productive use of time.

4. Block Interruptions

It is easy to get distracted as you work in various areas around your house. It could be the dog or the sink full of dishes, but when you dedicate a space for work, it helps you limit interruptions. Find a home office desk that fits your aesthetic and can be a spot to strictly focus and stay productive.

Our minds, without us even realizing it, recognize which places are meant for relaxation versus staying engaged. Embrace that separation in where you choose to get your work completed.

Interruptions also happen in the office environment too, whether it is engaging in conversation with co-workers or constantly getting pulled aside to help with another task. These distractions may have a bigger impact than you realize, so make sure that you identify and follow through with ways to block them out.

5. Set Priorities

It will be difficult to focus when you have a daunting list of tasks staring back at you. Dedicate your top priorities and begin going down the list from there.

Each individual task can also be broken up into sub-tasks, making it even easier to start completing what you need to do. Nothing is more satisfying and motivational than crossing something off and marking a check for completion!