How to Practice Self-Discipline When Working From Home

If you aren’t used to working from home, it can be difficult to find stability and discipline in your schedule. No one is around to hold you accountable and keep you on task. Here are some tips that you can use to maintain a healthy mind, increase your productivity, and stay on top of your assignments.

Wake Up Early

Because you don’t have to be anywhere at a certain time, you may feel tempted to sleep in every day. We advise against this. If you sleep in, you miss out on the chance to have a productive morning routine before starting your work, and this may cause you to slack off later in the day.

Give yourself at least two hours in the morning before work to make breakfast, stretch your muscles, create your to-do lists, and fully prepare your mind for a busy day.

We recommend that you use Dr. Chris’ Sitting Occupation Stretch Guide for best results. Click here for a free download.

Get Ready

It’s easy to stay in your pajamas all day and even forget to brush your teeth in the morning when you aren’t leaving the house anytime soon. To feel your best, you should get ready for the day like you would if you were going somewhere.

Take a shower, follow your skincare routine, brush your teeth, and fix your hair. Throw on some real clothes. You don’t have to wear a full suit and nice shoes, but you should at least put on an outfit that doesn’t qualify as pajamas. 

Work in a Designated Area

When you work from home, it’s important to keep yourself in a productive headspace. Create an inspiring and comfortable designated area in your home where you can sit for hours and knock out your tasks.

If you choose to work from your bed or even your couch, you may be tempted to fall asleep or watch television. 

We suggest you sit at your desk or a kitchen table with your phone in a different room (unless you need your phone for work). When you’re sitting in a chair, you are less likely to get tired or distracted. 

Hot tip: If your neck and back start to hurt from sitting at home, apply MuscleCare for instant pain relief, so you can stay on task!

Set Goals

At the beginning of every workday, write down everything that you need to get done, and create individual plans to complete each goal. 

If you have a list written down, you will be more likely to check off all of your tasks, and at the end of the day, you will feel more accomplished. This can also help your confidence and self-esteem.

Reward Yourself

After you’ve accomplished each goal, reward yourself with a small five-minute break. Some break ideas include: getting a snack, stretching your legs, watching a video, or taking your dog out.

These small rewards will keep your brain satisfied throughout the day, which will improve your mental health.

Set a Concrete End Time

When you are working from home, there aren’t any social cues that it’s almost the end of the day. Your coworkers aren’t around you to pack up their bags or say goodbye to you.

To keep a structured schedule, decide on an end time for your workday. If you haven’t completed your tasks for the day and they can be finished tomorrow, find a stopping point, and save the rest for the next day. This will allow your brain and body to have enough time to relax and recharge in preparation for your next cycle of work. 

If you let yourself work too much today, you’ll be burned out for tomorrow.