9 Simple Productivity Hacks for New Digital Nomad
Admittedly, there are lots of benefits to being a digital nomad. You get to avoid the commute and the traffic, and you can wear whatever you want at your desk. Your schedule’s a bit more flexible too.
But the downside is that the home can be a bit of distraction. Kids and neighbors may demand your attention, and you’re constantly reminded of household chores. Separating your work life and your home life can be problematic when you start working at home.
So what should you do to make sure you get the work done? Here are some tips that can help:
1 Identify the Most Common Distractions—and Address Them
After working at home a while, you may notice that you’re often distracted by the same things day after day. Address these problems directly so they no longer bother you.
Are you distracted by impending chores? If so, make a cleaning schedule for the entire household. Are you sometimes unmotivated to write? Create and hang a collage of inspiring pictures and quotes from your favorite authors.
2 Dedicate a Specific Area in the House as Your Office
When you enter the bedroom, you may immediately feel sleepy because your mind associates the room with sleeping. The same principle applies when you have a dedicated home office. You enter the area and your mind prepares itself for work.
3 “Commute” to Work
It may also help your mind to get ready by “arriving” at your home office. Just before you get to work, get out of the house and take a short walk before you get to the office and work.
4 Determine Your Most Productive Hours
Whether you’re at your most effective in the morning or in the afternoon, make sure that your most important tasks are scheduled during those times when you’re at your greatest mental and physical energy. At the times when you’re not at your peak, do the less important stuff like responding to email.
5 Cluster Your Errands
Having to interrupt your work for a few minutes every now and again during the day can really reduce your productivity. So you’re better off by reserving a large chunk of the day for your errands. Better yet, reserve a day or two a month (or every two weeks) for your errands should keep you concentrated on your work.
6 Have a Support Buddy
When you’re working at home, you don’t have a boss or a coworker who can chide you when you ignore your work responsibilities and screw around with YouTube videos or computer games instead. So have someone at home check up on you to make sure you’re working.
7 Use a Different Browser for Work
If you generally use Chrome for fun online, use something like Firefox instead. The different design should tell your mind that you’re all about the work and not about the fun.
8 Fix Annoying Problems ASAP
Small problems can have huge impacts on your productivity. If you have seemingly small issues like leaky faucets ruining your concentration, fix those problems at once.
9 End the Workday by “Tidying Up”
When you’re done with the day’s task, finish up by restocking your office supplies, tossing the trash, and making schedules for the next day. It’s better to do these things after work so that when you get to work the next day you’re ready for important tasks right away.
Also, check out these 15 Habits to Boost Your Productivity When Working Remote
Founder, Editor-In-Chief // A native Angeleno. John studied engineering at UCLA; founded Schmoozd, an offline social tech networking event in LA with 30,000 subs; ran a startup accelerator (StartEngine). Worked for several major brands like Toyota, DIRECTV, Hitachi, ICANN, and Raytheon. A mentor at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) Entrepreneur School, Dr. David Choi. And advises a dozen local LA startups building amazing tech in various industries; and invested in some. // Let's Connect: john@lastartups.com
