How To Structure Your Day When You Work From Home

How to organize your day in a way that you get things done, make your spouse and boss happy and not lose your mind in the process? How to structure your day when you work from home?

The beauty of mindful mornings glazing at the sunrise, sipping the first coffee for the day, and meditating over the meaning of life… crashed a long time ago for you.

Instead, now you feel anxious when you have to get ready for work in the morning, you are chaotic with your priorities (both for work and home life) and it seems like your to-do lists only grow, along with your frustration with the situation. And it’s not like you don’t enjoy working from home. It’s just that you have no clue when everything started going downhill and how to “be on top of the game” or rephrasing it to “get things done” and simplifying it further to “doing your job properly”!

Let me guess something about you: you live every day in a different way. Yeah, no-brainer, I know, but what I refer to is your daily routine.

You tend to do different things every day depending on your level of “feeling productive”. You might be starting your days in roughly the same way (that’s arguable as well), but you end up getting chaotic and frantic about the work you have to do and the home chores you try to fit in that working day.

It’s Not You, It’s Your Daily Routine!

I know it’s nice to blame something/someone else for our own struggles, so let’s just blame things on your routine (yes, that’s a sarcastic joke, welcome to my world).

Your daily routine is damaging your productivity and you cannot convince me it’s not.

It all starts with the way you structure your work from home days. You wake up, hit the snooze button (twice or more), and just lay in your bed, calculating how long it would take you to brush your teeth, and sit in front of the computer faking everything’s fine on the morning zoom call.

You, somehow, convince yourself that you could at least check your emails before getting up so you grab your phone but you have an IG notification, so you lose the next 20 minutes double-tapping on most “be your best self” quotes. You drag your feet to the bathroom, do your thing there and do the zombie-walk to the coffee station in your kitchen. Three minutes later your coffee finally makes its way down your empty tummy and you are ready to start work.

You feel fresh and semi-motivated to get things done in the first half of the day so you could slack through the second one (this might vary from person to person, meaning you might be swapping those two). However, half an hour into your working day you get hungry, you remember you have no clean shirts and your cat falls in love with your keyboard.

You let them do their love thingy while you snack on the leftovers from the dinner last night, you completely forget about the laundry and spend some “quality time” on #dogsoftiktok.

Life is beautiful, but it’s almost 11 a.m. and you’ve done nothing so far…

That’s when the guilt kicks in, and you start searching for ways to increase productivity while working from home. You are impressed by nothing you read and believe none of it works, so you reward yourself with some nice music and dance around the house.

I could go on forever… but you get the point.

It’s not you, it’s your routine.

The Importance of Having a Daily Routine!

Daily routines might be the never-ending trend for the last 10 years, but that’s simply because it is the only reason people get their lives together.

Giving your day a consistent “productive” structure will change the way you approach your life in general. Imagine the level of self-satisfaction and pride you will have once you turn into that productive goal-slaying person you’ve always wanted to.

Check some of the best benefits of having a daily routine:

• You reduce the number of decision you make daily and this frees some mental space for takng decisions that actually matter at this point.
• You remove the stress of second-guessing everything you do (or don’t do) whith your work and home life.
• You forget the guilt for not doing your best.
• You have time to be more active with your projects (regardless if they’re personal or work-related).
• You drastically improve productivity and everyone starts noticing it (yes, your boss too).
• You feel in control of your life and that automatically make you happier than before.
• You actually feel like you are not wasting your life.

How To Structure Your Day When You Work From Home

There are three crucial points you need to pay attention to when you structure your day working from home. Prepare yourself to be amazed: Morning, Work time, and Evening. I know, such a surprise! But stay awhile…

These three are your checkpoints and your “fresh start”. Too often I end up messing up my productive morning routine, so I start believing that I’ve lost the day. And while I agree that the morning is the most important checkpoint, it isn’t the only one. You could start over at any time of the day, including work time and evening (I will get to that in a second).

Let’s check how each one of these checkpoints could be drastically improved to bring the difference you need in your life right now. Take a closer look at them and know that even if your morning didn’t go well today, and your workday is (almost) over, you could still do things better in the last few hours of the day.

Alternatively, if you’re reading this early in the morning, just drop everything else after that and start moving towards the life you truly want for yourself.

Checkpoint 1: Your Mornings When Working From Home

I can not emphasize enough the importance of establishing and maintaining a morning routine. It’s crucial to develop and maintain a morning routine when you work from home since the lines between work and personal life are rather blurred. You should take the time and energy in the morning to prepare your brain for the day. Creating a routine is essential for leading a healthy and successful life. It will help you stay focused on your goals and conquer the day. 

Keep in mind that different things work for different people. The first step of creating a morning routine is figuring out what works best for you. Are you a coffee or a breakfast person? Do you prefer to exercise at home or to go for a jog? Regardless of your preferences, there are some unspoken rules of the morning routine that help you to kick-start your day with more energy, strength, and mindfulness. Let’s go through some of them.

Wake up at the same time every day (even on the weekends)

Getting the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep and waking up at the same time every day is a habit that many professionals who work from home neglect. However, it’s an important part of one’s life especially when you spend most of the day at home. 

Waking up at the same time every day can have a positive impact on your body and mind alike. Some of the physical benefits of developing a healthy sleeping schedule include stronger immunity and better digestion. Additionally, it will actually help you to sleep better at night, it will make it easier to fall asleep and will improve alertness during the day. 

When you have a set time to wake up every day, you also help your mind and brain function at their best rates. It results in sharper focus and short-term memory, a brighter mood, and better job performance. If you have a strong feeling of self-control and avoid the snooze button in the morning, then you’re up for a fresher start to the day.

Eat proper breakfast/have a coffee 

It’s a common practice among people who work from home to wake up right before they have to open their laptop and join the morning meeting.

But this unhealthy behavior might lead to anxiety and job dissatisfaction as you don’t give your brain the chance to separate work from leisure. You want to give yourself some time to wake up and start your day properly before working hours. One way to do that is to have an actual meal in the morning.

Regardless if you’re a breakfast or a coffee person (or both), take your time to prepare your body and mind for the hours to come. A simple toasted bread after your morning glass of water could make a huge difference in the way you wake up your body. Start the daily digestion process and then introduce the coffee.

Avoid your phone (at any cost)

Keep in mind that if you work from home, you’re likely to spend most of your time staring at a screen. That’s why avoiding screen time and especially your phone in the morning can lead to a better start to the day. I know you’re trying to stay connected to the world around you, but there are better times for this, and your mornings are firstly yours.

But while the benefits of social media are undeniable, there are still better ways to spend your mornings. Excess phone use before you start working can cause stress. So try to enjoy some uninterrupted ‘me time’ instead of scrolling through the endless depths of Instagram.

Try to move it (move it)

Starting your day with a physical movement has been proven to help you be more energized and focused all day. But even if you don’t feel like doing a full workout in the morning, you can still try to stretch or have a short yoga session. If the weather is nice and if your area allows it, it’s also a good idea to go out for a jog. 

Breathing some fresh air can help with brain function so a walk around the block should do the job as well. It’s also a great reason to get a dog – spending some time with them outdoors will boost your mood and can even lead to better work performance in the long run. 

Checkpoint 2: Your Work Time Working From Home

After we have discussed some morning routine habits that can help you have a successful day at your home office, let’s examine the importance of having a working hours routine as well. 

But why should you pay attention to how you spend your working hours? Well as we have already mentioned, it’s hard for the brain to distinguish work time from leisure when you work from home. That’s why before you open your laptop you must act as if you’re going to the office. For example, it’s a good idea to put clothes on as if you’re going out. Working in your pajamas will make it harder for you to focus. Also, try to not work from your bed. To find out about more Dos and Don’ts when you work from home check out our article on the topic. 

Now that you’re ready to get some work done here are some tips on how to structure your working hours so that you can have a productive day.

Set up your goals 

One of the best tips for successfully working from home is to set goals. Write out your tasks for the day so you can see them in black-and-white. You might be one of those people who like to make lists on paper and scratch them out when you’re done with them. Or, you might prefer to do it digitally. A great way to keep track of your tasks for the day is through apps like Todoist. In any case, writing your goals down makes them seem more real as you make them look more than just an idea. 

Make breaks official

Being transparent with your coworkers is key to leading healthy communication with your team. That’s why you should be honest with how much time you need to recharge during the day. Tell them that it’s important for you if they respect your boundaries and make it clear that you’re unreachable during lunchtime and coffee breaks.

Also, try to spend your breaks in a different room. This way you’ll give your mind the chance to actually rest for a while before continuing with work. 

Stay on schedule

It’s not only crucial to make up a schedule but to also keep up with it.

If you feel like it’s taking you more time to finish a certain task, adjust your calendar accordingly. Also, try to track your time. When people work and live in the same place they don’t have an objective perception of their time. In this way, it’s easy to overwork or the opposite – to do less than you’re supposed to. If you’re curious to know what the best time tracking apps out there are, you might want to read our article on the topic. 

Checkpoint 3: Late Afternoon/Evening

How you spend your after-work hours can have a tremendous effect on your life. Developing a routine can help you to let your brain know that work time is over. Taking proper rest after work will boost your motivation and improve your performance at work. So let’s take a look at some routine habits you might want to incorporate in your after-work hours. 

Stay connected 

By working from home we spend more and more time … well, at home. Therefore, it has never been more important to stay connected. Feelings of loneliness and anxiety have increased among remote workers and that’s why it’s recommended to socialize after working hours, especially if you work from home.

As soon as you close your laptop, get ready and get out of the house. Meet up with friends or family and try to spend as much time with them as possible. 

But if you don’t feel like going out or if you’re still cautious with physical contact, you can still facetime or video chat with your closest ones.

One thing is for sure – don’t close up in your comfort zone even when you’re tired. In the long run, you’ll be happy you decided to spend time with someone instead of talking to no one. 

Go out of the house

Even if you don’t feel like socializing (we all have these days) it’s a great habit to get out of the house after work. You spend most of your time at home anyway so you might want to get moving and do some grocery shopping, walk your dog or even just walk around the block. When you plan and prioritize some time away from your house you increase your chances of work-from-home joy. 

Make food instead of ordering in

It’s important to have off-screen time after work. Let’s say that you’ve spent full 8 hours on the laptop, then after work, you Facetimed your parents from across the country and now it’s time to eat.

Instead of ordering in and watching Netflix while you wait for your food, try to cook your own dinner. This way you’ll give your eyes the chance to rest away from screens and you will also have a fun self-care activity to look forward to during the day.

Plan your days ahead

At this point, you have probably realized the importance of planning your day and creating a routine out of it. But if you have the chance to do it, try to plan out your days way ahead of time. This way you will only have to add small chores and tasks to the list instead of starting from scratch every day. It will save you time and it will additionally create a permanent feeling of security and control.

7 Tips To Structure Your Working Days From Home Better

Now that you understand the three checkpoints of your workday, it’s time to go over some useful tips for working from home effectively. See 7 tips that will help you shape your WFH days even better.

1. Learn to Prioritize Better

I know that you already prioritize well, but if you follow most people’s tips, you might be writing three top priorities for the day, every day. And that’s exactly where you do it wrong.

According to the dictionary, “priority” means “something that is very important and must be dealt with before other things”.

It doesn’t say “many things” or “three things”. Priority is ONE thing that is more important than the other things, and every day you want to find that one gem that you must deal with before anything else.

There are a few ways to find your priorities if you struggle with them:

• ask your manager – especially if he loves to give you few things to do. Ask them which one is urgent or the top priority over the other projects.
• use the Eisenhower Matrix to find your priority
• Common Sense – most of us do that. We usually just know which one of our tasks and projects are more important. Trust your guts (and the deadlines)

2. Be Persistent With The Start and The End of Your Day

Back in the days, when you were still commuting to your office, it was easy to chase the clock and know when you were expected to start your day or to finish it.

Things aren’t that clear right now when you work remotely. Some jobs don’t require you to log in at a specific time to work, and it’s up to you to create that schedule for yourself. All is well until you realize that you usually start work on Mondays at 10 a.m. and on Friday you call it done at 12 p.m.

The inconsistency of your worktime doesn’t help your brain stay active and focused on whatever you are supposed to do. And while logging out at noon sounds like a great idea, it doesn’t serve you well in the long run.

It takes a while to get into a routine, but you want to be persistent with your start and finish hours. This way, you will teach your mind and body to be ready for work, and you will soon tick off the tasks faster than ever before.

Some people start the day early and stick to 3-4 hours of focused work before noon, then take a few hours lunch break and do just a few things in the afternoon. Others feel productive in the evenings and love to sleep in but still manage to do most of their work in one sit in the afternoon. Find what works for you and stick to that routine, however crazy it might look to others.

3. You, Your Work and Your Family

For sure, one of the biggest struggles when working from home is staying away from family members who mean no harm but still distract us from getting things done.

You want to be firm with your household members and make them understand that your work is equally essential even while doing it from your home office. Unless you are a mom and are alone with your kids while working, you want to make sure you aren’t interrupted. Share your work schedule with your family members and make it clear when it’s okay to ask questions and when they should completely forget about you.

A great idea I recently read on Reddit is to leave the door to your home office open when it’s okay to be disturbed and then close it when you shouldn’t be bothered by anyone.

4. Take Breaks Often

I usually take one big break at lunchtime and a few more in the afternoon while keeping my morning very busy (that’s my focus time). Do what works for you, but be sure to relax your eyes and stretch your body multiple times a day.

I would go out in the years to play with my dog or just enjoy the sunshine, or I would use my breaks to call family members. However, you probably won’t see me cooking while I try to work (I have my exceptions, of course, but they just confirm the rule). The only thing I would most likely do at work hours is the laundry, but that’s it.

I encourage you to stay away from using your breaks for housework. If it’s truly a necessity, do it not more than once a week. Your break must be sacred and used wisely. Your housework will still wait for you at the end of the day, and if you believe that cooking at lunchtime saves you time for relaxation later… you know you will most likely find something else to do instead.

5. Do The Boring Stuff Too

It’s so easy to postpone whatever bores us. We push it down the to-do list and ignore it until we end up with a long list of “boring stuff” that would usually take a few minutes, but now they will keep us busy for a full hour or two…

Ticking the boring things off your to-do list doesn’t just save your sanity later on but frees your time and, most importantly – reduces mental clutter. “Knowing” that you have something to do but postponing it over and over again takes up from your mental peace and brings guilt and feeling of “constant busy-ness”.

6. Establish Your Office Space

Structuring your day properly while working from home gets to another level when you have that designated spot for work. Your “working corner” of your home should be seen as just that – a place to sit when you have to work.

No matter if that would be in your bedroom or your kitchen, you need to design it in a way that will actually put you in a working mood the moment you sit there.

7. Experiment With Your Time Management Techniques

It takes a while! Getting productive, sticking to a routine, and finding the best way to organize your working day at home takes a while. Make sure you experiment with your time management techniques and keep trying new ways to get organized and increase productivity.

I had to work a full year since half two in the morning to understand that my most productive time is truly before my first break for the day. If I stay four hours to work and don’t lift my head, I will do many things. However, the moment I move away from my desk, I know that my focus would be gone, and everything I do after that should require low brainpower.

How I Structure My Day as an Entrepreneur and a Blogger

I have two different daily routines that depend on the day of the week. The reason is that I have an assistant who comes home to help me with some tasks. She works from home two days a week, and I have a different routine for those two days (including Saturday, which is usually a working day for me.

When my assistant comes to my place, I often try to fit in an hour of focused work before she arrives at 8 a.m. We have our morning coffee, chat a bit and get to work until 12 p.m. We get an hour of lunch break and then work until half 3 in the afternoon. My afternoons are usually free afterward unless I have to finish something I started before that.

When I am alone for the day, I start work at 6 a.m. I try not to move from my chair until I write an entire blog post (that might take anything between two and four hours). My first real break is around 10 a.m., when I squeeze another breakfast and tea. I get back to work and do the rest of my stuff until early afternoon. I have my lunch at any time between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. and make sure I get a full hour of break. The afternoon is again very flexible because at that point, I look and sound more like a vegetable, so I do light stuff such as TikTok videos and some blogging research. I finish work between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. On Saturdays, I usually work just three to four hours in the morning, and I often use that time for analytical work and planning the next week.

Conclusion on How To Structure Your Day While Working From Home

The most popular myth when wondering how to structure your day while working home is that you need to follow someone else’s established routine. However, what works for me might not work for you and that is okay. We all have different lifestyles and different family needs. You do you.

The one thing you never want to forget is that building a structure within your workday will give you stability and create a habit of working efficiently and productively.

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How To Structure Your Day When You Work From Home