I started working from home as a freelance editor and publisher in 2021. It was a setup I had dreamed about for a while–no more waking up early and getting ready before 8:00 am, no boss keeping an eye on me, no annoying co-workers.
If you work from home, whether it’s your full-time job or side hustle, you’ve probably found what I quickly learned: that it comes with its own challenges–and rewards.
Personally, I’ve learned a lot of lessons since I started working from home. Some of them have been pretty surprising, to be honest. A lot of them have been positive and uplifting, and some haven’t been easy to learn.
Here are the top things I’ve learned working from home:
Working from home won’t make you happier.
It’s up to you to recognize when your mind is wandering and you need a break .
You can trust yourself to get work done, even if you take a day off.
Enjoy the unexpected fun – things like walks in the middle of the day, random day trips, or 5-minute dance breaks in your living room.
A successful desk or office setup makes a huge difference.
Learn what times of day you have the most energy and do your work then .
Experiment to learn what planning methods work for you (For me, I learned that time blocking wasn’t my cup of tea) .
Done is better than perfect – and that includes the process (Sometimes you might have to multitask–or midi-task–to get yourself to work).
You will never reach maximum efficiency, because you’re a human, not a machine.
There will be days you just can’t focus as much, and that’s normal. It’s a cycle. (This goes along with trusting that you’ll be able to pick up the work tomorrow, even if you had an off-day.)
Don’t take on too much. (You probably overestimate what you can accomplish. Getting 3 or 4 Top Things done a day is a great balance between sustainable and consistently productive.)
Changing locations can help if you feel antsy and are having difficulty focusing.
Watching TV or scrolling on your phone in the middle of the day will make your brain sluggish.
You can get things done even if you’re not feeling motivated (and it doesn’t have to suck).
Getting enough sleep is life-changing.
Don’t force anything from your brain – If you’re hitting a wall, going to do something else will help you come up with new ideas (For me it’s going on a walk, playing piano, or meditating for a few minutes).
Final Thoughts
Even though it can be challenging sometimes, I absolutely love working from home. In addition to giving me more freedom, it’s taught me about what kind of productivity works for me. Instead of external pressures motivating me to work, I’ve learned to use gentle productivity techniques to be efficient in ways that feel good to me.
If you work from home and are still learning how to peacefully get work done without the struggle, here are some articles I recommend:
Top Productivity Tips For Freelancers Working From Home
The Coziest Productivity Tips (That You’ll Actually Want to Do)
16 of the Best Productivity Products on Amazon
Best of luck!
