How to Stay Productive Working From Home in 2024

Staying productive while working from home can be a real nightmare; I mean, who wouldn’t rather curl up with a book, watch something on Netflix, or peruse through their favorite subreddit? It’s a challenge, however, it’s a challenge we can all overcome with a bit of patience and some habit-building exercises.

The first thing you need to do is gather the right tools, and thankfully, they’re free. Google Calendar is the first on the list, there are obviously other options, but Google has the best free service in my opinion. You can set a date, time and place. Not only that, but you can have the software email you with a reminder minutes, hours, or even days before your deadline or meeting.

The second tool I have to recommend is a little something called Google Tasks. When combined with a method of productivity known as “Getting Things Done”, you will increase your productivity by more than you would have thought possible. I personally use the GTD system to achieve all my goals, even outside of work.

The way it works is simple: you open up google tasks, then create a new list called Inbox. Anything and everything you may have to do goes here, as long as it takes over 15 minutes to accomplish. Then, you make a list called tasks. This is where we list out any chores that we need to get done, big or small.

I also included another list called “Shopping”, where I add anything I may need to order online, or pick up while I am out. Obviously, you can create as many lists as you like, and depending on your profession you may have a lot, but that’s not a bad thing.

The reason we’re doing this is to stay nice and organized, and make sure everything gets done on time. Of course, you’re going to want to keep things as simple as you can, and avoid any redundancy within your GTD system – it’s meant to be simple.

The keeping things simple bit extends to everything else; you don’t need ten calendars, Google Assistant, and forty different Trello boards to keep you up to date on everything going on in your life. One place for everything is a mantra I live by, and you should always use what works best for you – that last bit of advice applies to most things in life.

If you can keep all your tools in one place, like Google’s software suite, that is ideal. There are add-ons for nearly every web browser that will help increase productivity. What is important is that you take the time to do a bit of research, and then pick what works best for you.