A recent study by Stanford found that people who work from home increase productivity by 13%. Additionally, a recent survey by Owl Labs revealed that 83% of all respondents stated that the ability to work from home would make them happier.

While remote and hybrid teams are often happier and more productive, there are unique challenges to working from home. Finding the right strategies and tools can help you optimize your work-from-home experience to boost productivity and improve work-life balance.

Common work-from-home challenges

Working from home comes with many benefits, like not having to commute, working with your pets, and having the comforts of a private kitchen, bathroom, and office. But there are challenges to working remotely that are slowing your company down. 

• Distractions – While working from home can be quieter than a traditional office, there are still plenty of distractions, like family members, kids, pets, or that pile of laundry sitting in the corner. 
• Work life balance – When your home is your office, it can make it more difficult to unplug. Work hours can bleed into personal time, especially if you don’t have a distinct office space or a set 9-5 schedule. 
• Lack of structure – When you work in an office, your day starts and ends when you arrive and leave. But when you work at home, there’s less structure. Your hours may be more flexible, which can blur the lines between work and free time.
• Low motivation – Without your coworkers or boss working in the office next to you, it can sometimes be difficult to hold yourself accountable. You may find yourself sitting at home scrolling social media, instead of focusing on the task at hand.
• Isolation – Regardless of Zoom meetings or Slack channels, working from home can be lonely. Virtual connection with remote workers can’t really replace the connection of working in person. 

Productivity tips to enhance your work-from-home experience

The great thing about working from home is that you have more control over your work experience and can implement a variety of tools and strategies to improve productivity. Try these #WFH productivity tips to stay organized and improve work life balance. 

Set yourself up for success, starting on Sunday.

When you work from home, it can be more difficult to leave your personal life behind on Monday morning. A strong Sunday night routine can help you mentally prepare for the work week ahead.

Prepare healthy meals and snacks for your work day. Tidy up your house and office to make sure your work space is organized and calm. Create to-do lists with your highest priorities for the coming week, so you know what to focus on come Monday morning. 

Establish a routine that works for you.

What routine helps you focus throughout the day? Maybe you like to start early and take a long walk in the middle of the day. Maybe you like to go to the gym in the morning and work later into the evening. Establish a daily routine that includes mental breaks and physical activities to improve your focus while working. 

Try coworking. 

Coworking offers tons of benefits, even if you only do it once per week. Coworking allows you to interact with other people, while also giving you the accountability of an office setting. You can get a coworking membership or opt for virtual coworking sessions when you need to boost your productivity while working from home. 

Organize your physical workspace.

Make sure you have a dedicated workspace to help you focus. Whether it’s a desk in a quiet corner of your apartment or a separate home office, having a distinct work space can help you mentally switch from personal mode to work mode. 

Organize your digital workspace.

These days, your digital workspace is just as important as your physical workspace. You can use GoLinks to keep your digital workspace organized. Say goodbye to cluttered bookmarks and tabs. GoLinks makes it easier to navigate to the tools and resources you use everyday. 

Must-Have Work from Home Productivity Tools

The good news is there are a variety of tools for working from home. From team collaboration and communication tools to time tracking software and project management tools, you can use multiple apps to improve your work-from-home experience and boost productivity. 

1. GoLinks

GoLinks works seamlessly with any collaboration tool so your team can access exactly what they need, when they need it. GoLinks are short, memorable links that are intuitive to remember and easy to share both verbally and visually. Use GoLinks to simplify file sharing, streamline communication, and make knowledge management a breeze.

2. Pomofocus

Pomodoro is a time management technique that focuses on 25-minute work intervals to help you prioritize mental breaks and get the most out of your productive blocks. There are tons of Pomodoro time tracking tools available, like Pomofocus.This is particularly helpful for remote workers, who don’t have in-office water cooler talk to break up the day. 

3. BrainFM

One great thing about working from home is that you have full creative control over the radio. BrainFM offers a wide selection of background music that is scientifically proven to increase focus. Your subscription includes music for focus, relaxing, and sleep, based on what you need throughout the day.

4. Notion

Notion is a project management and task management tool that offers a collaborative workspace for your entire team. Notion’s custom dashboards make it easy to establish a single source of truth for projects, people, planning, and more.

5. Slack

Slack makes it easier to stay on the same page with instant messaging and video calling capabilities for remote and hybrid teams. Create private or shared channels for different teams and topics. Slack integrates with a variety of tools to make your remote work experience seamless.

Remote teams use GoLinks for better knowledge management

If you’re struggling to stay productive while working from home, deploying the right tools and strategies can help improve work life balance, team collaboration, and productivity. 

Knowledge sharing is a critical piece of the puzzle for remote and hybrid teams. Knowledge management systems like GoLinks help companies improve more than just their employee’s productivity. 

Ready to optimize your work-from-home experience? Try GoLinks today for free.