With over 11 years of experience working across Recruitment & Career Consulting positions along with a post graduate qualification in Career Development & Coaching, Career Coach Angela brings a wealth of experience and understanding of the world of work. Angela uses this insight to help people navigate their professional life in a very practical and meaningful way in alignment with their personal life.

As we arrive at our year anniversary working remotely, many of us have become accustomed to our new home office set up. Whether we enjoy working from home or not, one thing we all have in common are those days where it’s a little harder to motivate ourselves while working remotely, particularly through a pandemic. Whether you’re currently employed, running a business or job searching, keep reading to learn five ways to increase motivation while being productive from home.

Do something every day that your future self will thank you for.
Let’s face it, it can be tough to get going some mornings and even tougher on Monday mornings. It doesn’t have to be this way though. If you’re finding it hard to get into a productive flow on a Monday morning, set yourself up for success for the following week ahead on Friday evening. Jot down a list of all your outstanding tasks, prioritise and identify your focus for Monday morning. You’ll be so grateful on Monday when you get a great start to the week ahead! If this tactic helps you, why stop there? Each evening before you shut down your laptop, identify your focus for the next morning!

Own the day, or the day will own you.
We all have very different working styles and preferences. Do you know how you like to work? During my Career Workshops, people are often surprised when I ask this question, but it’s worth having a think about when you find yourself your most productive so that you can play to that strength. For me, I work best when I get into a flow over the course of 1-3 hours. I like to block off chunks of time for brainstorming, executing and essentially getting work done. Rather than having conference calls throughout the day, I like to schedule them back to back to allow me to have this productive time. If you’re job searching, perhaps you could schedule in time for upskilling in the morning, networking after lunch and searching for jobs in the afternoon for example. If you’re running a business from home, perhaps you could separate your day into sections to provide for variety and structure. It’s always worth tackling your topic of preference during the afternoon slump or first thing in the morning to help uplift your energy.

A change is as good as a rest!
We have been looking at the same four walls for some time now, or in this case perhaps one wall infront of your laptop. Consider what minor changes you can make to your home office set up whether you’re at the kitchen table, in the spare bedroom or in the hall. Throughout last year, I changed the direction of my desk a few times and it genuinely gave me the sense of newness I hadn’t realised I needed. Switching or adding plants, diffusers or prints to your desk can provide a change of scenery.

What are you missing?
We have removed so much from our days and weeks over the past year that previously acted as an outlet, a source of energy and enjoyment. Only recently, I realised that I hadn’t replaced some of the things I enjoyed during my working day. Having tea and a chat with colleagues is something a lot of us have missed over the past year and often kept us going on tough days in the office. Have you replaced this with virtual tea and chats? If not, it could be just what you need to keep your energy high during your 9-5 whether that’s work, running your business or managing your job search! Figure out what could uplift you throughout the day as your energy and motivation starts to drop. Similarly, during times of overwhelm consider what might help bring you a sense of calm. Some people find scents uplifting or calming, others turn to a short walk in the fresh air. What works for you?

Turn off to switch off.
As we eat, sleep, breathe and work in the same four walls, it becomes harder to switch off. If you haven’t already, it’s worth considering what you can do to support you switching off from work each evening and weekend. Perhaps you could use room dividers to hide your office set up, fully turn off your laptop each evening so it’s not tempting to check recent emails and pack your laptop equipment away each weekend so it’s out of sight, out of mind.

If you found these tips beneficial, check out theintegrativecoach.ie and @theintegrativecoach on social media for more work and career tips and support.