5 Best Ways To Structure Your Work Day Working From Home (with Example)

Working from home can be fun and it is a dream for many professionals because it feels glamorous and convenient.

Being in control of your workday, and having the power to organize and schedule your day according to your needs, working from home can have a lot of benefits.

While having the option to work remotely is a great thing for many people, it is also a common struggle for many home workers to find a way to structure their workday effectively and productively.

How to Structure Your Day When Working From Home

Working from home can be a rewarding experience, but it can be difficult to get started if you don’t have a system in place.

In this article, we are going to teach you how to create structure while working from home to make you feel successful, organized, and ready to take on each day.

1. Curate The Perfect Workspace

You don’t need a magazine-worthy home office to be successful working from home, although it certainly doesn’t hurt. You truly just need an organized, functional workspace that meets your needs and makes you feel productive.

It helps if you can set up your workspace in a separate room that has a door so you can have a physical boundary from the space when you aren’t working. Even if this isn’t a home office, it could mean putting your desk and working chair in a guest bedroom or a formal living or dining room.

Work with the space you have to create a workspace that is free of major distractions and makes you feel inspired and motivated to sit down to work each day.

2. Get Ready For The Day

To signal the start of your workday, make a point to get ready each day before you sit down to work. Even if this just means changing from your “nighttime comfies” to your “daytime comfies”, the distinction matters.

Here are some tips to dress for success when working from home:

Schedule It In – Block off time on your calendar to get ready during the time you would normally be commuting to work. This will ensure you take the time to do it before your day gets started.
Dress Up – Although it’s tempting to just leave your pajamas on when you work from home, studies show that you’re more productive when you dress the part. Put yourself together at least a few times a week by putting on a nice shirt and even some jeans.

Business On Top, Comfy On Bottom – If you’re on a lot of video calls throughout the day, consider putting on a nice shirt and doing your hair but leave sweatpants or yoga pants on the bottom. This gives you the best of both worlds.

3. Define Your Schedule

Think about when you typically find yourself most productive. Since you have a little more time freedom without a boss to watch over your every move, you can take advantage of the periods of the day when you are more productive and get work done in bursts.

Taking advantage of the times when you are naturally more motivated is a great way to get work done and avoid burnout.

Most people find that they have a lot of “fluff” time in their day when working in an office from socializing to lunch breaks. Without extra distractions, you can usually get more done in less time at home.

If you are someone who works well in the morning, you could think about shifting your schedule to work more hours in the morning to capitalize on your energy level.
If afternoons are your best time you can save the majority of your major work for later in the day.

Depending on the type of work you do, you may need to run this schedule by your boss. Chances are they will be flexible with you as long as you are working the number of hours that are required and your work is getting done.

4. Create An End Of Day Ritual

When you work from home, it can be difficult to find the boundaries of where your day starts and ends. Because you aren’t working in an office with other people who all come and go around the same time each day, it’s easy to start work early, work through lunch, and work late.

To help you distinguish when it’s time to call it a day, consider creating a ritual to signal the end of the day.

Example of end of day ritual

It can be something as simple as closing your notebook and laptop and putting them away in a drawer.

You could play a certain song that signals the day is over
Get up and take your dog for a walk.

The ritual itself doesn’t matter as long as it’s meaningful to you. It should encourage you to get up and move out of your workspace and move onto the evening part of your day.

5. Use Time Blocking

If you find that you lack focus when working from home, time blocking may be for you. Use your work calendar or Google calendar to create specific blocks on your calendar to get certain tasks or projects done.

Time blocking can really help if you are more of a visual person or find that you need structure to your day.

Color code the blocks for different types of work to make it easy to see at a glance what you need to be working on.

Treat your time blocks like important meetings, even if they’re only with yourself. Sticking to a schedule will help you stay on task and keep your day going.

What Does a Structured Work From Home Look Like

Have you ever wondered what does a typical day looks like when working from home? You can create a simple timetable using a simple handphone App, Microsoft Excel, or Google Sheets to help you in your planning.

Here is an example of what your typical workday can look like when you are working from home.

6.00 am-7:00 am: Wake up your kids, breakfast, quality family time

7.00 am-9:00 am: Send your kids to school, do morning exercise, and get ready for the day.
9:00 am-9.30 am: Catch up with your colleagues, and plan the day’s tasks.
9:30 am-10:00 pm: Check emails, and morning meetings.

10:00am-12:00pm: Focus time for high value task. (Take a 5mins break every 30 to 60 minutes)
12:00 pm-1:00 pm: Make a healthy homemade meal, or go out to a nearby cafe for a quick lunch. Relax your mind and go for a walk and get a break from your work.
1:00 pm-1.30 pm: Get back to work and review what needs to be done next.

1:30 pm-3.30 pm: Tackle more tasks, take care of any important tasks that need to be completed by the day.
3:30 pm-3.45 pm: Take a short 15 minutes break or check-ins with colleagues.
3:45 pm-5.30 pm: Finish up the rest of your work, review what you’ve done for the day.

5:30 pm-6:00 pm: Wrap up and plan for the things you’ll need to do for tomorrow, create a to-do list. Mark the end of your workday by putting away your laptop or other work-related equipment such as handphones and tablets. Let yourself switch ‘off’ from work-related issues.
End of the workday: Go out of your house and take a walk, or get away from your workspace and do something which you like, let yourself disconnect from work, and unwind.

Why is it important to structure your day working from home?

Creating a structure to your workday even when you are working from home can give you a better sense of control. Having a routine can help you successfully work from home long-term, and make sure you are productive.

Implementing a structure to your workday also prevents you from falling into lazy bad habits when you are without coworkers or a boss to keep an eye on you, so you have to have your head in the game.

With a great work structure at home, working from home is a great thing for many people, as it allows workers to have more freedom and flexibility and avoid the hassle of a daily commute. The convenience of being able to do your job from anywhere is a huge benefit too.

Quick tip on working from home

Creating a separate environment that is conducive to getting work done, getting dressed in something other than your pajamas, and getting clear on a schedule that works are the keys to success.

Doing these things will save your sanity and make you a better employee in the long run.

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5 Best Ways to Structure Your Work Day Working From Home (with Example)