Success Advice
10 Ways to Stay Ultra-Productive When You Work From Home

Have you ever heard this saying: “Don’t bring your work home.” But what if you work from home? Working from home is amazing, but it’s not as glamorous as people think. It’s not easy to focus when you’re on the couch and your cat throws up on your laptop or there’s noisy machinery work at your neighbor’s home. Are you wondering how to stay productive when you work from home and surrounded by distractions?
Here are 10 ways to make working from home more productive:
1. Start Working in the Early Morning
When you’re working from home, start working immediately as soon as you wake up. It might sound old school, but it’s effective, trust me! In the morning, you wake up with a fresh mind (and positive energy) and you can get a lot done in the early hours. Don’t believe me?
See what Josh Davis, author of Two Awesome Hours, says: “People who get up early in the morning are hitting it out of the park, doing things we struggle with at other times of the day. Morning offers several benefits that can’t be found at other times of the day.”
2. Select a Dedicated Workspace
Just because you’re working from home, doesn’t mean you can’t have a dedicated workspace or office. Create a calming and inspiring home office ambiance. A dedicated workspace can help you get into the right mindset and prevent you from distractions.
If you feel more creative in the morning, spend this time on the tough part of your work such as brainstorming ideas while working from your dedicated workspace. In the afternoon, you can sit on your couch and take calls or check your emails.
3. Don’t Just Stay at Home (Get out of the house)
Got bored looking at walls? Change the scenery. Grab your laptop and head over to the corner coffee shop or library (Wifi enabled spaces). Sit with actual human beings. Sometimes chatter and white noises help you work better than utter silence. It will lead you to the flow of new ideas and more productivity. So, get out of the house now!
4. Schedule a Distraction Break for You
You schedule your tasks, meetings, and calls in the calendar, right? There’s one more thing that you MUST schedule: Distraction Breaks. Schedule clear breaks in advance. Set the time when you’ll use the home telephone service or social media. Set the time for lunch. Set the time for a nap. Go for a short walk. These breaks will recharge you.
“We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own ‘to do’ list.” – Michelle Obama
5. Interact With Family Members or Other Humans
The biggest advantage of working from home is you get more time to spend with your family members and kids. Take a break from your work and play with your kids or talk to your family. Or if you know someone who works from home, invite him/her over coffee, go outside, and interact. Talking to a real human keeps you sane.
6. Keep Your Favorite Music On In the Background
I spent almost one full year working from home as a freelance writer. One of my secrets I’d love to uncover for being more productive at home is to keep your favorite music running in the background at a low volume, and I swear, you’ll get tasks done quickly.
According to Daniel Levitin (neuroscientist and the author), “music can make repetitive tasks more pleasurable and increase your concentration on the task.”
7. Track Your Every Hour
If you’re new to working from home, you must track how you’re spending every hour of your day. Self-tracking will help you to decide when you’re most productive (and when least). And where you’re wasting your precious time.
8. Do Stretches and Meditation 10 Minutes a Day
Drinking enough water and stretches can get the blood flowing in your body and improve your mood. Don’t do long sittings in a chair. Take a break after every hour. Dedicate 10 minutes to meditate. It will improve your focus and reduce the chances of being distracted.
9. Set Specific Work Hours
If your home is your permanent office, then set specific work hours. The beauty of working from home is you can choose flexible working hours for yourself. Let’s say if you feel more productive in the morning and not in the late evening, then you can set your work hours from 7am to 3pm. Don’t forget to share your work schedule with your colleagues or boss.
“You will never find time for anything. If you want time you must make it.” – Charles Buxton
10. Set Your Schedule for Next Day Before Sleeping
Make a nighttime routine. Spend 15 minutes and create a list of tasks that you’re going to do the next day. Pick an important task that you’ll do first the next morning. This habit will set a tone for the next day.
Have you ever or do you currently work from home? Do/Did you like it? Share your stories and thoughts with us below!
Success Advice
Why One-Size-Fits-All Leadership Will Always Fail (and What Works Instead)
The surprising truth about leadership styles that can make or break your team’s success.

Leadership has always been as much about people as it is about performance. Ken Blanchard, in his influential book, “The One Minute Manager”, put it simply: different strokes for different folks. (more…)
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The Leadership Shift Every Company Needs in 2025
Struggling to keep your team engaged? Here’s how leaders can turn frustrated employees into loyal advocates.

In workplaces around the world, there’s a growing gap between employers and employees and between superiors and their teams. It’s a common refrain: “People don’t leave companies, they leave bad bosses.”
While there are, of course, cases where management could do better, this isn’t just a “bad boss” problem. The relationship between leaders and employees is complex. Instead of assigning blame, we should explore practical solutions to build stronger, healthier workplaces where everyone thrives.
Why This Gap Exists
Every workplace needs someone to guide, supervise, and provide feedback. That’s essential for productivity and performance. But because there are usually far more employees than managers, dissatisfaction, fair or not, spreads quickly.
What if, instead of focusing on blame, we focused on building trust, empathy, and communication? This is where modern leadership and human-centered management can make a difference.
Tools and Techniques to Bridge the Gap
Here are proven strategies leaders and employees can use to foster stronger relationships and create a workplace where people actually want to stay.
1. Practice Mutual Empathy
Both managers and employees need to recognize they are ultimately on the same team. Leaders have to balance people and performance, and often face intense pressure to hit targets. Employees who understand this reality are more likely to cooperate and problem-solve collaboratively.
2. Maintain Professional Boundaries
Superiors should separate personal issues from professional decision-making. Consistency, fairness, and integrity build trust, and trust is the foundation of a motivated team.
3. Follow the Golden Rule
Treat people how you would like to be treated. This simple principle encourages compassion and respect, two qualities every effective leader must demonstrate.
4. Avoid Micromanagement
Micromanaging stifles creativity and damages morale. Great leaders see themselves as partners, not just bosses, and treat their teams as collaborators working toward a shared goal.
5. Empower Employees to Grow
Empowerment means giving employees responsibility that matches their capacity, and then trusting them to deliver. Encourage them to take calculated risks, learn from mistakes, and problem-solve independently. If something goes wrong, turn it into a learning opportunity, not a reprimand.
6. Communicate in All Directions
Communication shouldn’t just be top-down. Invite feedback, create open channels for suggestions, and genuinely listen to what your people have to say. Healthy upward communication closes gaps before they become conflicts.
7. Overcome Insecurities
Many leaders secretly fear being outshone by younger, more tech-savvy employees. Instead of resisting, embrace the chance to learn from them. Humility earns respect and helps the team innovate faster.
8. Invest in Coaching and Mentorship
True leaders grow other leaders. Provide mentorship, career guidance, and stretch opportunities so employees can develop new skills. Leadership is learned through experience, but guided experience is even more powerful.
9. Eliminate Favoritism
Avoid cliques and office politics. Decisions should be based on facts and fairness, not gossip. Objective, transparent decision-making builds credibility.
10. Recognize Efforts Promptly
Recognition often matters more than rewards. Publicly appreciate employees’ contributions and do so consistently and fairly. A timely “thank you” can be more motivating than a quarterly bonus.
11. Conduct Thoughtful Exit Interviews
When employees leave, treat it as an opportunity to learn. Keep interviews confidential and use the insights to improve management practices and culture.
12. Provide Leadership Development
Train managers to lead, not just supervise. Leadership development programs help shift mindsets from “command and control” to “coach and empower.” This transformation has a direct impact on morale and retention.
13. Adopt Soft Leadership Principles
Today’s workforce, largely millennials and Gen Z, value collaboration over hierarchy. Soft leadership focuses on partnership, mutual respect, and shared purpose, rather than rigid top-down control.
The Bigger Picture: HR’s Role
Mercer’s global research highlights five key priorities for organizations:
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Build diverse talent pipelines
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Embrace flexible work models
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Design compelling career paths
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Simplify HR processes
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Redefine the value HR brings
The challenge? Employers and employees often view these priorities differently. Bridging that perception gap is just as important as bridging the relational gap between leaders and staff.
Treat Employees Like Associates, Not Just Staff
When you treat employees like partners, they bring their best selves to work. HR leaders must develop strategies to keep talent engaged, empowered, and prepared for the future.
Organizational success starts with people, always. Build the relationship with your team first, and the results will follow.
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