## [Tips for Staying Productive, Focused (and healthy) While Working From Home](/blog/tips-staying-productive-focused-and-healthy-while-working-home) Wednesday, January 26, 2022 Whether it’s your first time working remotely or you’re a seasoned #WFHer, we could all use some tips for staying productive, focused (and healthy) while working from home. Some Key Points: - Remote work habits that don’t compromise work/life balance - Many argue that productivity is intrinsically affected by their environment - Legitimize your workspace by separating yourself from the distractions of home; minimize distractions and optimize productivity - Many enjoy the flexibility and autonomy remote work brings; idyllic visions of coffee shop dwelling and nomadic adventures As a digital services agency, we were early to embrace a remote-first philosophy to better accommodate our clients and our team amidst the rapidly changing digital landscape. You can read more about how we came to that decision [here](https://www.rtraction.com/blog/our-shift-to-a-remote-first-company). ## We asked our team: ### **What are some things (habits, equipment, anything) that have made adapting to WFH life easier?** - This sounds horribly outdated, but file folders. While I know taking notes on the computer would be ideal, I always gravitate towards paper notes which can easily become part of a disorganized pile - I have resistance bands that I use to stretch my shoulders throughout the day - Two kinds of headphones: over-ear headphones can help with ear fatigue - Moving to combine all my tasks (personal or otherwise) into Asana; work and home tend to blend a bit more while working from home, so having a prioritized list of all tasks outstanding (personal OR business) really helps maintain focus on what's most important to do in any given moment - We installed smart lights so we can set the basement to "work" or "entertainment" lighting - Monitor, keyboard, mouse - Brought all my favourite stuff home from the office. At home I also borrow the ottoman sometimes which is nice for longer training or internal meetings ### **What is something on your desk that you absolutely can’t get through your day without?** - Coffee - Coffee, second screen (elevated to help with neck) - Good audio headset! Being able to hear clearly really helps with communications - I don’t sit at a desk, I work on a couch. I always have my coffee, water and a notebook within arm’s reach - My mouse. Not good without it - I don’t really feel that strongly about anything interesting. Obvious stuff like power cords, external monitor, keyboard & trackpad… I’ve added a little heater for my feet now that it’s winter in this basement ### **Is there something special in your workspace that always makes you smile?** - I put affirmations on sticky notes on the side of my screen to help recalibrate myself when I’m exhausted/overwhelmed/”screened out” - I sometimes get the Costco-sized peanut M&Ms - they make me smile, but it’s not a routine I’d recommend everyone get into doing regularly - I usually get visits from my children throughout the day, they make me smile - Good view of my backyard. The office work area is at the back of the house - Alanna said she has a pet spider that makes her smile. I have the death star from the office on my desk and I keep chocolate in it, just like we did at the office! Makes me smile. Also at some point, a spider fell into the death star and my family is all scared of spiders and now they can't reach in to get chocolate anymore!