More Americans are working from home than ever. According to Global Workplace Analytics, 50% of the U.S. workforce holds jobs suitable for at least occasional telecommuting. Technology advancements now enable seamless meetings, real-time collaboration, and task completion without stepping into an office.
This flexibility is a boon for workers, but what about productivity? With a TV replacing your supervisor, staying focused can be challenging. How do you truly work from home?
Related: The truth about working from home
At ABODO, a Madison, Wisconsin-based tech company, we've fully embraced remote work. Many team members live hundreds of miles from headquarters, and even locals enjoy the home-office option—a welcome perk during snowy winters. Here are four productivity tips we've tested and refined:
1. Get dressed in the morning.
Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-winner John Cheever started his career with a ritual: He'd shower, suit up, grab his briefcase, and ride the elevator with other businessmen—only to head to the basement, hang his suit, and write until 5 p.m.
For Cheever, writing fiction was serious work deserving respect. You don't need a full suit at home, but elevating from pajamas—showering, grooming, and dressing up—shifts your mindset. It signals focus and professionalism, especially for video calls.
2. Close the door.
Distractions aren't just TVs or games; household chores tempt multitasking—drafting reports while laundry spins and dinner slow-cooks. Suddenly, bills need paying too.
Dedicate a space solely for paid work. A home office (door closed) or quiet corner separates life from labor. Noise-canceling headphones help block the rest.
Related: How to survive working from home
3. Sit at a real desk.
Ignore the siren call of couch, armchair, or bed. A desk enhances concentration, circulation, and—per a 2009 study—metacognition, or 'thinking confidence.'
It's a visual cue you're working, not lounging. Upright posture wards off accidental naps before that 4:30 p.m. call.
4. Set a timer.
Offices impose rhythms: arrival, meetings, departure. At home, time feels endless, leading to procrastination until 5 p.m. hits with nothing done.
Use a timer to chunk your day—15 minutes for email, longer for strategy. Alarms enforce small wins and add urgency.
Related: 8 work from home tips from a guy currently sitting on his couch
