How to Be Productive at Home When Working Remotely |

The definition of productivity is subjective and expandable. Before COVID, it was all about hustling and working as many hours as possible. Now, people are now focused on maintaining a balanced routine that supports both career and personal growth.

One thing is, however, certain: with remote work in the picture and commute time out of the frame, we can finally do more. A study reported in Forbes found that employees working remotely were 20% happier on average than those who couldn’t work from home.

To make sure this continues—and even improves—as we embrace remote work culture, here are some strategies and tools to stay productive throughout the day and make the most of your work hours.

Essential Strategies for Boosting Productivity at Home

Want to learn how to manage personal tasks while being productive at work? Here are some proven strategies that will help boost your overall productivity.

1. Prioritize a morning self-care routine

For generations, parents and grandparents have sworn that waking up early is the key to a good day. While we’re not yet sold on that, psychologists agree that having a consistent morning routine can reduce stress, boost energy levels, and improve productivity at work.

While everyone’s routine will be different, here are some essential habits to help you stay productive throughout the day:

• A morning workout can boost focus and shake off sleepiness
• A healthy breakfast keeps you energized
• Writing down your goals, thoughts, or affirmations helps clear mental clutter
• Spend the first moments of your day tech-free to avoid information overload

2. Prep household tasks ahead of time

“How do you possibly work 8+ hours, take care of your home, AND still have time for fun?” That’s the million-dollar question a Reddit user recently asked—and many of us can relate to that.

When you’re in the flow of deep work, the last thing you need is the sudden realization that you have nothing prepped for lunch. Here’s how to stay productive by tackling household tasks ahead of time:

• Prepping meals in advance means you won’t waste precious work hours 
• If you’re someone who needs a spotless workspace before you can focus, knock out quick cleaning tasks first thing in the morning or the night before
• Set up dishwashers, slow cookers, or laundry cycles to run in the background while you work

There’s an excellent template called Chore Chart Template for staying organized. With it, you can:

✅ Track all household tasks in one place instead of relying on memory

✅ Instantly assign chores to family members (so it’s not all on you)

✅ Set deadlines so that tasks don’t pile

3. Organize tasks and connect them to goals with

Few things in life are as satisfying as striking off a checklist. But if your tasks aren’t organized, they can quickly stray from your goals, leaving you busy but not actually productive.

That’s why you need a tool that helps you track your progress.

is the ultimate everything app for work, combining project and task management. Here’s how you can tie your tasks together using Goals:

• ’s centralized system ensures you always have a clear roadmap of what needs to be done
• Goals allows you to see what’s truly important so that you can spend time on high-impact work
• Communicate progress with multiple stakeholders in the same place

4. Minimize noise to prevent distractions

According to the Digital Noise Impact Report, one in three workers reports being interrupted every 15 minutes thanks to workplace notifications.

Here’s what you can do to minimize distractions in your home office setup:

✅ Find a quiet space and close the door

✅ Invest in noise-canceling headphones

✅ Set clear boundaries with housemates

5. Designate a separate workspace

Where you work can make or break your productivity at home. You want to create an environment where you actually want to spend your work hours.

Rachel, a Brooklyn-based product manager, learned this the hard way after nine-hour days in a cheap dining chair left her with back pain. 

Her solution? A designated workspace with an ergonomic chair and, if possible, a sit/stand desk.

It would be smart to stock your space with additional work from home essentials including:

• Noise-canceling headphones to block distractions
• Notebooks and pens for jotting down important tasks
• Light a candle to start your productive day
• Use a tablecloth for work—remove it when you’re done to separate work hours and personal life

6. Mute app notifications during work hours

If you’ve ever thought, I’ll just check this one notification real quick, only to resurface 50 minutes later in a deep scroll through Instagram—you’re not alone.

FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) is real. The constant influx of updates, chats, and mentions creates a compulsive need to check everything—even if 90% of it isn’t urgent. The key to staying productive at home is mastering notification prioritization so you only see what actually matters.

Chat has your back with customizable notifications that help you stay productive throughout the day without drowning in alerts. Here’s how:

• Customize global notifications: Click the settings cog at the bottom of the sidebar to adjust Browser, Mobile, Inbox, and Email notifications—so you only get updates where and when you need them
• Tailor Chat notifications: Right-click on any Chat and select Change notification settings to filter out the noise and focus only on the important stuff

7. Schedule time to connect with your team using ’s communication features

Remote work has its perks but it can also feel isolating. When you’re working remotely, feeling disconnected from your team can kill motivation.

This is why a quick check-in or a casual chat can boost energy levels and prevent the dreaded “Did I miss something?” feeling.

’s communication tools make staying in sync easy:

• React to messages: Hover over a chat, hit Like, or use the Add Reaction button
• Reply in threads: Keep conversations organized by using the Reply in Threads option
• Link tasks to chats: No more searching for that one message—connect important tasks directly to chat threads for instant context

Additionally, Docs makes team collaboration seamless by centralizing all information in one place.

With live editing, multiple team members can contribute simultaneously in Docs. Moreover, the built-in version history tracking ensures that mistakes can be undone and progress remains visible, so no update ever goes unnoticed.

Feedback doesn’t just sit in comments though— Assign Comments lets you instantly turn those thoughts into actionable tasks. Each comment can be assigned to the right person, tracked, and resolved right within the doc.

Also, Docs is tightly integrated with tasks, chats, and dashboards, so you can edit, assign, and launch projects directly from within your writing space. Add widgets to your Docs to update task statuses, track progress, or link to dashboards—without ever switching tools.

8. Use to boost productivity and reduce app switching

App switching drains focus and wastes time. To avoid this, offers a range of features that help you plan, self-monitor, automate, and improve your tasks throughout the day.

for remote teams is built for collaboration. This means, from managing workloads to syncing on priorities, remote workers can rely on to execute projects faster, without miscommunication.

For starters, ’s 15+ customizable views help remote teams visualize progress in ways that match how they work best. And with integrations like Zoom, Slack, and Google Drive, you can keep every conversation, file, and update in one place.

’s Project Time Tracking helps you self-monitor tasks and see exactly where your time goes. Just hit start before beginning a task and stop when you’re done—whether you’re on your computer or mobile device.

Want a structured workflow? You can use Dashboards to:

• Create and assign tasks directly from your productivity dashboard
• Use List, Board, or Gantt views to organize projects
• Filter by status, deadline, or assignee to track progress instantly

If you have a newly remote team, ’s Remote Work Plan Template simplifies the transition to remote work by providing a clear structure for team collaboration, task tracking, and role management.

Another feature that can really help you manage your work better? AI-powered tools. These can make your work faster and smarter by automating repetitive tasks, summarizing information, and generating content on demand. Brain, for example, enhances productivity at home by:

• Generating smart content for writing, proofreading, and paraphrasing
• Simplifying important tasks through automated task management
• Providing instant answers by consolidating docs, tasks, and team interactions

Lastly, repetitive workflows slow down productive remote workers. Automations allows you to set up triggers, actions, and conditions that handle time-consuming tasks for you.

Now, with Brain, you can even build automations using natural language—just describe what you need, and it sets up conditions for you.

📌 Example: If you’re a payroll manager, can:

• Automatically create a payment task for next month when paying a contractor
• Send an email alert when an employee’s expenses exceed a set threshold

If you still feel like your to-do list is running your life instead of the other way around, try the Personal Productivity Template by .

When tasks pile up and priorities blur, staying productive can feel impossible. This template helps you organize tasks, set clear priorities, and track progress so you can stay in control and make the most of your time every day.

How to Manage Work-Life Balance While Working from Home

Remote workers are redefining the line between work hours and personal life. Still, more and more professionals are drawn to it because of the flexibility.

What can help here is to set boundaries and actually stick to them. Here are some work from home hacks:

• Define clear work hours—and resist the urge to “just check one more email” at 10 p.m.
• Log off properly—physically leave your workspace or switch off notifications after work
• Take your PTO (Paid Time Off)—your personal agenda matters just as much as your deadlines

Also, don’t forget to move, stretch, and get some fresh air. Sitting all day isn’t just bad for your back—it kills energy levels and drains creativity. 

In case you’re struggling with time management, try the time blocking method to structure your day into focused blocks for deep work, emails, and meetings. 

Overcoming Common Remote Work Challenges

Remote work offers flexibility, but it also comes with unique hurdles. The smart thing would be to recognize these challenges and implement practical solutions.

Challenge #1: Lack of in-person interaction makes communication less effective

✅ Solution: Establish regular video meetings, document decisions clearly, and use instant messaging tools to maintain transparency.

Challenge #2: Working in isolation can lead to loneliness and decreased motivation

✅ Solution: Encourage virtual team-building activities, casual check-ins, and social interactions for a sense of connection.

Challenge #3: The absence of a structured office environment blurs the line between work and personal life

✅ Solution: Set clear work hours, take scheduled breaks, and use time management techniques to prevent work from spilling into personal life.

Challenge #4: Home environments are filled with distractions that reduce productivity

✅ Solution: Create a dedicated workspace, mute non-essential notifications, and use ’s time tracking and automation tools to stay focused.

The Importance of Productivity at Home

A California-based study found a 47% boost in productivity among remote employees. For the rest 53%, a few simple strategies can make a big difference. 

For that to happen, we have to first understand the fundamentals of working from home—and why being productive at home actually matters:

• Less stress, more focus: Stay on top of tasks to prevent the dreaded pile-up of unfinished chores and deadlines
• Mastering time effectively: Learn how to save time by prioritizing and planning tasks
• A sense of achievement: Check off DIY projects, meal prep, or new skills to make home life more rewarding
• Better work-life balance: Structure your daily routine to separate work hours from personal life

Productivity Finds Its Home in

West Tech Shipping’s Accounts Officer, Starr notes: “ helps keep me organized and increases my productivity at work. I now get more done in less time since I’m more focused.”

This statement captures ’s power—simplified task management, automation, and collaboration so you can stay productive at home without needing a hundred other tools.

Sign up on for free now and get more done in less time!

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