6 Steps to Success Working from Home

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Be excited. I am about to share with you some news that I am over the moon about. I didn’t win the lottery and I am not giving away free trips to Hawaii – but it is pretty close to that exciting. (drumroll…) OREO invented a new cookie and when I was shopping at CVS today I found them! Is that not the most exciting news you have heard all day?! My husband thinks I exaggerate things a little bit sometimes, but I think he is crazy, it is impossible to be too excited about anything to do with OREO. In light of this exciting news I have decided to share with you my top six steps for being successful when you work from home. Keep scrolling to see!

The cookies are called OREO Thins and come in three amazing varieties; mint, original and golden. So far my favorite are the mint flavor, but I have yet to try golden… OREO Thins are exactly like regular OREO’s, but thinner and crispier. The first thing I noticed when I bit into them is that there seems to be exactly as much filling as there is cookie, I am an OREO icing junkie so this was a major happy moment for me. OREO is already my favorite cookie on the planet. Literally. OREO Thins are on a whole new level though. If you start running into me at CVS as a lot you will know why…

These new cookies combined with my new office space I just set up inspired me to share a few tips with you on how to be more productive when you work from home. Having done this for a few years now I know firsthand how difficult it can be to motivate yourself when you are your own boss. It can be difficult to be proactive when you don’t have to clock in and out at a certain time. Here are a few techniques I have developed in order to get the most work done every day and they make a huge difference for me.

6 Steps to Success Working From Home

1. Create a work space. I can’t emphasize enough how important this step is. You don’t necessarily need to have an office, but create a space that is comfortable to work in. I have a desk in my living room so I can watch my daughter play while I work and it is perfect for me, I have filled it with things that I need to work, and also a few items that help me feel calm; a couple candles and some family photos. Do what you can to set a peaceful mood in your space that will help relieve stress when you have a lot on your plate.
2. Identify your prime working time and take advantage of it EVERY DAY. Make note of the time of day that you are the most productive and have the least distractions, make sure you ALWAYS sit down and work during those times. For me that is during my daughters nap time and between 10pm-midnight. I get more done for work during those 4 hours than I do the rest of the day combined.
3. Ban yourself from social media. During prime working time do not allow yourself to just ‘quickly check your notifications’ or peek at your friends new photos on Instagram. As tempting as it is to check OREOs Facebook Page endlessly, it is too easy to get sucked in by those delicious looking photos and before you know it your most productive hours have disappeared. Better to browse when you are not working.
4. Make a list. If there is one thing you should do before your head hits the pillow at night it is this one. Take 10 minutes to go over your emails, calendar and assignments and write down 5 things you need to accomplish the next day. When you feel at a loss the next day refer to your list.
5. Stay on task. When you sit down to start work choose your highest priority project from your list and work on it till you are completed. Moving around from task to task can keep things more interesting, but most people actually accomplish more when their brain isn’t jumping from one train of thought to another over and over.
6. Reward yourself, take some me-time. Sitting at a computer for hours on end can be mentally draining. Don’t be afraid to spoil yourself a little bit with one of your favorite treats. Buy yourself a box of OREO Thins and make a rule that you will only enjoy them while you are working. For me it is a little extra motivation and chewing actually helps me stay awake when my focus starts to drift. A bit of sugar doesn’t hurt either when you need a little extra energy to get the task done.

These are just a few easy but key things that I have done to increase my productivity each day. I thought the new OREO Thins were the perfect excuse to share these tips with you. Speaking of I think I am going to go get a plate of them… I can hear the mint OREO Thins calling my name from the kitchen as I type. I would say the originals were calling me too but my husband and I may or may not have already gobbled up every single scrumptious morsel of those thin crispy cookies… Oops.

Now that I have shared my go-to techniques for being more productive I would LOVE to hear what you guys do? What would you add to my list? Don’t forget to enter the Sweepstakes below as well for a chance to win $500 to CVS!

Oreo Thins at CVS