Let's be honest: Working from home sounded great in theory.

No commute! Wear pajamas! Work in bed!

Then reality hit. You're on your third "quick break" by 10 AM, you haven't changed out of yesterday's sweatpants, and you're somehow more exhausted than when you went to an office.

The problem: Your home wasn't designed to be your office. And productivity advice written for office workers doesn't work when your bedroom, living room, and conference room are the same place.

Here are 12 practical work-from-home productivity tips that actually work—tested by real remote workers, not productivity influencers who've never left an office.

1. Create a "Commute" (Yes, Really)

The problem: You roll out of bed directly to your laptop. No mental separation between "home" and "work."

The fix: Create a fake commute.

Examples:

Walk around the block before starting work
Make coffee at a local café
Do a morning workout
Listen to a specific playlist
Change into "work clothes"

Why it works: Your brain needs a ritual that signals "work mode is starting." Without it, you're fighting your brain all day.

2. Designate a Work Space

Stop working from your couch/bed unless you want your brain to associate those places with stress.

You don't need a fancy home office. You need one consistent spot that's just for work.

Options if you have no space:

One corner of a table
A folding desk you set up daily
A specific chair that's only for work
Even a laptop stand that goes in different rooms

The rule: When work is done, close the laptop and leave that space.

3. Use the "Burrito Method" for Your First Task

What it is: Identify your most important task the night before. When you start work, do that task first—before email, Slack, news, anything.

Wrap yourself in that task like a burrito. Nothing else matters until it's done.

Why it works:

Your brain is freshest in the morning
Email can wait (I promise)
You'll feel accomplished instead of reactive

One focused morning task beats a whole day of "busy work."

4. Set Office Hours (And Actually Honor Them)

The biggest trap of WFH: Work never ends because your office never closes.

The fix: Set specific work hours and stick to them.

Examples:

9 AM - 5 PM (traditional)
8 AM - 4 PM (morning person)
11 AM - 7 PM (night owl)

What this means:

Don't answer Slack after hours
Don't "quickly check email" at 9 PM
Use an auto-responder during non-work hours

Your coworkers will survive. And you'll avoid burnout.

5. Use Focus Blocks with a Timer

What it is: Scheduled chunks of uninterrupted work time.

How to do it:

Block 90-120 minutes on your calendar
Set a Pomodoro timer (25-minute work blocks)
Close Slack, email, everything
Work until the block ends

Why it works:

Deep work requires uninterrupted time
Most people get only 3-4 hours of real focused work per day
Protect those hours viciously

Pro tip: Schedule focus blocks around meetings, not the other way around.

6. The "Pants On" Rule

Controversial opinion: Get dressed for work.

Not a suit. Just... not pajamas.

Why it helps:

Signals to your brain that work is happening
Makes video calls less panic-inducing
You feel more professional (even if no one sees you)

Bonus: You can leave the house if needed without a wardrobe change.

7. Take Actual Breaks (Away From Your Screen)

What counts as a break: ✅ Walk outside ✅ Make a snack ✅ Stretch ✅ Play with your pet ✅ Stare at the ceiling

What doesn't count: ❌ Scrolling Twitter ❌ Reading news ❌ Watching YouTube ❌ Online shopping

Your brain needs a break from screens, not just work.

Use the Pomodoro Technique: 25 minutes work, 5 minutes real break. Your brain (and eyes) will thank you.

8. Separate Work Apps from Personal Devices

The trap: Your work Slack is on your phone. Now you're checking it during dinner.

The fix:

Option A: Separate work/personal devices (if your company provides a laptop)

Option B: Use separate browser profiles

One profile for work (logged into work email, Slack, etc.)
One for personal
Close the work profile when you're done

Option C: Set app timers

Slack only works 9-5
Email app disables after hours
Use Screen Time/Digital Wellbeing features

Boundary = sanity.

9. Use Background Noise Strategically

Silence might actually hurt your focus, especially in a distracting home environment.

Options that help:

Brown noise / white noise
Lo-fi music
Café sounds
Nature sounds
Instrumental music

Options that hurt:

Podcasts (you'll listen instead of working)
Music with lyrics you know (you'll sing along)
YouTube videos (you'll watch instead of listen)

Try our Focus Music timer for background sounds designed for productivity.

10. Combat the "Always Available" Trap

Just because you work from home doesn't mean you're always available.

Set boundaries:

Update Slack status to "In a meeting" during focus time
Use "Do Not Disturb" mode
Don't respond immediately to every message
It's okay to say "I can't do that right now"

Real talk: People will respect your boundaries if you set them. They won't respect boundaries you don't enforce.

11. End Your Day with a Shutdown Ritual

Why you need this: Without a physical "leaving the office," your brain doesn't realize work is over.

Create a shutdown ritual (5-10 minutes):

Review what you accomplished today
Write down tomorrow's top 3 tasks
Close all work apps
Clear your desk
Do something that signals "work is over" (change clothes, go for a walk, etc.)

Treat this like clocking out. Because that's exactly what it is.

12. Accept That Some Days Will Suck

Real talk: Some days, the dog barks through every call. The internet dies mid-presentation. You accomplish nothing.

That's okay.

Work-from-home productivity isn't about being perfect. It's about:

Having systems that work most of the time
Being kind to yourself when they don't
Trying again tomorrow

You're not a productivity machine. You're a human working in a pandemic-adjusted world. Give yourself some grace.

Common WFH Productivity Killers (And Fixes)

Problem: Household distractions

Fix: Communicate with family/roommates about your work hours. Use a "do not disturb" sign on your door.

Problem: Loneliness/isolation

Fix: Schedule virtual coffee chats with colleagues. Join co-working communities. Use body doubling for focus.

Problem: Overworking/burnout

Fix: Set hard stop times. Take real weekends. Log off and stay off.

Problem: Procrastination

Fix: Use the 2-minute rule. Just start for 2 minutes. Often, starting is the hardest part.

Problem: Zoom fatigue

Fix: Decline meetings that could be emails. Take audio-only calls. Build in breaks between calls.

Putting It All Together: A Sample WFH Day

8:30 AM: Morning routine + "commute" walk 9:00 AM: ONE most important task (before checking email!) 10:00 AM: Email triage + Slack check-in 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM: Focus block #1 (Pomodoros) 12:00 PM: Lunch (away from desk!) 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM: Meetings 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM: Focus block #2 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM: Wrap up, admin tasks, plan tomorrow 5:00 PM: Shutdown ritual → work is OVER

Total focused work: ~5 hours (realistic!) Total work time: 8 hours (including breaks, meetings, admin)

Tools That Actually Help

Don't go overboard with tools. These few are genuinely helpful:

For focus:

Pomodoro timer (obvious choice)
Freedom/Cold Turkey (website blocker)
Focus music app

For communication:

Slack (with boundaries!)
Zoom (sparingly)
Loom (for async video updates)

For task management:

Notion/Todoist/Things (pick one, not all three)
Google Calendar (for time blocking)

Less is more. Pick tools that solve real problems, not tools that create new systems to manage.

The Bottom Line

Work-from-home productivity isn't about:

Working 12-hour days because "you're already home"
Attending every meeting because "you have no excuse"
Being available 24/7 because your office is always there

It's about:

Creating structure where the office used to provide it
Setting boundaries to protect your time and sanity
Being intentional about how you work

You don't need to be perfect. You just need systems that work more often than they don't.

Start Small

This week, try just 3 things:

Create a morning ritual
Set office hours (and honor them)
Use Pomodoros for focus blocks

See what changes.

Then add more. One habit at a time.

Work from home can work. It just takes intentional systems instead of hoping for the best.

What's your biggest WFH productivity challenge? Drop it in the comments—we're all figuring this out together.