Productivity is something that we all struggle with at one point or another. It's often hard to sit down and properly focus on the task at hand whether it be due to distractions, lack of motivation or even lack of organisation. Now that I've freed up a lot of time for myself after dropping out of university in December, I'm trying to focus all of my time and energy on blogging. Whether your job allows you to work from home, you're a student or like me, you have a lot of spare time now, I hope that you find these 5 tips helpful.
1) Sit at a desk
One of the worst things that you can do for yourself at home is to lounge on your bed or sofa when working. I find it so much easier to make a little work station either at the desk in my room or on the dining room table downstairs. I like working somewhere quiet and bright as this makes me focus my attention on what I'm doing and also helps to make me feel more awake. More awake and focused = more productive.

2) Get out of your pyjamas
Some people prefer working in their pyjamas however I'm not one of those kinds of people. Wearing pyjamas and sometimes even baggy clothes tempt me into having a lazy day in bed. I'm not saying you have to wear an actual work suit, but oddly enough, jeans make me feel more focused and put together? Does that even make sense hahah? In the same sense, I like applying a light base of makeup to prevent me from feeling grotty and disgusting all day.

3) Plan each day
In my opinion, this is the most important point. Either write a to do list of all the things you want to get done in the morning or organise a time table for yourself and how much time you want to prioritise to each individual task. I'm personally enjoying writing daily to do lists in my Ohh Deer Daily Journal and ticking them off as I go. Or you could even use the calendar on your laptop or your phone - just use whatever works well for you. It's a lot easier to stick to something if you've written it down.

4) Take breaks
A lot of people put too much pressure on themselves to get all of their work done and as a result, they try and cram as much stuff as they possibly can into a day. I don't know about you, but when I have too much stuff going on, I tend to loose motivation and gradually move my work station from my desk over to my bed until I'm under the covers watching youtube videos. Make sure you treat the day like a normal office day and give yourself an hour's lunch break to do whatever you want to do. I also like to schedule a couple of 20 minute breaks throughout the rest of the day. It's important for you to stay focused but your brain simply can't cope if it there's too much work time and not enough you time.

5) Limit distractions
Distractions are the absolute worst. Make sure your work station is in a quiet place where you can focus. Personally I prefer focusing my whole attention on blogging and don't enjoy watching TV or listening to a podcast/music like I know a lot of other people enjoy. I find myself thinking about other things instead of what I'm meant to be doing. Similarly, social media can be a huge distraction (although for a lot of bloggers, it can technically be called work) so leave your phone in another room for a bit. It's fine to use social media to your hearts content in one of your breaks.

Obviously I'm no expert - you've just got to find what works for you. How do you stay productive when you work from home?