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To discipline yourself when working from home, give your work a fixed place and a fixed timetable, plan each day around a few clear goals, and keep in regular contact with your manager and colleagues so that you stay accountable. Small habits make the difference: get dressed for work, keep household tasks and entertainment out of office hours, and take proper breaks. If you or your team need structured help with focus and routine, BOTI’s personal effectiveness masterclasses are a practical place to start.
Top 10 tips on how to set up a home office and keep to a work schedule
So: How do you discipline yourself when working from home?
How do you discipline yourself when working from home?
Technology lets many of us work from home, either full time or as part of a hybrid week. Without the structure of an office, though, it is easy to lose track of time, drift into household chores, or feel cut off from the team. Self-discipline at home has less to do with willpower than with setting up your space, your day and your communication so that focused work becomes the default. Here are our tips to help you set up and manage your home office.
1. Claim your workspace
When you set up an office at home, start by claiming a dedicated workspace that is free from unnecessary interruptions and gives you roughly the room you would have at the office. Even if it is a corner of your bedroom or living room, keep this space for work only. If you live with other people, agree on a few boundaries so that others do not use the space, or interrupt you there, unless it is necessary. Sitting down in the same place every morning also tells your brain that the working day has started.
2. Stay connected with your colleagues
Working from home can quickly make you feel lonely and out of the loop. Make regular contact with colleagues part of your daily routine, even if it is only a quick email or WhatsApp message. A short video call on Teams or Zoom is better still. Even if you are not working on shared projects, the more you stay connected, the more you will feel part of the team. For ideas on making remote collaboration work, see our guide on whether working from home is easy.
3. Dealing with domestic distractions
Separating work from home life is hard, especially if you have children. It is tempting to put in a load of washing or see to someone else’s needs when you should be working. Remind yourself that, although you are at home, you are at work, and keep to the tasks you assigned yourself. Tell the people you live with what your working hours are, and keep chores for your breaks or for after hours. You will feel a real sense of achievement when you set schedules and boundaries and keep to them.
4. Make your workspace as comfortable as possible
An office workspace is usually designed for comfort so that people stay productive. Your home office may not have ergonomic furniture such as an adjustable chair. A full day at a desk is tiring, and sitting uncomfortably can strain your body and raise your stress levels. Raise your screen to eye level where you can, sit with your back supported (a cushion helps on a makeshift chair), and keep good light on your work. A comfortable setup makes it much easier to stay at your desk for focused periods.
5. Take regular breaks
At the office you usually take a lunch break and regular tea breaks. Take the same breaks at home, and leave your workspace completely during them. Even if all you can do is step into the garden or walk around the block, a proper break splits your day and helps you return to work with a clearer head. Planned breaks also make it easier to resist unplanned ones.
6. Communicate with your boss
In the office, you see your manager often and communication happens naturally. When you work remotely it can easily break down, and your manager may also be new to managing people at a distance. Agree on how and when you will check in, for example a short call each morning or an end-of-day email listing what you finished. Regular, predictable updates keep you accountable and give your manager confidence that the work is on track.
7. Don’t lounge around in your pyjamas
It is tempting to stay in your pyjamas when working from home, but just because you can does not mean you should. Get dressed and behave as though you were going to the office. This simple shift in mindset puts you into work mode and makes it easier to join an unexpected video call.
8. Avoid any other unnecessary distractions
With all your creature comforts around you, it is not easy to work when you would rather be doing something else. Keep the television, radio and other home entertainment off during the office hours you have set for yourself. Put your personal phone out of reach, mute non-essential notifications, and close browser tabs you do not need for the task in front of you.
9. Set goals daily
If you were working on a project at home, such as a renovation, you would make a timing plan and set goals to reach it. The same applies to work done at home. Just as you would at the office, set your goals for each day, keep them realistic and work steadily towards them. Write down your three most important tasks first thing in the morning and tick them off as you finish. At the end of the day, review what you achieved and plan tomorrow’s list. If goal setting is a struggle for you, BOTI’s Goal Setting and Getting Things Done course covers it in a single day.
10. Eat properly and look after your energy
In the daily rush at the office, it is easy to neglect proper eating. At home you have more control over what and when you eat. Plan regular meals, keep water at your desk, and avoid grazing on unhealthy snacks throughout the day. Steady energy makes it much easier to stay focused through the afternoon.
Build a routine that keeps you on track
The tips above work best when they become a routine. Set a fixed start time and a fixed finishing time, and protect both. Start the day the same way each time, for example by getting dressed, making coffee and reviewing your task list before you open your email. Group similar tasks into blocks, such as calls in the morning and focused writing or analysis in the afternoon. Shut down properly at the end of the day by closing your laptop and leaving your workspace, so that work does not spill into your evening. A clear end to the day is part of self-discipline too: it protects your rest and keeps you fresh for tomorrow. Our Work-Life Balance Course looks at this in more depth.
If you manage a remote or hybrid team, you can make home working easier for your people by agreeing on core hours, setting clear weekly priorities and holding short, regular check-ins. BOTI’s High Performance Teams in a Remote Workforce and Personal Productivity Course are designed for exactly these situations.
Frequently asked questions
How do you discipline yourself when working from home?
Work in a dedicated space, keep fixed start and finish times, plan a few clear goals for each day and check in regularly with your manager. Getting dressed for work and keeping chores and entertainment out of office hours also helps you stay in work mode.
How do you stay focused when working from home?
Remove distractions before you start. Put your personal phone out of reach, mute non-essential notifications, close tabs you do not need and work on one task at a time in planned blocks, with short breaks away from your desk in between.
How do you keep a routine when working from home?
Start and end the day at the same times, follow the same short morning routine, group similar tasks into time blocks and take your breaks at regular times. At the end of the day, review what you finished and write tomorrow’s task list before you close your laptop.
How can managers help staff stay disciplined when working from home?
Managers can agree on core hours, set clear weekly priorities, hold short regular check-ins and judge people on results rather than on how many hours they are online. Clear expectations make it easier for staff to plan their own days.
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To help your team plan their days, protect focus time and keep to a routine at home or in the office, book BOTI’s Time Management and Focus in a Hybrid Workplace masterclass. BOTI’s training runs in-house at your premises, at BOTI’s venue in Sunningdale, Johannesburg, or live online. Call BOTI on 011 882 8853 or email [email protected], or request a quote. This course is not accredited. It is delivered as a professional skills programme, and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.
