How to Stay Productive When You’re Cooped Up at Home

Do you find it difficult to stay productive when you’re cooped up at home? Find out how you can be more productive at home today!

How to Stay Productive When You’re Cooped Up at Home

As an introvert, being cooped up at home is quite literally, how I spend every day. So, for me, it’s the norm. But if you’re not used to being home all the time, then you might be finding it a little difficult to stay productive. Do not fear however, there are ways to overcome this.

Hopefully, with all this extra time on your hands, you’re getting the chance to practice some self-care activities!

But, of course, I’m sure you’re getting restless, being cooped up at home for so long. So, now is the perfect time to do all the things that you’ve been putting off for so long.

Think about your to-do list. I don’t mean your everyday to-do list that contains work and household chores etc., I mean the to-do list that you promised yourself you would get to when you had the time or the energy. Tasks such as read that new book you’ve been putting off for a long time, or getting a start on that new hobby you’ve been wanting to try out for a while.

Being cooped up at home means:

• You have all the time in the world to do anything you want
• You have the perfect environment to be creative and spontaneous

The question now is: how do you stay productive while you’re at home all day?

Staying at home all day gives you the perfect opportunity to get started on those things that you’ve been putting off for so long. Now that you have the time, there are no more excuses.

Of course, you might associate the word productivity with completing tasks that are work, school, or home-related. But why can’t that extend to anything that is related to your personal life?

I believe that something is productive if it helps you grow in some way. So, reading a new book, watching that new movie, or starting that new hobby all counts towards being productive. Simply because it’s helping you grow in ways that you possibly couldn’t even imagine.

Reading can expand your horizons and increase your creativity. Watching a movie can spark new inspiration that could lead to new sources of motivation. Starting a new hobby can help you learn, grow and develop new skills that may open up new doors for you.

I’m a firm believer that there’s an opportunity to grow in every facet of your life. You just need to find the ones that are suited for you. There is no definitive meaning to the word productive, so it can be opened up to your interpretation.

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• How to Live Life More Intentionally
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• Healthy Habits Before Bed to Wake Up a Better You

So, how do you stay productive when you’re cooped up at home?

Redefine your definition of productivity

Productivity doesn’t always have to mean getting stuff done. It can mean spending time getting to know yourself and your family, it can mean spending time on self-care, and it can also mean taking the time to try out a new recipe or even a new app.

Rules are set by people. They are flexible and subject to change. You define your own definition of productivity, and as long as you believe that you’re being productive, that’s all that matters.

Set personal goals for yourself

I always found it super easy to tell myself that I’m going to do something. But it always came with a “sometime” at the end. I would be super motivated one day and decide that I was going to do all of these things. However, the next day would come and I would just tell myself “I’ll do it tomorrow”, day after day. In a way, these goals were simply on my to-do list and I didn’t set them as personal goals to work towards.

To give yourself that motivation to actually work towards those goals, I believe it’s super important to write them down, make a plan, and keep these goals visibly accessible to you at all times. After all, how else are you going to be continuously reminded of these yet to be completed items?

I remember when I was doing my exams for entrance into university. I stuck my goal mark up onto the wall in front of my desk. Just so I could get a little reminder and boost of motivation every time I sat down.

It’s so easy to fall into a couch potato lifestyle when you’re at home all day. So, of course, some good goals to work towards will combat that urge to laze around.

RELATED: How to Work With Procrastination

Start personal projects

If there’s something that you’ve been wanting to get started on for a while, now’s the perfect chance to jump on it. Maybe you’ve been wanting to build your own online business, or start a blog!

I’m telling you, there’s no time better than now to start a blog. Think about it, you’re at home, you have some time on your hands, so you might as well get started now.

I actually started my blog after I finished all of my exams. I had nothing to do and the Wi-Fi was down. So I was sitting there, unable to watch YouTube or stream any movies, just casually browsing the web using the personal hotspot from my phone. That was when I stumbled across a blog post about starting a blog and how it went from being this blogger’s side hustle to full-time job.

I don’t think I’ve ever been as spontaneous as I was then. I probably gave it about one hour of thought and extra research, and then I was on Bluehost’s website purchasing a basic hosting plan.

Now that I think about it, I must have been really desperate for something to do. Especially considering that I’m usually quite strict with how I spend my money. But, that was a decision that I am so grateful for to this day. I’ve learnt so much on this journey and I really believe that you can too.

So, if you’ve been thinking of starting a blog for a while, then now is the perfect opportunity! Simply check out my Comprehensive Guide to Starting a Blog, follow the steps detailed in the post and you’ll have a blog of your own in no time!

You won’t regret it!

Make a to-do list

I’m a huge fan of making to-do lists. Especially since I find it quite difficult to maintain productivity. To-do lists are probably the only things that keep me sane, even more so when I feel overwhelmed with assignments, assessments and just general life.

I used to fall into the trap of trying to be productive by writing down as many tasks as I possibly could. It was a terrible decision since it was completely impossible for me to complete everything on time. So, instead of encouraging me to get work done, it did the opposite and made me even more unproductive than before.

Now, of course, I’ve learnt my lesson, keep to-do lists short, sweet and to the point. However, keep in mind that tasks that are too big or contain too many elements should be broken down into smaller parts to make it easier on yourself to complete them.

Larger tasks tend to be quite intimidating. More often than not, you’ll find yourself reluctant to get started on them. Breaking tasks down comes with the advantage of providing you with a clear idea of the exact tasks you need to do. And, being able to tick each small item off one by one will provide you with an incentive and motivation to continue. Especially since you can see yourself being productive.

RELATED: 18 Tips to Achieve Higher Levels of Productivity

Keep your options open

The great thing about being stuck at home all the time is that you have the freedom to do anything that you want to do. Just as it’s the perfect time to tick those personal goals off your list, it’s also the perfect time to embrace spontaneity.

Try video calling to keep in contact with friends and family. Join local neighbourhood events that promote social interaction amid social distancing.

Make the most out of this situation. After all, it’s a unique experience that will be a good story to tell down the line.

Start small, don’t overwhelm yourself

Suddenly having all of this free time on your hands might make you feel like you have all the free time in the world to accomplish all these huge goals. Goals such as:

• starting a new online business
• finally setting up that side hustle you’ve been meaning to get around to
• or even mastering a new skill

However, it can get overwhelming quite quickly. Especially if you feel the urge to just do everything at once and accomplish all these different goals at the same time. In most cases, the likely outcome of this scenario is that you’ll give up and adopt the lazy couch potato lifestyle.

I can confidently say that every holiday I’ve had since I started high school ended with this outcome. This is usually because I set impossible tasks for myself and for some unknown reason, expect myself to actually complete them.

So, I’ve learnt my lesson and I now set myself small and very much achievable tasks. This way, I tend to get very motivated to add more tasks and goals to my to-do list. Honestly, this is the only way I’ve managed to get anything done in the last few years.

Set a routine for yourself

As we all know, it can be incredibly easy to fall into the habit of spending every day watching TV or playing video games. So, it’s important to maintain a routine to retain some semblance of normality in your life.

Who else now has a terrible sleeping schedule because of all this social-distancing?

Even just the act of getting ready every day can set a good mood for the rest of the day and encourage you to be more motivated and productive.

Just like all of you, time tends to get away from me when I’m busy having fun. So, I always like to make a rough schedule of my day the night before. This just makes sure that I’m actually getting the things that I want to be done, done. This schedule can be as rough as literally:

• 8am: wake up and get ready
• 12pm: lunch
• 2pm: get some to-do’s done
• 7pm: dinner
• 11pm: bedtime (maybe one day this will happen)

I simply pencil in a time for me to get stuff done so that when that time actually rolls around, I’ll get the urge to at least get something on my to-do list done. This way, there’s some sort of routine happening and I can actually end the day feeling like I didn’t just completely waste a whole day.

Because I’m such a major procrastinator, making to-do lists or schedules for myself is a step that I rarely like to miss. Simply because I find that I can waste entire days doing absolutely nothing.

So, if you’re like me, it might be a good idea to set and maintain an everyday routine to stay productive at home.

Those are my tips on how to stay productive when you’re cooped up at home!

Do you have any of your own tips for staying productive? Share them down below!

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