guest post by Boom Shikha

You know the situation. You are at home. You are distracted by every shiny object that passes by. Hours pass by and you haven't gotten a single thing done. How is one supposed to stay motivated to work when Netflix, and the outdoors beckons?

In this post, I'll show you five easy ways you can keep yourself on track and then go onto having fun after (because life is all about balance, isn't it?).

5 ways to stay motivated even when working from home / belong magazine blog

Batching and chunking tasks together /

Batching is seriously a lifesaver when it comes to getting stuff done in my business. The thing about work is that distractions will come up. According to some studies, it can take as long as 75 minutes to get back on track after getting distracted. The solution for this is batching and using a timer. Sit down to do the work and do it in chunks. For example, if one of the tasks you need to do every week is writing blog posts. Set Mondays or Tuesday afternoons as the day to write guest posts. Plan to write 2-3 in one sitting. Also set a timer for 2 hours and work undistracted for that period of time. Make sure to switch off notifications on your phone or desktop notifications while you are working on that chunk. Nothing switches your attention faster than receiving a message of any kind on your phone. That blinking light or notification ring is just so tempting, isn't it?

Have one item that you absolutely will do everyday /

The thing about us feeling non-productive is that we think we aren't doing anything useful with our time. For me, if I get in a session of meditation every single day, I know that I have been productive. Even if I get nothing else done that day, at least I have done the most important thing - which is meditation for me. It could be something different for you - maybe writing a blog post, or calling a client, or getting in a workout. Get that item done early and fast. Mornings as soon as you wake up are best for these.

Promise yourself a treat if you get your work done /

One thing I do to ensure that I will sit down and work for a few hours is promise myself that I will do something nice for myself after. It doesn't necessarily have to be something expensive, or fancy. But it could be something like a hot bath, or a nice meal, or even a bar of chocolate. We need to use the allure of pleasure to keep us going, because the fear of pain (not getting our work done) doesn't usually work.

Choose a space to work with other productive people /

One thing that I have started is going over to a coffee shop or a coop work space to work during business hours. This way I see all of this highly productive people working on their stuff, looking intent, and oh so serious. It motivates me to get my stuff done, even if it's just a serious case of FOMO. There are some amazing working spaces in Toronto like Brightlane, that cater to individuals who would like a working space, but don't want the expense of owning a full-on office. I'm sure there are others in your area that you could partake in. Or coffee shops nowadays have brilliant Wifi connections that you can take advantage of for the price of a coffee and a sandwich.

Take a full day off a week /

Most of us working from home forget about self-care. We think we don't need to worry about what we look like, so we don't take care of our needs at all. I know I have forgotten to eat and drink water several times, as I get distracted by all that I have to do. We can only be productive if we take an entire day off from work - which means, no internet, no replying to emails, and definitely, no social media (as much as possible for you). This will result in a fresher you and you will be able to tackle the tasks of your business with new perspective.

We can be productive.

Even with the working from home deal. We just have to do certain things to bring that discipline into our lives. This way, we can watch Netflix at the end of the night and not feel guilty about it. We can fully enjoy our time off, because we know we have done the work that is necessary. That is when the true freedom of working from home arises. Boom!

I'm Boom Shikha, a serial entrepreneur, wanderluster, online-business owner, yogi, author, and avid meditator. I'm interested in helping you find your life purpose, and get to your Level 10 life. Please join my free private FB group at www.whatsyourfreedomnumber.com