5 Reasons Productivity Starts At Home

To be successful at any job, whether you own it or not, is dependent on more than one thing. Earning a decent wage for what you do and being respected by others are a couple of them. Another is having a good work ethic.

But one of the keys to success that is a common thread among nearly all businesses is productivity. To be successful you need to produce a high volume of work.

Yet there are many things that can affect productivity. Some are self-imposed, such as taking breaks that are too long or gossiping for lengthy periods at work.

Still others, while self-imposed, don’t begin at work at all. In fact, there are some that originate in your own home. Identifying 5 reasons productivity starts at home could make you more successful in your work.

1. Sleep Deprivation

Sleep deprivation is one of the reasons productivity starts at home. According to an article in Forbes last fall, roughly 40% of Americans sleep less than six hours a night. There are several ways this can negatively affect productivity.

Slows Work Speeds

One of the effects of sleep deprivation is being less alert which, in turn, slows down work speeds. Working at normal speeds may not be possible when you are yawning or fidgeting to stay awake. What would normally take you ten minutes could take as much as twice as long to complete.

Lack of sleep also makes concentration more difficult and affects your work speed as well. This is evidenced by the need to reread what you already read when extremely tired. Or, you may need others people to repeat portions of conversations your tired brain didn’t keep up with.

Of course the way to combat sleep deprivation is to get more of it. That is one of the reasons productivity starts at home.

Increases Errors

Getting less sleep than you need increases the number of errors you make. Even though nobody is without fault, the mistakes you make will increase due to sleep deprivation.

Once discovered, your errors will have to be corrected. Even if you aren’t the one making the corrections, overall productivity will be negatively affected. Taking the time to fix mistakes prevents other work from being done.

As often as is possible, get an adequate night of sleep. This at home change will go a long way to increasing work productivity.

2. Eating the Wrong Foods

If you’re eating the wrong foods it could be affecting your productivity. It can even affect how much you get done both at work and at home.

Eating well starts at home. Avoiding snacks that are high in carbohydrates and sugar is a good beginning. You should avoid starchy items as well.

Eating these types of foods slows you down and makes you feel sluggish. If you’re already tired it can be a double whammy to your productivity.

Get plenty of fruits and vegetables as well as proteins in your diet to fight the problem. Make sure you also drink plenty of water. You’ll feel noticeably better, even when you’re a little tired, and perform better too.

3. Lack of Organization

Have you ever panicked because you lost track of your purse, keys, or cell phone? Most people have at one time or another and if not those items, then some other important possession.

Misplacing any one of these items could make you late for work due to a lack of organization. This is another good demonstration of how better productivity starts at home.

However, it certainly isn’t the only one. You can also do some preparation for each day the night before.

Meal Prep

If you prepare lunch each morning to take to work every day, try doing it the evening before instead. This will speed up your morning routine and get you out the door faster.

It could even mean the difference between being late to work and on time. When you’re late to work, it makes sense that your productivity will suffer.

Consequently, organizing your meals and doing meal prep the night before can make your productivity improve.

Wardrobe Planning

Arriving at work on time and less stressed will help get your day started faster. Rather than scrambling to begin your day you can start off relaxed and with a smile on your face.

Greater productivity will be the result. To help you accomplish this, start wardrobe planning each evening before work the next day.

First, simply consult an app that displays and predicts the weather. This will help you decide how to dress appropriately for the next day. Then, set out your clothes, shoes, and accessories.

The next morning your clothing is already chosen which eliminates wasted time deciding what to wear. You may even end the mad morning rush some people experience as they start their day. This is just one of the many ways you can prepare for the day the night before.

Calendar Management

There is an additional way you can ensure your morning starts out at its most productive. It begins with organization through calendar management while you are still at home.

Having an online master calendar is the perfect example of how productivity starts at home. You can access it from just about anywhere which provides flexibility with your scheduling.

Let’s say you find out while at home that you need to add a meeting to your schedule. It’s easy to do right at that moment while it’s still fresh on your mind. Waiting until the next day, on the other hand, could cause you to forget and not follow through.

An additional benefit of using an online calendar is that you can check your schedule each evening. Without this capability you could miss early morning appointments or meetings and lower your overall productivity.

4. Putting Off Time Away

Another of the reasons productivity starts at home is by putting off time away from work. That can mean time spent at home with loved ones, a partner, or kids. Or, it might mean spending some time on yourself through pampering or relaxation.

Obviously you could take a vacation or do any number of other things when you take time away from work. The point is to get away and take a break.

To stay at your most productive level when you’re working you need time to rest, relax, and recharge. This can rejuvenate your creativity as well as make you raring to go when you get back to work.

5. Neglecting to Set Goals

You may not realize it, but neglecting to set goals can affect your productivity. You should set both work and personal goals. Doing so increases your motivation to achieve those goals.

When you have something to work toward it’s kind of like having a map on a trip. It helps you to know your destination so you can figure out how to get there.

If you think about it, though, your work goals are tied to your personal ones. Without your work you don’t have an income and probably can’t reach any goals, personal or otherwise.

So, your first personal goal would be to get a job or start your own business. To make an income at either requires productivity which helps you achieve both kinds of goals. Therefore, your productivity starts with your at home goal of employment.

Clearly you want to be successful no matter what kind of work you do. An important part of achieving that success is being productive. As you can see, there are a lot of reasons your productivity starts at home. Use the ideas found here to help you be your most productive self by starting at home.