2025 is the year I worked from home the most. I’ll admit that at first, it was a real struggle, but I started to adapt and later learned to navigate the waters.
So in this post, I want to share a few things I learned working from home throughout this year 2025.
Maybe, I could inspire you to take the step and start working from home, or even help you overcome your struggles of working remotely.
Let’s get right to it.
Waking up Early is a Productivity Hack
I never knew how powerful waking up early was until I started working from home.
I’ve discovered that I’m able to do more and work quickly whenever I wake up as early as 6am.
Sometimes, I’m able to complete my daily to-do list even before 2pm.
This works so well that sometimes, even though I feel guilty, I try to add more work load so I could work until my closing time, which is 5pm.
In my opinion, this is my biggest productivity hack so far. If I wanted to complete more tasks for the day, I simply wake up early, and it works every time.
Setting Work Hours is Non-negotiable
Working remotely from home can feel like work freedom but it comes with the temptation to work only when you feel like it.
This could affect your work discipline, and eat into your productivity without you knowing it.
More so, without setting work hours, you’ll be unable to set boundaries with people and distractions, which means you’ll struggle to do meaningful work.
In my case, my work hours start from 8am to 5pm, except for breaks in-between.
In fact, people around me know that once I’m in my workspace, then I shouldn’t be disturbed.
That is because I’ve tied my work hours with me being in my workspace, which further enforces my work boundaries.
Blocking Work Distractions
If you’ve worked from home for a long time, then you know that work distraction is unavoidable.
Impromptu calls, emails, visitor checkins, etc. You must know how to block all these distractions if you want to stay productive working from home.
In my case, I keep my phone silent, my non-working emails deferred, and unsolicited visitors banned until after 5pm.
Without blocking these work distractions, I wouldn’t be able to stay focused and do meaningful work.
Outsourcing is Allowed
One of my biggest struggles when I started working from home is trying to do everything by myself.
After all, I’m working from home and I should have all the time to do all my work by myself right?
Well, wrong.
I’ve found that I’m able to do much more when I outsource or automate a few complex tasks while I focus on tasks that leveraged my strengths.
This is one major reason why I’m rarely stressed or experience burnout like many creators do.
A Workspace is Mandatory
Funny enough, when I started working from home, I worked from my bed and in my pajamas!
After all, there was a popular movement then about pyjamas workers, and it was trendy to do so.
Well, I learned the hard way with back pains, dozing off while working, and a barrage of distractions to deal with.
I’ve now come to the realization that a workspace is mandatory.
That means a standard work desk and chair, a secluded space or office, and clear work boundaries communicated and enforced.
If you struggle to create a workspace at home, then you can just rent an affordable shared office or workspace close to you.
Don’t Overwork Yourself
Working from home could make you want to overcompensate for ‘office hours’ by doing too much and overworking yourself.
I’ve been guilty of this, and I really struggle to let go even when it’s my closing time.
Soon enough, I’ve realized that this problem of overworking myself comes from not setting clear daily objectives.
If you don’t have a list of daily work deliverables, then how would you know when to stop?
The best way to mitigate this is to have a daily to-do list. Once you complete the tasks on the list, then it’s time to stop working for the day.
And it doesn’t matter when you stop working for the day. If you complete the tasks on the list even as early as 12 noon, then it’s okay to call it a day.
You’ve probably earned the time off by being disciplined and focused enough to finish early.
Reducing Screentime
One profound thing I’ve discovered while working from home is that screentime is not work time.
We often spend so much time on our screens and justify it as work.
Well, in my experience, not every screen time is equal to work time. In fact, more screen time could be equal to more exposure to distractions.
So, I try to limit my screen time as much as possible during work, so as to avoid distractions.
If I’m working on a task that doesn’t require screen time, I simply hibernate the laptop or phone and focus on the task at hand.
This has translated to a boost in productivity, as I’m able to increase my focus and complete tasks faster, while also taking breaks as at when due.
Enjoy the Benefits of Working from Home
Working from home comes with immense benefits such as spending more time with family and friends, working from flexible locations, and affording time for leisure.
However, we often neglect these benefits due to the pressure of achieving productivity while working from home.
So, the question is, if the main goal of working from home is to achieve work flexibility and free up time for other important activities, why do we often end up not enjoying these benefits?
The issue, most likely, is because we do not intentionally seek to enjoy these benefits of working from home.
We often do not intentionally seek to achieve work-life balance, and that has to change if we as creators want to continue providing value and building content brands over the long-term.
I try as much as I can to enjoy the benefits of working from home by making sure I take leisure breaks as often as possible.
I try to eat as healthy as possible by eating home-cooked food and trying out new healthy recipes.
I also make time to visit friends and family and spend time on personal leisures, especially during the weekends.
And most of the time, I don’t feel guilty about these benefits because I’ve earned them!
