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Working from home has been an adjustment for a lot of us. But people like "The Virtual Hustle" blogger + podcaster Alicia Baldino have been doing it for years.
We asked the seasoned WFH pro to share her top tips and tricks for boosting productivity and staying motivated, despite potential distractions at home.
1. Stick to your schedule.
"I wake up every single day at 4:45am, and I do that without fail," Alicia says. "Take this time for you and get your exercise in, get your reading in—even if it's five pages—drink your water, and really prepare for the day ahead. I think that really sets the tone for how the day is going to go."
2. Write down 5-7 tasks that have to get done that day.
"Putting your goals and your tasks down on paper is a game-changer," the blogger says.
This is so important to Alicia that she created her very own "The Virtual Hustle" Daily Goal Tracker Task Pad.
3. Dress up your workspace.
"A huge component of working from home—or really working anywhere—is having a comfortable, aesthetically pleasing workspace," she says. "Something that gives you joy."
Alicia uses these metal wall racks that act like cork boards. "I put little notes on here that I have to remember or just some little fun things that I like to see," she explains. "And I switch it up often."
Alicia also uses a full-desk mouse pad. "It just makes the desk look clean and organized, and when I'm using my mouse, it doesn't fall off the edge. It also makes it easier to write notes on, and it's also easier to wipe down and keep clean at the end of the day."
The WFH pro also likes incorporating cute desk accessories into her workspace.
4. Get a comfortable chair.
"I can't stress this enough," Alicia says. "It's really important to have a comfortable chair. I feel like a boss in [mine]. I'm ready to work when I sit down."
This is the chair she uses and loves.
5. Focus on time management.
One of Alicia's favorite tools for time management is a time cube. (She likes this one.)
"It's essentially just a timer, but it's nice because it sits on your desk," the blogger explains. "If something should take you five minutes, turn your time cube to five minutes, put it on your desk, and it'll beep at you when time's up. It's one way to solely focus on one thing at a time. I think a lot of people think they're good at multitasking, but they're not."
6. Get some sunlight in your workspace.
Alicia's desk is right in front of a window. "It just feels so good to get some real light and not artificial light," she says.
7. Use blue light glasses.
"A key component for working at your desktop all day are blue light-blocking glasses," Alicia explains. "These glasses are a game-changer."
She likes blue light glasses from EyeBuyDirect.
8. Get the hard work done in the morning.
"I save the afternoon for more of the fun work—less critical, non-essential work," Alicia says. "Something that's just on the back-burner, I'll save those tasks for the afternoon."