Whether you’re working remotely one day per week or full-time—by choice or because of a global pandemic—it’s important to ensure that you are set up to be productive. One way to be your most efficient self at home is to focus on improving your willpower.
Willpower is all about motivating yourself to do what you need to do—and stopping yourself from doing anything that’s not in your best interests. It requires you to train your mind in such a way that you consistently attract what you want—such as successfully navigating distractions, maintaining focus, and keeping that energy going.
On paper, working from home sounds great! You get to choose your own hours, don't have to deal with a boss looming over your shoulder, and you can even work in your pajamas. But working from home can just as easily be a slippery slope of poor productivity, low energy, and procrastination.
Here are some of my favorite willpower tips and trick for finding the best way to work remotely—for you!
Get Energized
If you have ever stayed up all night talking about something interesting, then you know what power the mind has over the body. It doesn't take much willpower to continue doing something you enjoy.
Willpower is finicky and can fluctuate based on our energy levels, so when you’re feeling low, play energetic music, move around, laugh, and look for the interesting parts of whatever project you are working on. Once you identify your best energy boosters and motivators, make a list and train yourself to use them whenever you need a boost.
Make Things Easier
If you feel stressed when you think about processing paperwork, getting those projects done, or paying invoices—simply don't think about it! Just take the best next step. That might mean printing out all the forms you need to sign and reviewing one or two a day (instead of five to 10 on Sunday night because they are due Monday). It might mean rewriting one page of your website content every week for the next month, instead of tackling the entire site in a week.
No matter the task at hand, I promise you can find enough motivation for one small step. Start training your mind to take that step as soon as you think of it, and the next steps become easier.
Practice Self-Awareness
Are you getting antsy around 3 p.m. and ready to just call it a day? Sometimes it's hard to resist temptation, right? Willpower is a nice idea, but here is a simpler solution: Stop standing in front of the cake! Okay, I know we aren’t talking about cake, but my point is that sometimes if we shift our focus, we can shift our cravings. Willpower doesn't mean being immune to temptation—it just means we need to stop looking at the clock, put our phones on “do not disturb,” and plan our days around our energy levels.
Track your schedule for a week to get an idea of when you’re not at your best. By knowing when your resistance is low, you can avoid putting yourself in situations where you might not present your best self. For example, if you notice that you tend to cancel meetings on Fridays, stop scheduling anything for Friday—instead, use that day to play catch-up, take continuing education classes, or get inspired.
The true keys to willpower are learning about yourself and using what you learn to make the behaviors you want easy. Take a look at what energizes and motivates you. Where are your strengths and weaknesses? By studying how you feel in certain situations, you can leverage your willpower more effectively to create more alignment and joy in your work.
