Working From Home // How to Stay Motivated, Focused, and Productive

I've been writing software professionally for over 30 years. About half of my career has been working from home and I currently work for a company that has no office and about 12 or 13 developers and maybe 20 or so total employees. We all work from home and only a few of us even live in the same states. A lot of people have asked me over the years how I stay motivated, frequently commenting that they don't think they could be motivated to work from home. I have one major advantage, which is that writing software is something that started as a hobby for me when I was 10. So I've always really enjoyed what I do for a living, and that's obviously a huge help. But to be clear: Work is still work and I wouldn't choose to write the software I do for work, if I weren't being paid for it. So while I enjoy programming, it's still a job, when it comes to work. That said the primary thing that keeps me motivated is this: I really enjoy working from home. If I want to continue to do it, I have to produce. It's that simple. Failing to produce will cost me what I really enjoy. That's a hefty price to pay, for me. I'd far rather work from home than in an office.

Sleep is very important. Coding while being sleepy and being at home is a recipe for not being productive

Great tips! Thank you! 1. Stick to your usual workday routines - 3:46 2. Get dressed for work - 5:13 3. Find a spot to work from - 6:10 4. It's okay if your WFH day differs from an Office day - 7:20 5. Take breaks - 8:51 6. (Over-) Communicate with your teammates - 10:03 7. Work your usual hours - 12:32 8. Change up your work location - 14:47 9. Move your body - 15:15 10. Use a Pomodoro timer - 16:16

Going on walks around the block are crucial for me when I work from home. Getting some form of fresh air keeps me happy.

Girl you uploaded this RIGHT. ON. TIME.

Great video! thanks for the information! Especially the pomodoro technique that you mentioned, which i found out about a couple days ago haha. This my first time officially working at home today and it wasn't better than I thought when I considered the fact that my job allows me to stay at home and that I am grateful enough to do so, because some of our heroes are still out there working as I am. Wishing everyone the best and wishing you stay safe in his crisis we got!

Love this! I work in consulting at a Big 4 firm and just shared a video talking about the stress of job search during these times and what we are seeing in the market as things change so rapidly ✨

Mayuko ! Finally First time working from home... after requesting for so long, and because of this virus, i got my wish... putting your video on the background is enough to make my day enjoyable and productive... Always stay cool and awesome Mayuko !

Great video, thank you so much for posting it! I started working from home last week (first job in SE and first time working from home during it) and was really struggling to feel as productive as I usually am in the office. This is super helpful and was very timely, going to implement all these tips this week :) !

Thanks for these tips, Mayuko! Motivation, focus, and productivity are really quite challenging when working from home.

You are such an inspiration!! I love watching you, and I've been binging your content since I found you! I'm a cs major pushing through school and it's so much fun watching you!

Haha, we just began to work from home today!!! Everything has it's ups and downs for sure lol

I have about 3-4 spots I started working from home at and told my colleagues about it because they noticed the background was different. I did it because I thought it helped me psychologically feel a sense of movement and change, and I know that it is actually recommended! Great tips btw.

Sooo agree with having a working location! This was the change that i didn’t even know i needed for my wfh routine and had a direct impact on my productivity!☺️

Right on, Mayuko! Thanks for the tips. My personal favorite is taking breaks and doing some exercise during the day! This is so underrated for energy, performance and mood :-) I get drained from conversations and meetings! Would rather sit alone and drink some coffee and listen to music...

You are so awesome! Thank you for sharing Mayuko! ❤

I am just a small voice but I just want to say thank you to Forwago. This program helped me to build self-confidence and taught me how to believe in myself. More people should find out about it. Thank you, Forwago!

All excellent advice! IT is the perfect work at home job. Keep everything in check - be professional - and you won't fail!

Great advice! and the music in the background is one of my favorite Chillhop joints! Subscribed!!!!

Hi Mayuko! I am working from home too. Most of the time I'm just procrastinate, but after watching this video I always remember that I am going to do things! Thank you for this! Really helps me a lot. :)