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

Hope you all are staying safe, washing your hands, and staying at home during this time!

00:00 Intro
03:09 Introducing structure into your workday
03:46 Stick to your usual workday routines
05:11 Get dressed for work
06:10 Find a spot to work from
07:20 It's okay if your WFH day differs from an office day
08:49 Take breaks
10:03 (Over)communicate with your teammates
12:32 Work your usual hours
14:44 Change up your working location
15:15 Move yo' body
16:16 Use a Pomodoro timer
17:07 Outtro

I feel very lucky to have a job where I can work from home and not be too impacted job-wise by the pandemic. I know others haven't been so lucky, so I hope that you all are practicing compassion and being there for each other during this time. This too shall pass (so long as we each do what we can to make this thing pass fast) 💖

#WFH #Productivity #StayAtHome

💖 m o r e m a y u k o 💖

🛠m y g e a r 🛠
Links above affiliate links, where I make a small commission from your purchase at no extra cost to you, helping me to fund this channel!

🌸a b o u t 🌸
Mayuko Inoue is a content creator and Software Engineer. After working in Silicon Valley tech companies like Intuit, Patreon, and Netflix for six years as an iOS Engineer, she became a full-time creator in 2020. Her work aims to help people find their way through the tech industry by sharing her own experiences navigating this world through technology, career advice, and lifestyle videos. She is passionate about discussions around mental health, cultural identity, and creating technology with empathy and compassion.

✉️c o n t a c t ✉️

[loner]

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

[petedavis]

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.

[ortizstlBTNE]

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

[naut_nigel]

Girl you uploaded this RIGHT. ON. TIME.

[Corporis]

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

[felipecarrer]

First time I've seen someone "currently identify" as introvert or extrovert. The thought of this being a temporary "state of mind" never crossed my mind but it can also make sense, despite being intended as a joke, I think. Any notion that this "personality pack" that you may use to label yourself is temporary is quite liberating.

[BK-bgjc]

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!

[stephandden]

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 ✨

[WillzMaster]

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!

[MichaelSPN]

I loved this video, I really admire the motivation and drive you have. I really need to change my ways. I'm so unmotivated and currently have no drive and really struggling. It's been over a year and as much as I'm grateful I can work from home I'm absolutely hating it. I'm going to slowly start adjusting some of my ways and just see how I get on. Thank you.

[mildredmartinez]

Great tips. For the Pomodoro I use a white sand clock of 30m. When it is out it is tiem to stand and go for more watee, coffe, water the plants..

[higuy]

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 :) !

[FabioSuenaga]

Using pomodoro timer is a life-saving technique! <3

[jjbdx]

Hi - I've been working from home for ~28 years, from Osaka until the last month (February 2020), and Tokyo from this month. Glad to know you often eat Japanese breakfast! :)
BTW I'm not a strict "working for an organization" person (especially since I've got kicked out of the corporate employee status since 2013 and become self-employed from 2014), and I'm trying not to bind myself into a commuting-worker-like mindset at home because it's my HOME (and I'm responsible to how to keep it as an office and the home at the same time).
Separating the office zone from the other zones in your home is very important to maintain the distinction. And sometimes you need to use the office zone for yourself, not for your customer/employer/colleagues, because YOU have the control (that's important), so having a physical cover for the webcam connected to your PC, tablet, or smartphone is effective to keep your necessary privacy. Even an ad-hoc one made of the Post-It sticking paper will do. Also muting the microphone is essential when you get connected to Slack, Zoom, or any other teleconferencing system, to reduce the precious bandwidth, and to prevent unnecessary intervention.
Also, even if you have to be aware of your customer/employer/colleagues and their working/availability status, allowing some asynchronicity for the communication between you and your colleagues is very important to maintain the sanity because not all jobs have to be in the warzone like a stock exchange. Always prepare the alternative plan if your colleague(s) do not respond immediately.
Last of all, especially for keeping yourself focused, open the window(s) and ventilate, at least for a few times a day, to get the fresh air, and to reduce the level of carbon dioxide in the home office. And wash your hands even you're at home too :)
Keep it up and stay safe!

[julianaboolean]

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.

[Crownyourself]

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

[BassimaMadi]

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!☺️

[jaymarkestrera]

You guys who can work from home are so lucky. Coz most people are affected by "No Work, No Pay". 😢

[dhavalpawale]

I was procrastinating when I clicked on this video.

[GabeTheYabe]

I'm using my time to learn Android Studio with xml to develop an app that teaches basic arithmetic to children at a elementary school near me. Thank you for the video! :)