How to Stay Productive while Working from Home During Isolation or Quarantine

While many creative entrepreneurs have already been working from home, in recent months, people around the globe have faced strict social restrictions and isolation orders. This has taken away the much-needed work days at coffee shops that entrepreneurs often rely on to stay productive and to get out of the house throughout the week.

With productivity in jeopardy from being stuck at home for months on end, it's easy to slow down, get behind, or take days off unintentionally—simply because your drive to work has dwindled. But when starting, running, or scaling your own business, it's critical to keep working and getting things done.

So what is an entrepreneur to do when their livelihood is tottering at the top of a mountain along with their close-to-plummeting motivation?

You've got to push through and boost your productivity so you can get tasks done!

So here are 11 of my favorite work-from-home essentials to stay motivated and get back into the groove.

How to Effectively Use Time Blocking to Schedule Your Workweek

When you run your own business, it’s easy to leave your day open and unstructured because you can, right? But it’s also easy for that openness to become filled with nothingness.

And that’s where a schedule comes in to save the day. Structure is a key part in a productive day, and I’m here to share one of my favorite methods of organizing my time as a creative business owner.

It’s called time blocking, and it is why I’m sitting here today writing this blog post to help you on your entrepreneurial journey. Because without this system, my productivity would have flatlined a long time ago.

If you’re hoping to schedule your workweek and start being productive, this post is for you! (Plus, I’ve included a copy of my free goal-planning workbook, complete with a few pages dedicated to helping you schedule your week.)

My Productive Work-from-Home Schedule

Turns out, when I don’t have a schedule to follow, time leaks through my day like a siv.

. . . And I have a hunch I’m not the only one.

When I first began working on Ponder Trail, my mornings started at the early hour of 4:30am. I’d wake up and hit the ground running after my husband headed to work. Those morning hours were golden for being productive and making progress. And it was easy to spend 12 hours getting things done and getting my little company up and running.

Since then, though, our schedule has changed quite a bit.

After shifting to a later, and somewhat unconventional, schedule, it took a while to figure out a routine that was optimal for running my business. It often felt like I couldn’t get anything done or stay focused.

But I took it as a creative challenge, and over the last few months, I’ve been extra determined to create a daily routine that optimizes productivity and is easy to follow.

I’m happy to report that experimentation and persistency were just the ticket: after much determination, time-tracking, and habit-building, I landed on a new daily routine and work schedule that exponents productivity! In fact, it’s been my most effective work schedule to date.

I’ve been fine-tuning it ever since, and today, I’m taking you behind the scenes to see what a typical day of working on Ponder Trail looks like.

Keep reading for a tour of my routine and how I schedule my time.

My Step-by-Step Process for a Successful Year

It’s that time of year again—when everything feels fresh and new. Goals swirl around our minds with ever-growing excitement about what we hope to accomplish in the new year.

We dream big about our businesses and can’t wait to get started on our latest and greatest ideas.

But without a methodical way to set and reach goals, there isn’t much hope for success.

So today, I’m giving you my step-by-step process to effectively plan for a successful and productive year. This is an in-depth blog post you won’t want to miss.

How I Got a Head-Start on the New Year

I wanted to try something new going into January this year: get a head-start.

The first few weeks of January usually get away from me, and before I know it, I’m halfway through February.

So I brainstormed ways to set myself up for success this year, and I’m happy to announce it’s made a huge difference so far. They are strategies I plan to continue implementing for the rest of the year, and I recommend you try them out, too.

This is what I did:

17 Ways I’m Improving My Productivity this Quarter

Do you ever find yourself struggling to make progress? With countless distractions and ways to wander from the path, it’s easy to fall behind.

The ability to work in a productive capacity can make or break any business. In fact, much of your success likely rests in this skill.

I’ve been focusing on maintaining its momentum over the past several months, and in this mega-packed blog post, I’ve rounded up 17 ways I’m improving my productivity this quarter.

I guarantee you’ll want to start implementing some of these strategies today!

Entrepreneur Highlight: Implementing Simplicity to Boost Focus and Productivity

The first time I landed on Vanessa’s blog, Pursue Simple Joy, it only took about 5 seconds to realize how productive she is in her business! So I am thrilled to have her join me on the blog to share her insights and story with you all today!

Vanessa and her husband, Micah, are an inspiring resource for boosting focus and productivity through simplifying the unnecessaries.

Their blog is filled with thoughtful post-after-post about pursuing simplicity for a more joyful life. And it’s easy to see the benefits of their approach just by glimpsing at how much they get accomplished.

I was intrigued to learn more about Vanessa’s tips and methods for maintaining such high productivity levels, and I knew she was the perfect creative to invite on for my weekly Entrepreneur Highlight series.

This feature is jam-packed with so many easy-to-implement takeaways about running a small business.

For strategies that will supercharge your focus and productivity, keep reading.

Entrepreneur Highlight: Balancing a Productive Side-Hustle while Working a Full-Time Job

This blog post is extra special because it’s the very first in my new Friday series: Entrepreneur Highlight.

Starting this week, I’m bringing on entrepreneurs from different creative industries to share their businesses, insights, and talents with you.

One of the things I love most about working with my clients is getting to know so many different creative entrepreneurs who have created a unique business around their passion.

I’m always amazed at how each industry pocket and individual have fresh perspectives and unique approaches. And I want to share that with you, too.

My friend, Caitlynn of Rustic Oil Life, is joining us today for the debut of my new series, and I couldn’t be more excited to introduce her to you all.

In this post, Caitlynn is sharing how she is growing a side-hustle that fits her lifestyle—all while being a wife, getting ready for the arrival of their little one, and working a demanding, full-time job!

If you’re trying to find balance with your business and full-time job, or if you’re just hoping to get better at making productive use of your time, this post is for you!

The latest insights for creative entrepreneurs