9 WFH tips to boost productivity & focus, backed by science
by Stephanie Eckelkamp
Working from home was really cool for a hot minute. You got to live in yoga pants and cozy sweatshirts, only put on makeup if you wanted to, and blast Taylor Swift’s new album on repeat without headphones. Maybe your productivity initially skyrocketed, too...you know, before Zoom took over your life, before the empty-coffee-mug mountain emerged on your desk, and before you realized just how damn addictive TikTok is.
Needless to say, humans are seriously distractible—especially on our own turf when nobody’s watching. But don’t stress too hard about it (that won’t help). Instead, focus on all the little ways you can finetune your habits and surroundings to boost focus and productivity.
There are plenty of ways to work better at home, and many are backed by hard science. Here are 9 strategies to transform your workspace into a productivity-boosting WFH oasis.
1. First, clean up that clutter!
Time to get rid of those empty coffee mugs, granola bar wrappers, and old post-it notes. Research using fMRI brain imaging reveals that visual reminders of disorder essentially drain people’s cognitive resources, impairing their ability to focus on more important tasks. Other research suggests clutter prompts procrastination. And yet another study shows that clutter can trigger coping and avoidance strategies like eating junk food.
The good news: In that first study, when participants removed clutter from their workspace, they could better process information and focus, and their productivity increased, too. So, spending 20 minutes organizing your WFH station at the end of each day so you can start fresh the following a.m. goes a long way toward helping your brain focus on the task at hand.
2. Keep consistent work hours.
While it may be tempting to sleep until 8:30 a.m. if your workday starts at 9 a.m., resist the urge! In a large sleep study, researchers found that oversleeping can actually mess with your cognitive function and mental performance, similarly to sleep deprivation. To make that early morning wake-up more enticing, schedule in something productive but fun during the time you’d normally be commuting—like a YouTube yoga class—so you don’t have to stress about it later.
Keep a consistent end time, too. Cutting off work at a set time in the evening helps create essential boundaries that ensure you’re home doesn’t simply start to feel like “the office.”
3. Make green tea or matcha your morning brew.
Nothing against coffee (in fact, caffeine can stimulate areas of the brain that influence your ability to perform tasks requiring complex attention), but green tea packs an extra punch thanks to one of its active ingredients: L-theanine.
L-theanine is an amino acid that’s often said to trigger a state of “relaxed alertness” or “calm focus” because of how it affects the brain. Specifically, this compound boosts activity of alpha brain waves, which calm the mind while still keeping you sharp.
So, sipping on green tea may help channel your focus without triggering the anxiety that can accompany excessive caffeine. Don’t like the taste? Consider trying matcha tea (i.e. powdered green tea leaves) blended with warm milk and a little honey to create a matcha latte. Or toss a scoop into your smoothie. Pro tip: It pairs well with greens, berries, and ginger.
4. Slot in mini breaks throughout the day.
This new WFH reality means coworkers aren’t just popping in to say hi anymore. But you can only be productive for so long—and without these periodic brain breaks, you’ll start to experience diminishing returns if you simply try to power through til 5 p.m..
So what’s the ideal work-to-break ratio for optimal productivity and focus? According to one experiment, a 15-20 minute break per every hour or so of work. Of course, this might not be realistic for everyone or every type of work, but consider it inspiration to get out of your office chair for at least a few minutes every hour.
Better yet, do a few squats or pushups on your breaks to boost energy and curb stress. Any form of physical activity can help lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
5. Be strategic with your WFH playlist.
Before you start blasting your typical Spotify jams, ask yourself a key question: What type of work am I doing right now? If you have to power through something mindless like filling out a spreadsheet or checking a bunch of emails, research shows that pretty much any type of music can help boost efficiency compared to no music at all.
But if you’re working on something that requires more concentration and brainpower, things get a little more nuanced. You don’t want anything too distracting that you’ll be tempted to sing along to. Instead, researchers suggest playing some calming nature sounds (think: rumbling thunder, falling rain, waterfalls, birds chirping...you get the idea).
A study found that these natural sounds were effective at masking distracting background noises (think: your loudly chewing significant other), while also enhancing cognitive functioning, optimizing the ability to concentrate, and increasing overall worker satisfaction. You can find loads of nature sounds playlists on Spotify.
6. Diffuse peppermint & other brain-boosting essential oils.
Another clutch WFH office tool you never knew you needed: An essential oil diffuser. Turns out, certain aromas from natural essential oils can actually stimulate the brain in such a way that leads to improvements in attention, memory, and concentration.
Peppermint, for example, can boost concentration and alertness, and researchers suspect it does this by stimulating the hippocampus—part of the brain that’s associated with mental clarity and forming new memories. Other studies tie peppermint to a reduction in anxiety and fatigue. All good things if your job is high stress or you’re pulling long hours.
Not into peppermint? Research suggests rosemary, lemon, and cinnamon essential oils are similarly invigorating, and lavender essential oil can simultaneously promote concentration and a sense of calm. So take your pick!
7. Set up shop near a window.
Most of us are starved for nature, especially during the workday, which is in stark contrast to the way humans were meant to live—and that can take a toll on productivity and mental health. But there’s an easy fix. Studies have found that getting a dose of natural light (even if it’s just through a window) can boost alertness, increase productivity, decrease stress, and improve mood. Researchers think that natural light’s ability to help synchronize our internal body clock and circadian rhythms contribute to this effect. So if you can, set up your desk near a window, or at least try to get outside a few times per day.
8. Get some low-maintenance office plants.
The simplest way to make your home office a more pleasant, productive place to be is with a little greenery. According to one study in which plants were added to a previously sparse workspace, peoples’ productivity improved by 15%, along with their self-reported level of concentration. Researchers suggest that, for whatever reason, plants seem to make people more physically, cognitively, and emotionally involved in their work.
You don’t need to opt for anything fancy either. Spider plants and pothos are great low-maintenance plant picks, and succulents will thrive if you get good natural light.
9. Know that single-tasking trumps multi-tasking.
The human brain has evolved to single-task, and studies suggest that we almost always take longer to complete something—and make more errors—when multitasking. The solution: Single-tasking. And if you need a little more guidance than “do one thing at a time,” try a little something called time-blocking.
Essentially, time-blocking is when you list out your daily to-dos, then perform each task for a set block of time (usually anywhere from 10 to 60 minutes, depending on the task). To be sure you don’t exceed your limit, you set a timer. Once the timer goes off, you take a short break, then move onto the next thing on your list.
The trick is to hyper-focus on that one task—and nothing else—until your time’s up. Because you are working against the clock, there’s a sense of urgency that many people find beneficial for staying focused.