PRODUCTIVITY TIPS // working from home full time, 9-5 corporate job, separating your work and life

Key productivity, self-care, and work-life separation strategies

• Create a personal outlet outside of work

  • Use exercise and bullet journaling as non-work “mental resets.”
  • When mentally drained, switch to a personal activity to help compartmentalize work vs. personal life (e.g., workout, designing a new bullet journal spread).
  • Keep the bullet journal strictly non-work to reinforce separation.
  • Define your own personal outlet (could be reading, daily journaling, etc.).

• Use a structured morning routine (before work starts)

  • Wake up before 6 and do a personal morning routine to reclaim time for yourself.
  • The goal is to avoid your life feeling “blended” into work, especially when working from home.
  • Choose a “trigger” activity that gets you out of bed:
    • Exercise (for her)
    • Morning coffee (another example she liked)

• Build in end-of-day (or in-day) rewards to sustain motivation

  • Look forward to something before/after work:
    • Afternoon slump strategy: plan a midday treat (snack/cookie/candy) and/or a second cup of coffee (she doesn’t recommend second coffee for everyone, but it helps her).
    • After-work reward: she saves a glass of wine/mocktail for when the workday ends.

• Physically separate work and non-work spaces

  • Create a designated workstation and a non-workstation.
  • Use the home setup intentionally:
    • Example: her bed is a non-work zone (she works ~95% of the time at her desk).
  • Invest in comfort/productivity where needed (e.g., a good chair, cozy desk/monitor setup).

• Design your ideal work break style

  • Instead of longer breaks that may stretch the workday, she uses short breaks.
  • Micro-break method:
    • Step away for ~5 minutes (e.g., open balcony door and get fresh air), then return.
  • Decide what works best for you so your day ends when you intend.

• Wear “work mode” clothes

  • Get dressed in something comfortable but not the same as sleepwear.
  • Goal: shift your mindset into “work productivity” mode.
  • Example outfit: leggings + cute sweatshirt/crewneck (comfy + confidence).

• Use a simple to-do list with personal mix-ins

  • Make a to-do list that blends:
    • basic tasks (e.g., nail painting, an episode of The Bachelor)
    • longer personal goals (3–4 personal items for the day)
  • Writing tasks down (bullet journal/phone/notepad) increases motivation.
  • Checking items off creates a sense of accomplishment and helps you keep momentum.

Presenters/Sources

• Jenna (the video creator/host)
• Lauren Doane (mentioned as the source of an idea about choosing a “thing that helps you get out of bed”)