Why Working From Home Feels Hard
Working from home sounds like the dream…until you’re actually doing it.
The freedom is real.
So are the distractions.
And if you’ve been wondering why it feels harder to stay motivated at home than it ever did in an office, you’re not imagining it.
If you work from home and still struggle to get things done, that does not mean you’re lazy, unfocused, or bad at self-discipline.
It usually means your day has no edges.
And without edges, everything bleeds into everything else.
Work-from-home is sold as freedom, and in many ways, it is. No commute. Flexible schedule. No one watching the clock. Pajamas encouraged.
But that same freedom is also what makes it surprisingly hard to stay motivated, focused, and finished.
Because when no one is telling you where to be or what to do next, you become the structure.
And no one teaches us how to do that part. As someone who’s worked from home for many years, I realize that hurdles you need to overcome to be productive. So let’s dive in!
The real problem isn’t motivation. It’s friction.
Most women assume the issue is motivation.
“I just need to want it more.”
“I need better discipline.”
“I need to get serious.”
But motivation is unreliable. It comes and goes based on sleep, stress, hormones, family needs, and energy.
What actually makes work-from-home days work is low friction.
Friction is anything that makes starting, continuing, or finishing harder than it needs to be.
Things like:
not knowing what to work on first
too many tasks competing for attention
unclear boundaries between work and home
a planner full of everything but nothing prioritized
When friction is high, even simple tasks feel exhausting.
Related Post: What to Do When Your To-Do List Is Too Long
Why “no one telling you what to do” is both the gift and the problem
Here’s something I always point out to women working from home.
Not having a boss watching you is wonderful… until it isn’t.
For most of our lives, someone else created the structure:
school schedules
class periods
work shifts
meetings set by someone else
When you work from home, all of that disappears.
So if your day feels scattered, it’s not because you don’t care.
It’s because the structure was removed, but never replaced.
Planning is how you replace it gently, not aggressively.
Start by planning your day before it starts
One of the biggest mistakes I see is trying to “figure it out as you go.”
That works in an office, where external cues exist.
It does not work well at home.
Before your day starts, you need three things decided:
What actually matters today
When you’re working
When you’re done
This is where a simple Top 3 is incredibly helpful.
Not a long list. Not a master plan.
Just three things that would make the day feel successful if completed.
When you sit down to work and already know what matters, you remove decision fatigue before it starts.
Related Post: What to Do When You’re Overwhelmed
Schedule work like appointments, not intentions
Another reason work-from-home days fall apart is vague planning.
“I’ll work on this sometime today” sounds flexible, but it creates friction and doesn’t always work.
Instead, try:
blocking focused work into specific windows
protecting your best energy times
planning lighter tasks for lower-energy hours
This doesn’t mean your day has to be rigid.
It means your work has a place to land.
When work has a container, it’s easier to start and easier to stop.
Related Post: Plan Your Week in 15 Minutes (Weekly Reset)
Create a clear start and a clear stop to your workday
When work happens everywhere, it never really ends.
One of the most powerful planning shifts you can make is deciding:
how your workday begins
how it ends
That might look like:
reviewing your Top 3 with coffee
a short reset at the end of the day
closing your planner and physically leaving the workspace
Without a clear stop, your brain never gets the signal that you’re done.
That’s when burnout creeps in quietly.
Related Post: Create a 5-Minute Night Before Reset
Motivation follows clarity, not the other way around
Here’s the truth most productivity advice skips.
You don’t get motivated and then plan.
You plan, and motivation shows up after.
When your planner:
shows only what matters
isn’t overloaded
supports your energy
helps you decide instead of tracking everything
Work feels lighter.
Starting feels easier.
Momentum builds naturally.
Related Post: You’re Not Lazy, You’re Just Doing Too Much
Working from home doesn’t need more pressure. It needs better support.
If you’re struggling to work from home, don’t assume you’re failing.
Ask instead:
Is my day too open-ended?
Am I trying to do too much at once?
Does my planner support focus or add noise?
Do I know what “done” looks like today?
Small planning adjustments often make a bigger difference than pushing harder ever will.
You don’t need to be more motivated.
You need less friction.
And that’s something planning can actually help with.
Happy planning!
