04/23/2020 | Updated: 04/18/2022 by IEC Staff
The economy is trying its best to maintain with many people being laid off. Many workers said they can perform their tasks at home as opposed to working in a physical location.
Those that have the option of working from home, are enjoying some of the flexibilities and benefits of working from home. That means shorter commutes, sleeping in, and being able to get more work done right?
Not entirely.
Working from home can be a determent to our production while working from our computer devices. There are more distractions at home than there are at the office.
Here are our tips and tricks to remain focused and stay productive at home.
1. Keep the television off
Don’t even leave it on with the television muted, that is just as bad.
Some people prefer the TV on for the background noise especially if they are the only person that is around working from home.
It all starts with some show you don’t care too much about that may have an interesting plot, something on the news that catches your attention, or those annoying commercials that increase their volume to grab your attention.
Grabbing your attention a few times can throw you off track with whatever you’re doing then, it takes a few seconds to try to refocus again. Those few seconds after countless times of looking over at the television can add up.
2. Avoid the household chores
Now, this may seem a little obvious when you have work that needs to be done, but this can be a little bit harder than you think.
You start throwing those dirty clothes in the clothes bin, then decide that you might as well wash them because it’s just a quick wash. Before you know it, you’re doing laundry and cleaning up the bedroom because you think you have time to do it when you should be working on the actual work.
It is easy to start something that seems like a small project, but that sometimes can turn into a huge distraction along the way messing up your productivity.
Best way to avoid it? Leave it for when your shift is over.
3. Have a schedule for yourself (and your children)
Now if you normally don’t have a set schedule for yourself, it isn’t too late to start.
This is the best time to set yourself up with a working and breathing schedule to keep yourself organized and if you have children, for them as well.
It’s true if you’re not the only one who’s home, not only are you making a schedule for yourself, but you are making a schedule for others to fit into as well.
If the kids are currently e-learning, this might be a little easier since you know how long they are going to be focusing on their own tasks before they start asking for your attention.
The best way to make a schedule for yourself is:
Start with the time you wake up
Breakfast time and self-care
Power working the first half of the day
Lunch
Power working the second half of the day
Wrapping up and preparing for tomorrow
This isn’t the most detailed list, but it’s a start. It would be smart to add some individual 5-minute breaks within your power working time as well.
The idea of this shortlist is to set your schedule to fit your work-life balance where work time is set for working and after work, you can get back to your actual life. For those whose life is their work, your list may look slightly different.
The idea is to plan your workday and what that looks look like while working from home. It may be easy to burn out from not having a set schedule. We want to avoid that.
4. Have a set workspace
This space can be anywhere in your house from the tight space of your closet to the open area of your living room.
Others may choose to use their kitchen table since there’s space for office accessories such as a monitor and computer.
Regardless of where you would want to set up, it’s important to keep your workspace as such so when you’re ready to go to work, you can sit down in the same spot and set your brain to work mode that will be the only space throughout the entire household that is dedicated to working.
5. Remain sociable
With technology like Zoom, FaceTime (for iPhones), Google Duo, the are many platforms to still stay connected with face to digital face contact with other people.
What we forget about this distancing practice is the “social” aspect hence social distancing, not isolating yourself from the world, and never talking to anyone again.
We as humans are social creatures and want to socialize with others.
Talk with your coworkers and see if they would want a happy hour Zoom meeting next time. Other ways are setting up video calls with your friends for dinner and propping up that screen on the table.
What is important is connecting with other people outside of your home and keeping up with those you care about.
6. (BONUS) Remember to take care of yourself
An article from Indeed, You can burn out when you're working from home, talks about burnout and how it can be easy to forget about self-care.
You are helping by remaining at home, but that doesn’t mean you should stop caring for yourself.
It is still possible to burn out from working at home since we are caught in a routine of not going outside as often as we used to.
Because of this, it’s easy to forget what day it is or feel like our schedule is being shifted in a different direction. The joy of leaving the work office is leaving the office and not having to see your work when you get home.
Remember to take time for yourself such as hobbies or spending time with your family.
You are not alone in this process and we can continue to move forward one day at a time.
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