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How To Remain Productive, Even If You’re Facing Distractions At Home
Glassdoor Team
Glassdoor Team | Author & Career Expert at Glassdoor | 12 Jun 2020
Home-working is set to be in place for a while, and with some companies thinking of reducing or ditching the office structure altogether, working from home could become the 'new normal' for many employees.
While, not having to commute to and from work every day and not having to sort out office attire may be a bonus, working from home can be riddled with distractions.
If you're struggling to concentrate and remain productive, here are eight things to help you stay on track:
Set yourself a work schedule
It's important to get yourself in the mindset for work. Even though you may not have to get up as early as you would if you were going into the office, you should aim to set your alarm for the same time each, get up, have breakfast and get ready. Having a set routine can help to program your brain for work, so you're ready to get going once you're sat at your workspace.
It's also important for your health and mental well-being to separate your home and work life, even though this can be difficult as your home is essentially your office. To manage this, set yourself a finish time and stick to it, close your computer and put it away and turn off notifications for emails and messages.
Related [ How To Avoid Burnout As An Employee ]
If you have children at home, it can be harder to stick to a solid work schedule, as naturally they need and want your attention. For tips on how to juggle work and childcare see our article ' Tips For Working Parents On How to Navigate The Coronavirus '.
Create a dedicated workspace
Not everyone has the space for a home office, but it's still important to find a space where you can work with limited distractions eg away from the TV. A dining room table can be used as a substitute for a desk, but ensure you have a supportive and comfortable chair to prevent neck and spine pain.
If your home is compact or if you don't have much spare space, there are lots of different compact workstations available. So, even if you've only got a corner in your living room or bedroom you may be able to create a space that's dedicated for work.
Infuse your workspace with a productive vibe
Now that home and work are merging into one, it can be easy for the relaxed home-mood to spill over into work - making it feel like you have to drag yourself away from reading a book or chilling in your garden to your desk.
By infusing positive vibes into your workspace, it can become somewhere you enjoy being. Introduce productivity-boosting colors into your work area. For instance, blue aids concentration, red kick starts your energy and yellow floods your brain with positivity. Or, think about placing an aromatic candle on your desk. Scents such as lavender, rosemary or jasmine are said to ease anxiety and increase productivity.
Set a timetable for chores
A quick five minutes to put a wash on can easily turn into half an hour of tidying and sorting. So, to avoid the temptation of trying to fit these jobs in between work tasks, draw-up a chores timetable that sets out household jobs that can need to be done before you start or after you finish work.
Write a list of goals for the day
A to-do list can help let you know overall what you need to accomplish, but looking at a long-list of tasks that need ticking off can also be overwhelming. To make your list more manageable, create a separate 'goal-list' for each day. Note down a maximum of three things that need to get done by the end of the day and work towards completing them.
If you have time and can get another thing done - brilliant! If not, you can still feel proud that you managed to complete your main tasks for the day.
Related [ 6 Amazing To Do List To Help You Maximize Productivity ]
Get out
Nothing saps energy more than being indoors all day. So, if you're starting to feel sluggish and can see your productivity is taking a hit, get outside. Sunlight and fresh air are the best natural energy boosters, so aim to get out for a walk or sit in your garden or a park for half an hour. When you get back to your desk you'll find you have a clear mind and the enthusiasm to smash your goal list.
Put a block on social media
Research has shown that on average we spend around 2 hours and 22 minutes a day looking at social media - that's a lot of time scrolling through feeds! While at the office you may have to restrict this to your breaks or lunchtime, at home there's no-one there to stop the temptation of you having a quick look to see what's been posted on Twitter or Facebook.
Reign in this temptation by only checking social media during your lunch break, turn off notifications or leave your phone in a different part of your house. If you use your personal phone for work there are apps you can install that block access to social media sites during set hours.
Let people know you're working
Family and friends may feel you'll get lonely working from home and that you'd benefit from a call or video chat. They're doing this because they care about you, but if you answered every personal call you'd get less work done - and panic could start to set in.
So, to stop this happening, identify the people who call you the most and send them a polite message detailing your work hours and if they need to contact you please try to do outside of these hours.
Related [ 5 Misconceptions People Have About Working From Home ]
Glassdoor Team
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Tags:COVID-19ProductivityRemote Working
