In the midst of a worldwide pandemic, many people find themselves working from home. Goodbye office and hello kitchen table, living room, maybe even couch? Some people can thrive in these conditions, others might not. Let’s go through some tips and tricks to keep yourself focused and productive!
Get Dressed
This might seem like a no-brainer, but take it to the next level. Get ready for work as if you were actually going into the office. Dress up, do your hair, brush your teeth...please brush your teeth. This morning work routine will help get you into the “work” mindset and stay productive.
Make a Home Office
This tip may be another obvious one, but it works! When you make a space specifically for work, you create a connection in your mind. When you enter the “office”, work mode initiates. When you leave, try not to think about work! Spend the rest of the day as if your work day ended.
Not only should you make a home office, but try to mimic what your old office looked like. Put up pictures, organize your desk, keep everything within arms reach. Mimicking small similarities to a business office can help keep your mindset focused as well.
Eliminate Distractions
Working from home may bring on a few more distractions than you thought. Roommates, kids, spouses, friends, and of course the clever feline that likes to walk across your keyboard. Try to place your home office in a space that can be isolated if necessary. Choose a quieter room or a space with a door. Nothing is worse than hopping on a zoom call with a million things going on behind you.
There is a way to blur out your background on Zoom. If you are interested, check out this video to learn how to do it!
Another distraction might be your phone/social media. It can be tempting to let yourself get sucked into Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, etc. This is a dangerous road that can lead to massive unproductivity. Try to limit these activities to scheduled breaks, which leads me to my next tip.
Take Breaks
Just as we talked about, keep your routine! If you usually take a coffee/snack break at 10AM everyday at work, do that! Eat lunch when you usually eat lunch. You can even meal prep your meals as if you were taking them in to work.
Get in a quick, hard workout. Sitting at a desk all day can make you feel sluggish which has a tendency to affect your productivity. Get up and move around, do a workout, and then get back to it.
Breaks help us mentally recharge so we can be even more productive when we start working again. You could even take advantage of being at home by taking a 10-15 minute nap on the couch. See, working from home isn’t all bad!
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Clock Out!
One of the easiest things to do when working from home is working later than you wanted to. I know because it happens to me ALL THE TIME. Projects just seem to take longer than expected, emails keep coming in, and you just forget the time. There’s no need to rush home because, well, you’re already there. Try to keep a schedule of the day and clock out when the time comes!
Another problem might be hopping back on the computer later that night when the work day is done. Again, this is something I do too often. “I’m just going to check something quick”, “I think I forgot to send an email” etc. These small check-ins can turn into hour long visits back to work. Keep work at work and enjoy the rest of your day as much as you can.
Stay Connected with Colleagues
It’s easy to isolate yourself when working from home. Try to stay connected with your co-workers as much as you can. Utilize tools like Skype, Zoom, Email and any other messaging platform to keep in contact. My personal favorite is group meetings with the entire office. Catch each other up on the same things you would normally talk about. By staying in contact, you can maintain the same team environment as before.
Summary
Working from home has its ups and downs. Distractions, isolation, and poor time management can make it frustrating. Use our tips to help make it the best experience possible. Reach out to us if you have any questions or other ideas about how to stay focused!