If you feel unmotivated and distracted, reclaim your pre-pandemic workday routines to reset each new day. This gets your mind physically prepared to switch gears from your personal life into an engaged, professional mindset. Hubstaff is an employee management software that is powerful enough to implement a full-fledged office environment for a remote working team. We’ve already mentioned the importance of taking clear breaks, but on top of these it’s a good idea to take regular “microbreaks” throughout the day. Never work for more than 90 minutes without a break; if you’re in a flow state, a quick microbreak won’t hurt it. Checking out what’s happened every time your phone beeps can divide your attention, making you a less productive worker.
Managing your time is essential, especially when there are deadlines to meet. Make sure you add a to-do-list somewhere visible and check each item as you finish them. This will give you the feeling of getting work done and will boost your mood. While creating your workspace at home, make sure you remove all the distractions in that area.
Relaxing Environment
If you can’t entirely avoid meetings, reserve at least half a day for focused work. Choose a time that works best for you, based on any required meetings and your energy levels. Ticking items off your to-do list is a major component of working from home, but you have to think big picture too. When you work solo and from home, it’s easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day, but you should always have your overall business plan in mind.
Stay focused on one task at a time, no matter how mind-numbingly boring it may be. By giving it your full attention, you’ll get it done and out of the way faster. If you find yourself really struggling to focus, get up and move around for a few minutes. A change of scenery, even if it’s just moving from one room in your house to another, combined with movement helps to clear your mind and help you reset your focus. As millions of people are now finding out, working from home can be both a blessing and a curse. While avoiding the daily commute and doing paperwork in your robe is as sweet as it sounds, there are plenty of new problems to grapple with.
Find your focus zone.
So give yourself at least 10 minutes of full-body exercise. Maybe some spot jogging, playing with your pets and children, or dancing to your favorite track can help you bounce back to an excellent mental state. Even if you are working from home, try to compartmentalize your schedule for work and family time. Try not to indulge in a nondiscriminatory working pattern, so that you don’t end up procrastinating during the actual work hours and stay up all night to make up for the backlogs. And thus repeat the process — set goals and time-alerts to streamline your tasks. Thread clear deep breaks throughout your day, where you physically step away from your workspace.
For maximum impact, connect your headphones to your computer rather than your phone so that when you want to skip a track your aren’t tempted to check Instagram too. Using your breaks to get outside for 15 to 20 minutes each day will help synchronise your body clock so you remain alert during work hours. This is because sunlight helps stimulate the pineal gland, which produces melatonin—a hormone that helps regulate the sleep-wake cycle. Organizing the workspace, schedule, tasks, online meetings will help you focus better.
Get the right tools for the job.
Now that home is the office, it’s easier for the workday to stretch both earlier and later. Just because you can continue working doesn’t mean you should. That lack of a concrete end time can actually have a negative impact on focus. Without a clear end to the workday, there’s less urgency to buckle down and work.
Next, I settle in with a cup of coffee and try to relax for 15 minutes before diving into the grind. Then, I prioritize my day’s to-do list and map out the rest of my day. From incorporating movement breaks to fueling your brain, these tips will help you stay focused and protect your mental and physical wellbeing when working from home. You may already be a full-time freelancer, or perhaps you’ve started working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
After 4 of these work-break intervals, you get to enjoy a longer 15-minute break. Physical activity is important, even if it’s just a quick walk. Lack of movement is not only bad for your body but also your mind as it can cause your brain to become sluggish. The objective is to have a visual of what you need to focus on so that when your mind starts to wander, you see the list, and you get back to work. Are you prone to laziness, easily distracted or need other humans to keep you motivated and engaged? For some people, a home office is not a wise career move because their personal and professional habits, needs and wants aren’t in line with solo working.
People understand that when you're at the office, you're working (i.e., can't stop to do whatever you want). If you work at home, this understanding breaks down a bit. It would be easy and totally normal for your partner to walk into your home office to ask the same question. It could be a co-worker, a friend, or even a partner who also works from home.
One technique that rarely fails is the “reward method,” where you give yourself a little treat after completing a given task. So how does one work from home and stay focused during the current pandemic? Since it might very well become the norm both now and in the future, we’ve put together a guide on all things WFH. In it, we answer those two fundamental questions and so much more. The best way to keep on top of this is to clean as you go, or at least make sure to have a good organize at the end of your working day. If you have to take time out your schedule to clean up your desk to find important documents you need, then you’ve already managed to lose focus.
Keeping hydrated by drinking water regularly is of course important, and much easier on your mind and body than regular sugar crashes from drinking soda. It’s not a complicated tip to follow, but making sure you’re eating healthily and well is easily overlooked when it comes to ways to help you focus. One of the best things you can do to help keep your day focussed is to begin with a solid plan of what you need to get done that day. Think about this in relation to what is optional but not as important. We asked this question to ADDitude readers recently and more than 200 of you responded with tips and tools that boost productivity while working from home. Here are the 8 most common and helpful strategies from adults with ADHD, for adults with ADHD.
Instead, employees should spend a certain amount of time each day away from their work environment. Get dressed upEven though there is no single formula for becoming an efficient remote worker, establishing a routine is critical. This means waking up and getting ready for the day ahead. The simple act of getting dressed allows individuals to transition from their personal life into “work mode”. Getting dressed in the proper work attire is also a way to make sure you look professional for any impromptu video calls.
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