Right now, a lot of people are working from home, so you are by no means alone. Working from home is hard! There are so many distractions in your house, and it’s hard to get motivated. So, here are some ways you can better your focus while working from home.
Making your bed every morning is important for a lot of reasons. Primarily, studies have shown that making your bed in the morning leads to a more productive day. This is because you’ve already accomplished something! You’ve made your bed! And your day of productivity has started. Bonus: at the end of the day, you get to fall asleep in a nicely made bed.
This is by far the most important thing you can do while working from home. Plan your day! And I don’t just mean your workday. It’s important to schedule meals, workouts, and free time into your calendar. Studies have shown, people who don’t schedule their day are more susceptible to distraction, which leads to a cycle of distraction, a sense of time scarcity, and stress. If you schedule your day, you can sprinkle in free time to reward yourself, and then you’ll be more focused when you’re actually supposed to be getting stuff done. Not to mention, it just keeps you organized.
Sometimes it’s hard to motivate yourself to workout especially when you’re working from home. There are only so many workout apps you can download and delete before redownloading them again. However, working out is known to keep up your energy levels all day long. Starting your day with a workout will keep you energized and motivated throughout the day. Not to mention, working out boosts your endorphin levels and can help combat any stress or frustration you’ve been dealing with at work. With a higher level of energy and endorphins, when you return to work, you’ll be able to focus on what’s at hand.
This might be one of the hardest things to do. I know, that when I’m bored, avoiding work, or need a break, the first place I usually go to is the fridge, which is… not good. If you plan your meals for a couple of days, it decreases the amount of bored eating, saves time when you’re making your meal, and decreases stress. Note, this is not the same as meal prep, if you want to prepare all your meals in advance more power to you! But what I mean, is writing down what you are going to eat (maybe in your nifty schedule, hm?) for the next day or two so that you don’t waste time staring into the fridge deciding what you want. This will also decrease useless snacking and time wasted around meals. Then, you have more time to focus on your work and spend less time deciding if you want to try and cook or eat pasta for the 5th night in a row (no judgment here, I do it too).
This one might seem counterintuitive but taking a break actually does increase your focus on work. If you allow yourself a 5-10-minute break every couple of hours, you become more focused on your work during the time in between. With breaks rewarded throughout your day, your work will go by quicker, and you get to look forward to something. In your breaks, you can de-stress and re-charge for the next segment of work you have.
Primarily, your bedroom is used for one thing: sleep. If you choose to do your work in your bedroom, at a desk next to your bed, or even on your bed, I guarantee you won’t be as productive. Getting out of bed is a cue to our body that the day has started while getting in bed sends a message to our body that it’s time to wind down. Our mind views the bedroom as a place to rest so each day it’s going to become increasingly harder for you to get work done from your bedroom. Especially with your bed right next to you, taunting you with all its fuzzy blankets and mountain of pillows… not something you should be tempted by when you’re trying to get work done.
Please, please, please put your phone on ‘Do Not Disturb’. Unless you are using your phone and social media as part of your job, put your phone down, leave it in another room, lock it in a safe and don’t touch it while you’re trying to get work done. It’s possible to turn on the on ‘Do Not Disturb’ feature for only certain apps, namely social media, while still getting texts and calls. And if you think I’m being dramatic, ask yourself, “how many times I gone onto my phone for one reason or another, switched to a social media app, and wasted at least an hour of time?” Social media, while fun, is addicting, especially when you are avoiding work. Check your social media during your scheduled breaks! But when it’s time to put the phone down and get back to work, you need to have that self-control.
Working from home is hard, but it is possible, you need discipline, motivation, and time management. It’s difficult to get yourself to focus but if you follow these steps, you’ll find that working from home is doable. Right now, the majority of the world is working from home, so you are not alone in facing these challenges. During your breaks, FaceTime a friend! Human interaction is important and a crucial part of life. If you need a break, take one, if you need a snack, eat, take care of yourself and plan your time and I guarantee that working from home will be just as easy as going into the office.
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