Working from home has many advantages—it can be cost-effective for both the employees and employers because the former need not burn money travelling and the later can save a lot on facility management; also, let’s not forget how it will cut down pollution and traffic drastically. Sadly, working from home isn’t as easy as many might think, especially during the current stressful times when most of the nations are on lockdown to avoid the spread of the dreaded Coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic. According to experts, distraction, be it from children or others, is the biggest hurdle that most employes face while working from home. Overcoming these hurdles prove even more difficult when you are surrounded by frequent temptations like watching the television or listening to music because there will be no one to supervise what you are doing. If you have very weak self-control, working from home can become a Herculean task. So, let’s look at a few tips to stay focused and avoid distractions while working from home.
Create a dedicated workstation
The first and foremost thing you need to take care of before working from home is to create a dedicated workplace in your house. Make sure that only work-related activities happen in that space, which means there should be no television or loud music playing there. Also, your family members need to treat that space as your office, meaning when you are in your workstation they should consider that you aren’t home. They then cannot take your help to run family errands or seek your participation in household chores.
Dress like you are dressed for office According to experts, what we wear has an impact on how we behave. For example, when we are in our PJs or loungewear, we are very relaxed and it leaves us more open to distractions. That is one of the reasons why we would not wear our formal clothes when we are lounging on a beach, right? Similarly, when we put on our work clothes or formal attires, it sends a signal to the brain that it’s time to get serious. Being dressed for work can be a motivating factor while working from home, which in turn will increase our productivity.
Follow the ‘rule of 52 and 17’
According to a study, a lot of highly productive people follow the rule of 52 and 17, according to which, they take a 17-minute break after working for every 52 minutes. The science behind this rule is very simple—taking frequent breaks between work helps keep a person motivated and increases productivity. You can even use an alarm to set you in motion for this rule of 52 and 17. During your short break, you can fill your bottle of water, grab something to eat or stretch your limbs.
Set strict working hours and a schedule
Working from home can be very overwhelming when you have the entire day, which can easily stretch to night, all to yourself. With the missing office hours or the 9 to 5 deadline, you can be easily tempted to lose your motivation and delaying your work. It is therefore not uncommon to find yourself lured by the thought, “I will do it later. I have the entire day lying ahead.” This, my friend, can be very dangerous because by doing so you will soon find yourself running out of time. It is therefore very important to set strict working hours, just like office and have a schedule.
Keep in touch with your co-workers regularly
One of the biggest advantages of working in an office is that our colleagues keep us motivated. With constant update about work, discussions and meetings, the chances of growing lax reduces when in office. In order to keep up your motivation level, talk or chat with you colleagues regularly and keep yourself updated about their work. Knowing that others are also keeping up with their work during these stressful times would help you buckle up and increase your productivity.
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