Whether it’s a barking dog at the back door, kids learning in the next room, or simply social media sites like Facebook or Instagram in another tab, there’s always something to distract you when working from home. However, the coronavirus pandemic has required that many of us move our offices into our homes as the United States attempts to “flatten the curve.”
For many of us, the idea of working from home would have sounded like a dream in February, but as the weeks have passed and we’ve been forced to confine ourselves to our homes, the offer sounds less and less appealing each day.
There are distractions everywhere in our homes, and even our own attitudes can hold us back. Distractions can impact our mental health and limit our productivity—and productivity is essential when working from home during these difficult times. With that said, here are some tips that may help.
Make A Routine
Routines make us feel comfortable. According to Psychology Today, routines “are associated with better mental health and minimize the risk of developing emotional difficulties” in adults. In children, routines “protect and help children feel safer, because they know what to expect.” Ultimately, routines can have an overall positive impact on our well-being and productivity while working from home.
Think about your regular start to the day. You would wake up, shower, brush your teeth, and grab breakfast before heading out the door. Just as before, creating and sticking to a routine is essential. While you no longer have to commute to and from work, you should continue to set your alarm, brush your teeth, and put on pants that aren’t meant to be slept in.
After breakfast and a cup home brewed coffee, it’s time to get to work. In addition to your career duties, build breaks into your day, including how often you check your social media sites, when you get up to make lunch, and when it’s time to clock out. These personal tasks are a necessary part of our day, and help us deal with emotional stressors (like a pandemic).
Set Goals
Psychologically, goals motivate you. According to Forbes, “having a clear, compelling goal mobilizes your focus toward actionable behavior.” When working from home, setting goals for yourself—daily, weekly, monthly, and longer—will help motivate you to stay productive. Each day, you’ll have something you want to accomplish. Those daily goals will build toward your weekly goals, and so on and so forth.
Goals will help keep you on task and feeling productive, whether it’s clearing your email each day or finishing a smaller piece of a bigger project. That being said, it’s important to keep your goals realistic and achievable, as well as to understand that in these uncertain times you might not always hit your goals. Know that’s okay, and don’t feel discouraged.
Stay Healthy
Both mental and physical health play a significant part in being productive. If you’re not feeling your best, you’re not achieving your best. Pandemics aren’t just a threat to our physical health, but to our mental health as well. It can be difficult to be away from our social circles, in addition to our comfort zones. It’s easy to feel depressed, anxious, and exhausted. Take time for yourself, eat well, and stay mentally and physically healthy. Productivity will follow.
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