Working from home is becoming a corporate norm everywhere in the world. According to a recent report, 74 percent of workers are willing to switch to a job that allows remote working.
With an expanding industry of cloud innovations, advanced technology, and collaboration tools, more individuals can work more productively from any place while staying connected with the employer and team members. Moreover, some organizations have started understanding the benefits of remote working and are being accommodative. The above report also suggests that 83 percent of employees communicate with remote workers using the newest technology now.
While a few workplaces are considering expanding work from home, it can be quite trying for some workers. Errands, access to television, and kids can distract remote workers and affect their efficiency levels.
According to a survey report by Glassdoor, 32 percent of workers say that television is the number one distraction when working from home, another 27 percent say that childcare is a great distraction.
In this article, we have come up with tips to boost productivity levels and eliminate distractions when working from home.
Start your day with a Self-Care routine
It is easier to maintain discipline when working traditionally, from the office. The structural organization of tasks is what kept us focused and energetic in that routine. This is the reason that you need a morning self-care routine when working from home as well.
The time that you previously spent commuting can be used for various healthy activities now – including meditation, exercise, journal keeping, etc. You can also listen to music, paint something, or simply walk on fresh grass.
A 2019 study has shown that making time for physical fitness can improve cognitive functions like critical thinking, decision-making, and memory – these skills will help you keep your focus the entire day.
Exploration shows that setting aside a few minutes for self-care is vital to better overseeing upsetting circumstances. One investigation made that taking the opportunity for actual wellness can assist with improving your cerebrum work, including your memory and critical thinking abilities.
Set up a home office
If you live individually, it is rather easy to maintain a distance from distractions on account of your will. However, being part of a busy family, distractions are always around. Your desk can get filled with a lot of additional responsibilities that are prone to distract you from work. For such reasons, we recommend you dedicate a space for your home office. This space can be any extra room that does not have more than one entrance and it should be out of everyone’s way. This can be a guest room or a workshop; however, if you do not have a separate room available, you can make do with a multifunctional room that is occasionally used like laundry or garage.
You can choose your own approach with the defining line being: separation between personal and professional life. Please be advised to not use your bedroom for this purpose because it will intertwine your personal and work tasks.
Put resources in Your Office
It is significant that your home office has each one of the accessories you would expect in a corporate office setting. The inventory depends vastly on your profession and taste. A few things you should think about include:
A dedicated and reliable PC is one of the basics for every profession and thus, do not compromise on this. Moreover, make sure to buy a good quality monitor that has HD resolution so that you do not strain your eyes.
A great internet connection is the basis of remote working as it is the one that connects you with your office colleagues, clients, and tasks. Make sure to sign up with an ISP that offers great speed but is also reliable. If you ask for our advice, Spectrum plans offer blazing fast internet speed at the best rates without any data caps or contracts. You, as a remote worker, can especially benefit from its complimentary security suite protecting all of your online activities.
A separate business telephone line is also very important. You can set up a relevant voice message and you will never miss any client calls (that you potentially can, on your home phone)
An ergonomic chair for your posture. A simple chair can work but in the long run, it can be harmful to your back. Therefore, we suggest you buy an ergonomic chair that can be adjusted according to your desires.
A quality printer can be a good addition. Although, if your work does not require the use of printers, you should not invest in it.
A storage cabinet is also important for professionals with a lot of files to keep. Again, this depends on your professional capacity.
Separate Yourself from Social Media
There is nothing more distracting than your social media accounts. To be honest, social media is tempting but you have to keep your distance in order to be productive. The best way is to isolate yourself from your cell phone (if it does not help with work). Another thing that you can do is put your cell phone on airplane mode.
You can also set time restrictions with the Google Chrome extension limit. This would block selected sites once you have used all of your designated time. You can also freeze your social media applications on your cell phone to maintain focus.
Dress like you mean it
When we say that you should dress up for work, it does not matter how you look; what matters is how you feel because keeping a business outlook while you work from home is very important.
It bodes well to get up in the morning, take a shower, have your morning meal, and dress up. That by itself will make cognizance of work as opposed to letting the day run its course while you somehow complete your work.
The Last Words
There are a lot of ways to remain productive and distraction-free while working from home; we have covered a great deal too. However, you need to have the willpower to cut anything that comes your way during work hours. Do not mix your personal and professional life, just because you are working from home – define your work hours and do not work out of them. If you feel a lot of burdens, get yourself some help in the form of a babysitter or housekeeper.
Take breaks in between, as you would in the office, and try to get out of your house for a quick walk or stroll to get a coffee from the nearest Starbucks. Getting out can reboot your nerve system. The last tip would be to hang out with friends and family. Socialize with your loved ones and even go out for parties, now and then. Working from home gives you the authority to schedule your life as you want and so take this opportunity for the better.
