The number of people who work from home is growing day by day! There are different benefits to working from home. Some people say they are more productive when they work from home, but some people procrastinate more. Here are some tips on how to focus while working from home.
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In this article:
- Benefits of Working From Home
- Difficulties of Working From Home
- How to Stay Focused While Working From Home
Working from home could be a blessing or a curse depending on your personality and how you get ready for work. For some people, it is more convenient than working in an office. But for some, it is pretty challenging to stay focused while working from home. How is it possible to turn your home into a productive working area?
1. Benefits of Working From Home
There are different benefits to working from home. It is essential to realize these benefits and to use them in our ways.
- Working from home could help people to finish their work in a way that suits them the best.
- It gives people the chance to adjust their workspace as they like, which could reduce stress and boost productivity.
- Working from home can eliminate the common office distractions such as phone calls, meetings, chit-chatting with coworkers.
2. Difficulties of Working From Home
As working from home has different benefits for different people, it also has its difficulties.
- Working from home could make people feel like they are at work all the time and working constantly.
- As people work in the comfort of their own home, it could be more challenging to get tasks done, and some people tend to procrastinate more.
- Working from home has different distractions, especially if there are other people in the house or pets.
3. How to Stay Focused While Working From Home
Whether you think it’s a blessing or a curse, working from home is something most people have to do these days. Here are some tips to help you stay focused while working from home.
CREATE WORKSPACE
The first thing to do when you work from home is to dedicate one area for work. If there’s an empty room or less used room in the house, try turning it into a home office.
If there’s no space for a home office, dedicate one small area for work and work only. This space could be just one table, a little corner in your living room, etc.
Make sure you use this space only for work and nothing else. It will create the feeling of going to the office after a while, helping you concentrate more.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS
While creating your workspace at home, make sure you remove all the distractions in that area. Think of it as real office space and remove things that will distract you, cause you to procrastinate.
Try replacing photos with work schedules. Make sure you keep the workspace clean and tidy.
ORGANIZE & SCHEDULE
Organizing is very important while working from home. Organizing the workspace, schedule, tasks, online meetings will help you focus better.
Try gathering all the necessary tools in the workspace, reducing the time you have to leave. Most people get distracted once they leave their workspace and end up doing other things.
Scheduling is important, as well. Make sure you have a schedule for your daily tasks. But do not overwhelm yourself, set daily goals, and make sure you get them done by the end of the day.
Scheduling your time according to your tasks, online meetings, and even break times will give you the feeling of an office-like working environment.
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.
COMMUNICATE
Working from home could make people feel isolated from their coworkers, which might cause people to feel down, especially if they’re living alone.
Communication is very important when working from home. Make sure you call or text your coworkers instead of waiting for them to contact you first. Make sure to check in with your teammates, boss, and others.
Make sure you use the proper communication tools and be reachable during working hours.
BALANCE WORK TIME & PERSONAL TIME
While working from home, balancing personal time and work time is very important. Creating a physical boundary with your working space and your private area can help you focus better once you enter your workspace.
Have no-go zones for yourself. Try staying away from your bed, do not use social media, no TV during working hours, for example.
Remind your family, kids, or roommates that you are working and let them know when they can talk to you and when not to.
KNOW WHEN TO CALL IT A DAY
When working from home, some people might think it gives them more time to get more work done. So some people tend to squeeze in some work after dinner, before bedtime, etc. But when the work schedule is not followed and personal time gets invaded by extra work, it is more likely to feel burned out.
Being organized and working specific hours every day is important. Of course, when there are urgent tasks to be done, it’s okay. But do not let it become a habit.
Set boundaries between working hours and personal time, so it will be easier to focus on work. Once you finish your working hours and finish all the daily tasks, do not hesitate to clock out.
We hope that these tips will help you focus better while working from home. Remember, everyone has a different work pace, so do not force yourself to overwork. Motivate yourself, and you can even dress up as if you’re actually going to the office!
Let us know how you work from home in the comments section! What helps you focus better and what makes you procrastinate?
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