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3 Productivity Killers When Working From Home

When you’re working from home, you don’t have the focused environment that the office provides. Understandably, you could be killing your productivity by making these easy mistakes. Don’t worry though. If you identify these mistakes in your daily routine, we’re going to tell you just how to fix them.

Social Media

One of the biggest killers of productivity is social media. When you’re working from a computer, and especially your phone, social media can be a deadly temptress. What starts as a 5-minute break can easily turn into an hour of meaningless scrolling, a.k.a. wasted time.

The great thing is there is an easy solution to this problem (unless you have to be on social media for you job) – log out.

If you struggle to stay off of Facebook or Snapchat while you’re working, logout of those accounts when you’re on the clock. It’s easy to open an app or pull up a browser that you’re already logged into. By logging out, you’re adding another step and hopefully a deterrent to your distraction.

Children

While you can’t just get rid of your children when you have to work from home, there are ways to limit the distractions that come with having to parent while you work.

Distractions: Supply your children with ample things to keep them distracted while you’re working. Whether it be toys, movies or crafts, find things they can manage with little supervision that will keep them distracted for pockets of time.
Meal prep: Kids have to eat, but that doesn’t mean you have to spend excessive amounts of time cooking their meals and feeding it to them. In the evenings, prepare easy to cook or ready to serve meals that they can feed to themselves. Obviously this won’t be of much help if you have a young child that still needs supervision while eating or is bottle/breastfed, but it is a great way to save time with the older ones.
Separate: An easy way to eliminate the distractions that come from working at home with children is to have a designated workspace and play area. It may seem logical to work in the same room as the children so you can keep better supervision of them, but if you use solutions 1 and 2, number 3 will be much easier. Have an area toy-free that you can focus on work, and help your kids learn to play in another area. Get more advice on setting up an office at home here.

Netflix

Now this doesn’t specifically target Netflix as a productivity killer, but rather your TV and anything you put on it. Some people swear by having a movie or TV show playing in the background while they work, but this can actually limit your ability to focus on work, even if you don’t realize it.

Just like with social media, there is an easy fix to this. Don’t have a TV where you work. Avoid the temptation of turning on your favorite show by eliminating the medium. No TV – No temptation.

Instead of turning the TV on, consider listening to one of these playlists to help you focus.

Have you found other ways of staying productive while working from home? Share them in the comments!

Working from home – The new normal

Lisa Yannett Uncategorized Comments Off

In response to COVID-19, many companies have been allowing their employees to work from home. Radio broadcasts are coming from the living rooms of the broadcasters. Teams are meeting through Zoom or other video meeting platforms. Most employees who are now faced with the challenge of completing their work from home have never faced this kind of situation before. In an office, there are few distractions. Your coworkers are right next to you and your supervisor is usually easily accessible for guidance. When working from home, you have to find ways to stay productive and make the most of your situation.

Pick a Space

If you’re one of the many faced with taking your work home, you need to pick a space to work. You may be tempted to compile your analytics or draft documents on your couch while watching Netflix, but don’t. Pick a spot in your house that you can set up like an office space. The reason we haven’t always been working from home is because our houses are full of distractions. If you’re going to maintain productivity, you need to set up a space in your home that allows you to work as distraction-free as possible.

Manage your time

Plan your daily schedule, and keep your team updated on it. Decide when you will work and when you will be off the clock. You need to keep boundaries between your work and home lives, just as if you were driving to your office everyday. Be reasonable when planning your schedule. No matter how much you plan, there will always be something that comes up, especially if you have children. Allow a degree of flexibility in your schedule to account for the unplanned.

Take breaks

Don’t expect to work for 8 straight hours or to make it through the day without having to stop a couple of times. The Pomodoro Technique is a highly recommended technique designed to boost productivity. To use the Pomodoro, you set a timer for 25 minutes. In the 25-minute span, get as much work done on a certain task as you can. When your timer goes off, you take a short 5-10 minute break. Have a cup of coffee, walk outside, meditate, or anything else to clear your mind and give your brain a break. After four 25-minute sets, you take a longer break – 15-20 minutes. Plan your tasks and cut out distractions in order to be your most productive self.

Don’t get stuck on 9 to 5

You’ve committed a number of hours every day or week, but that doesn’t mean they have to be during a certain time. Work early morning while your children or spouse are still asleep. Take advantage of naps for young children and bedtimes for those in your house. You’re not required to get all of your work done while everyone in your house is awake. Be smart and take advantage of quiet times in your house.

Working from home is a big change for a lot of people, so make sure you are prepared and have a plan in place. Try not to be too hard on yourself if it takes some time for you to get adjusted to your new normal.

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