The workplace has completely shifted since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic. “We see an incredible 42 percent of the U.S. labor force now working from home full-time. So, by the sheer numbers, the U.S. is a working-from-home economy,” said Sandford economist Nicholas Bloom*. In 2021, millions of people are now working from home full-time for the first time, and many of them are struggling to separate work from their personal life.
People are distracted by various reasons like child care, house chores, or even entertainment like TV and video games. Here are some tips and tricks that can help you to be productive and efficient during working hours, not be distracted, and separate work from your personal life all while working from home.
First, How Can I Avoid Distraction?
It all depends on what you are distracted by. Let’s break down some of the most common distractions and how to avoid or cope with them.
Children
Parents aren’t the only remote workers during this pandemic. Children have been required to stay at home and attend school virtually in order to stay safe. And for many families, childcare outside the home is no longer an option.
Communication is critical. If possible, work with your employer to balance when you have to be available online versus when you children need your supervision. See if they’ll allow you to split up your days or have flexible hours. That way they are aware of the situation and can adapt accordingly.
If you have a partner, roommate, or another adult in the house, maintain an open line of communication with them. Communicate about major meetings, school projects, and other critical work times. This way you know who “is in charge of childcare” at any given moment, especially if you both are working remote, and can still balance work obligations with child supervision.
Finally communicate with clients utilizing auto-response messages when you’ll be away from keyboard for long periods of time or available during abnormal business hours. If you’re unsure how to best use auto-replies, check out our article here on taking advantage of them while working from home.
If your child too young for school and needs constant supervision, do your best to not schedule Zoom or other conference calls during their awake or meal times. Save it for nap time or when there is an extra set of hands available whenever possible.
Make sure any students in your household have headphones so they are less distracted by noise around them, including any noise you or another family member might be making. This way you can get as much work done while your children are occupied with school work.
Finally, if possible, work in a separate office space with a door that you can shut. This way you can literally close the door on noise and distraction during important Skype calls or ahead of major deadlines.
It won’t be perfect, and it will certainly be a major adjustment with everyone home all the time, but it’s important that you try to schedule things out to make the day as productive for you and your kids as possible. And when it’s not, be patience and understanding when you or others have to handle a childcare-related situation during work hours.
Housework
It might sound efficient to do some chores, like dishes, laundry, or vacuuming, during breaks and in between meetings, but constantly switching gears from one task to another kills your focus and productivity. “Multitasking reduces your efficiency and performance because your brain can only focus on one thing at a time. When you try to do two things at once, your brain cannot perform both tasks successfully,” said Travis Bradberry, Forbes contributor*.
Whenever possible, knock out the housework first thing in the morning, after work, or on the weekends, just like you would if you were still commuting to an office. Keep those same boundaries during work hours. When you’re on the clock, you’re on the clock, and should be doing what you’re being paid to do.
Do set yourself up for success by keeping up with your housework during non-work hours. This will help keep your head clutter and distraction-free during the work day.
Social Media And Other Internet Portals
Being constantly connected through social media is arguably one of the biggest distractors of our day. Same goes for any sort of online media entertainment like Netflix™, YouTube™, or podcasts, for example. In order to prioritize productivity, turn off notifications on your devices or put your phone in do-not-disturb mode during work hours. Schedule yourself short mental health breaks throughout the day where you give yourself permission to check texts and social media app notifications but have an alarm set so you know when that break is over and to get back to work.
Video Games
During the pandemic, video games have been a huge source of social interaction while maintaining physical isolation. However, they are an even larger source of distraction during the work day. Make sure you’re not working in the same space that you play video games in. That way you can physically separate your work space from your relaxing space, in turn, avoiding distraction.
What Does Work Life Balance Look Like Working From Home?
Work life balance means balancing work productivity without sacrificing your personal life, health, and happiness. A good work life balance sets strong boundaries between these two so that you can prioritize what’s most important for you.
A great working-from-home work life balance is measured in many different ways and will look very different based on your, your industry, and living situation. Fundamentally, however, it’s up to how you control your time.
Set boundaries with when you are and are not available. Communicate with your manager, coworkers, your family, and your clients on when you are and are not available. In many industries, working remote means that you have full control over your workday. You can start your day early in the morning and finish around noon or you can work extra hours to have a day off the next day. You can get things done in time and attend your kid’s school event. However we understand that isn’t true for everyone and some industries will have stricter schedule requirements. But again, communication is key to creating these boundaries.
Be patient and flexible as you adapt to this new work dynamic, but do not let anyone trample those boundaries. At the end of the day, sign off and stay offline. When you’re done with work for the day, you are done with work for the day. Give yourself permission to relax, spend time with your family, or participate in your hobbies. This separation is crucial for your mental health while you are a remote worker. Just because you have the accessibility to work from home 24/7 does not mean you are plugged in and available 24/7 as you are [likely] not being paid to be available 24/7.
If you’re struggling to maintain this separation, here are a few ideas to incorporate into your day to help repair that balance:
- Establish a routine in both the morning and evening to set yourself up for success and have a concrete end to your work day. In the morning, take the first hour or two to exercise, shower, journal, meditate, or cook breakfast. Whatever you need to start out on the right foot. And in the evening, set your away messages, turn off your work electronics, jump up and down and literally shake of the day. Do something concrete to mark the end of your work day. By making these routines a priority, you’re creating bookends around your work day and not allowing it to bleed over into the rest of your day when you are not getting paid to work.
- Take short breaks during your work day help reset yourself. Make yourself a fresh pot of coffee or mug of tea. Go on a short walk around your neighborhood to get some fresh air (while social distancing and wearing a mask of course. Safety first! Mask is of course totally optional once the pandemic ends, but still recommended during cold and flu season). Walking away from your computer screen for short periods of time will allow you to refocus on your work when you’re back at your desk.
- Fitness. Studies have shown* that exercise releases endorphins and helps elevate your overall mood. Make sure you take time to stand up and walk around periodically throughout the day. Staying active will also help reduce blood clots from sitting too long at your desk. Staying active can mean anything from getting some fresh air while walking the dog, to 30 minutes of Yoga or Zumba™ on YouTube™, to playing Ring Fit Adventure™ on your Nintendo Switch™. If you’ve been inactive, set small attainable goals like walking 10,000 steps a day or scaling up how many days a week you get 30 minutes of movement.
- Prioritize your loved ones. Make sure the time you spend with them is devoid of work. Be present with the ones you live with. Schedule video calls with long distance family and friends to catch up. Video call fatigue is real, but don’t let that prevent you from connecting with those you care about. Schedule these with plenty of notice so that you’re excited when they arrive, but not so frequently that they drain you more than they rejuvenate.
- Make time for joy. Carve out time each week to do things that will bring you joy and help sustain you throughout the rest of the week. This can include anything from reading to video games to sewing to journaling. Keep up whatever hobby you liked to do prior to the pandemic or finally start learning that skill you’ve said you’ve always wanted to be able to do but never had time for. And it doesn’t need to be for very long, even just 15 minutes when starting something new can help learn a new skill over time. The point is to spend your free time doing something you want to do, not work.
Work life balance means being good at managing your time and not letting one aspect of your life negatively impact another.
Do I Need To Buy Anything Specific to Stay Sane While WFH?
Honestly, you might not and that’s 100% okay, especially if your budget can’t take any hits right now. But there are few essential things you might want to consider having in your home office to help you be productive while working from home.
First, you want to create a quiet, distraction-free environment. This can be done in a variety of different ways. If possible, create a separate home office in a guest room, basement, or even a closet (check out cloffice ideas here). If you’re setting yourself up at a dining room table or turning your kitchen counter into a standing desk, invest in noise-reducing or noise-canceling headphone so you can literally tune out distraction around you.
Secondly, is technology. Make sure you have the correct tools at your disposal. This can include video and web cameras for video calls, to different software for those video conferences, to setting up call forwarding and VoIPs, Voice over Internet Protocol, to take customer calls. See what kind of perks or resources your employer has for you to take advantage of or if they’ll reimburse you for purchases you have to make out-of-pocket to be able to work from home.
For your own comfort and physical health, take stock of your office furniture and consider what they are doing to your body. Make sure that these are not causing or worsening things like back pain or Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Consider having a laptop stand on your desk to elevate your monitor to prevent eyestrain and neck pain. It will also allow you to use the laptop for long hours while preventing it from overheating. Think about swapping your mouse or keyboard for more ergonomically designed ones to reduce wrist pain. Find a memory foam lumbar support pillow to relieve back pain and encourage good posture. Working from home requires long hours in front of the computer, and you want to make sure to have quality tools and resources to prevent pain and long term health problems.
Before purchasing anything though, spend some time working from home first and see how it goes. Only then will you truly be able to take these home tips and adapt your space to fit your needs.
Short Term or Long Term These Will Help
Whether your remote work situation is temporary due to the pandemic or a permanent culture change, all of the tips will help you stay sane and create that work-life balance we all crave. In the mean time be patient and kind to each other, especially over Slack™, as we learn to navigate working in our respective industries from home together.
Any tips or tricks that we may have missed or that have helped you? Comment down below.
*Reference:
https://news.stanford.edu/2020/06/29/snapshot-new-working-home-economy/