Being able to work from home sounds like a dream, but it can quickly become much more difficult than you’d expect. With distractions everywhere, it can be hard to stay focused and, in turn, efficient. With the right strategies, working from home becomes a lot easier to manage. Here are some things that will help you stay focused and efficient while working from home.
Reward Yourself
If you work hard to complete a task, you deserve to treat yourself! We learned to do so many things as children through the promise of reward, so who says we can’t do that as adults?
“The anticipation of your reward can not only give you the motivation to keep plugging away, it can actually make you work faster. Think about it: Why wait until 2 for your caffeine fix when you could have it at 1?” – Inc
Finding rewards for yourself isn’t all that hard either. It can be as simple as getting to watch an episode of your favourite show or treating yourself to that chocolate bar in your cupboard, or you can even order out dinner at the end of a successful week of work.
Set Goals
Having specific and achievable goals will really help you to stay focused and push you to complete your tasks. The simple satisfaction of checking things off a list can do a lot for your sense of achievement. If you feel as if you’re being productive, it will improve your mood towards work, which then actually does help you to be productive.
Try dividing some of your more daunting tasks into smaller, more achievable ones. Sometimes looking at a huge task as-is can make you dread working on it. By dividing it into tasks that are more digestible you’re bound to be more efficient.
“Set a deadline for each goal. This ensures that you remain on schedule and active in the execution of each task.” – Like A Voss
Routine, Structure, and Space
It’s beyond tempting to let yourself sleep in until noon and work from the couch. You’re working from the comfort of your own home so why not? However, there are many reasons not to, including the toll that’ll take on your focus and efficiency.
Nobody likes waking up to an alarm, but being able to get up and get to work at a regular time sets the pace for the entire day.
When you get up, eat breakfast, get some exercise, and get to work. Don’t forget to designate a space for work. Having a separate spot for work (that isn’t the couch) will help you get in the right headspace.
“With a space designated for work, it can be easier to switch between “ON” and “OFF” – which is very important at the end of your workday.” – Like a Voss
Dress the Part
When no one is going to see you all day it can be tempting to dress however you want. Working in your pajamas is comfy, but it makes you feel more lethargic and less inclined to put effort into what you’re doing.
Dress like you would if you weren’t working from home. Make sure to shower and brush your teeth to feel fresh and ready to take on the day. If wearing makeup makes you feel more ready for the day then go for it!
Dressing for work helps to tell your brain that it’s time for work when the space around you doesn’t. It helps to put you in the headspace you need to be in to focus.
“If you have a hard time motivating yourself to get ready in the morning, try laying out your outfit the night before, or planning an outing during the day so that you have to get dressed.” – Lifehack
Be Careful With Music
When you’re working from home you have the freedom to listen to music, but be careful what kind of music you listen to. If you like to really jam out to your favourite songs, it’s probably best to save them for your breaks when you can get up and dance. That’s a good thing, though! It’ll help you let out some excess energy so that you can focus.
If you want to listen to music while working, choose something you enjoy, but won’t distract you. Music sets the mood so choose your songs wisely. It’s probably not the best idea to listen to a tear-inducing ballad when you’ve got work to do. Unless you’ll be working on something that needs to be tear-inducing, you don’t want to be in that headspace.
“Music also has a big influence on how you feel. If you decide to listen to tunes as you work, make sure that you choose sounds that are uplifting and keep you positive.” – Popsugar
Working from home isn’t as easy as it’s cracked up to be, but if you know how to stay focused and efficient it can be a lot nicer than working from an office. No matter what your job is, if you work from home all the time or if it’s only temporary, it’s always important to know how to do it well. Focus and efficiency are vital wherever you may be working. That includes your home.
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