Remember when working at home sounded so nice? Wearing sweats to work and ditching that commute seemed like the high life. Of course, that was before you discovered all of the challenges – between juggling all of your responsibilities and being met with a continuous stream of distractions… it is not so easy to buckle down. While the situation is not what you dreamed of on those awful never-ending office days, there are some ways to improve your experience.
Here are a few ways to make your work-at-home space work for you…
Designate a Work Area
For those of us who don’t have a home office — work-from-home routines can easily get derailed. Establishing an area for work is a way to stay in your routine and get yourself in the work mindset. It doesn’t matter if it is a corner of your room or the kitchen counter. Whatever spot you choose, just make sure it feels like a dedicated and functional work area. Do look for a space that is relatively clutter free and provides ample lighting.
Streamline
Be sure to keep those work day essentials close at hand but remove everything else. That does not mean you need to fold that basket of laundry before you can begin your work day… maybe it means you just put it in another room for now. Removing clutter can help you feel less distracted. Let’s face it, we need all of the focus we can get!
Ready, Set, Tech!
Be sure to set up your tech so you aren’t constantly fiddling with wires and other nonsense. If video calls are part of your new day-to-day, think about what others are seeing behind you — like that pile of laundry or those mostly empty wine glasses. Keep things clean and uncluttered.
Set Timers
This may be the most important thing you can do when working from home. As we are all juggling so many responsibilities, we must be sure to budget our time. Set aside a time allotment to complete tasks. Having a set amount of time to work on specific things will help you narrow your focus. During that designated time, commit only to the task at hand and you will be shocked at how much more accomplished you feel. Setting timers can also be useful for non-work related things too. Whether it is a household chore or scrolling your social media feed, we have all wasted way more time than we would like to admit by falling down rabbit holes! It is okay to do the other things. After all, there are some great advantages to this new work space. It is just hard to enjoy those benefits if you are feeling guilty about your productivity levels. Dial in your focus by budgeting your time and your will be much more effective and less stressed.
Cheers! … To the new office!