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If you are now working from home as a consequence of the pandemic, you are far from alone. It is a situation that millions of workers and small business owners now find themselves in. As the once temporary solution has now become a more permanent fixture, you must adapt to the situation. While the focus was previously on surviving, it should now be about surviving.
Achieving optimal productivity should be the main goal. Therefore, knowing how to avoid mental distractions while working from home is essential. Through a combination of physical, emotional, and habitual changes, the desired results can be unlocked. Here’s all you need to know.
Step 1: Build A Comfortable Home Office
Whether you want to admit it or not, your work surroundings will influence productivity levels. If you’ve been working from the bed, for example, now is the time to change. In an ideal world, you’ll have a home office. If not, turning a conservatory or dining room into a workspace during the daytime can work as an OK alternative.
One way or another, you need it to feel comfortable. Controlling the natural lighting should be a priority at all times. Visit shuttercraft.co.uk to find a selection of solutions that are perfect for offices or other rooms that double up as a workspace. Ensuring that the heating and air quality are of a high standard should rank highly on the agenda too.
Find the right balance to achieve comfort without being so relaxed that you want to sleep, and you won’t go wrong.
Step 2: Create A Practical Workstation
While the surroundings of the room itself set the atmosphere, you must not ignore the workstation itself. If it does not enable you to work at the desired speed, you need to update it ASAP. Otherwise, you will continue to limit your potential earnings. The knowledge that you are doing it will continue to pose an emotional obstacle too.
Of course, you need to invest in a quality laptop or desktop computer. Likewise, you may find that your job requires a graphic tablet or other specialised equipment. Either way, the work surface itself should be large enough to accommodate your daily tasks. When you face a constant battle for space and good organisation, your enthusiasm will slide.
Naturally, an ergonomic chair will serve you well, particularly when working long hours. Do not skip this purchase as back pains will disrupt your workflow.
Step 3: Optimise Security & Connectivity
There’s nothing worse than losing valuable time due to connectivity issues. And once they start to surface, the fear of experiencing them can be just as damaging as the dropouts themselves. Therefore, finding the best internet service provider in your area is vital. A backup source of connection like hotspots or smartphone tethering will also help.
Maintaining a reliable connection is one thing, but security is another altogether. Storing sensitive data in the cloud is an ideal solution, not least because it saves the need for external hard drives or a bulky paper filing system. It additionally opens the door to easier digital communication. In turn, this saves you from the distraction of searching for items.
If you have colleagues or employees who need access to shared data, you must ensure that they adopt safe practices too.
Step 4: Follow Daily Routines
Working from home offers several potential benefits, not least the fact you can remove commuting from your life. In theory, that should enable a better work-life balance. However, without a winning routine, you will quickly find that your rate of work falls and shift durations increase. Frankly, this will harm your love of work and leisure activities.
Implementing schedules and routines is essential. You can use various Apps to build a plan or regain concentration when you find it slipping. Perhaps more importantly, having a shower and getting dressed for work can provide a serious mindset shift. When you avoid this, thoughts of “I need to get ready” will continue to distract you.
It’s one of the easiest changes to embrace and can yield instant results. Try it right away and you’ll never look back.
Step 5: Have Time To Relax
In addition to work routines, you should invest in building a better relationship with your leisure time. Working from home is supposed to enhance your life, but this won’t happen if you are never able to shut off from the job. While it’s important to have set times for when you plan to work, it is equally crucial to enjoy family time and scheduled days off.
This is perhaps a little easier to do when you are an employee rather than a contractor or business owner. However, vacations and days out aren’t only essential for building magical life memories. The mental break from your work allows you to return with fresh eyes, which will often identify new solutions and ideas.
Conversely, when it has been a long time since your last break, it’s likely that your mind will drift off at various points of the day.
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