With the entire country in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most companies are now working remotely.
But working from home is not as simple as it sounds.
Whether you’re staying with your family or on your own, the responsibilities double up as your home is where you work and have daily chores both.
If you are working from home and don't know how to deal with distractions, worry no more!
Here are 6 unique ways to help you stay focused and avoid distractions as you adjust to remote working.
1. Use task management apps & to-do lists
Not having a fixed schedule and routine makes way for procrastination to sneak into our lives.
So, it is a good idea to start your day by taking a note of all your tasks.
Use a to-do list or a calendar to stay focused and get work done.
If you are new to the idea of using to-do lists, you can start by mapping out a rough routine for yourself.
Then, learn to use helpful to-do list apps like Todoist, Any.do, Microsoft To-do, or Google tasks.
If you manage a team, try getting the hang of task management apps like Trello, Asana, and Slack for effective task performance.
A few things you can do to plan your day more effectively are:
Define monthly, weekly, daily goals
Even though the future is uncertain, try to map out goals for the upcoming month.
But defining goals once a month is not enough. Try setting weekly and daily goals for yourself to figure out how much time can be spared for a task before you start working.
Spare time for work calls and meetings
When working from home, work calls, emails, and team meetings are bound to happen.
Set aside some time to connect with your team, apart from the time you have to get your work done.
Divide big goals into small tasks
Long working hours can be very boring and dull. Also, working continuously will not get results and make you want to escape.
To avoid that, divide big goals into small tasks. Set an estimated time to complete them, and make sure you stick to the timeline.
2. Reward yourself on completion of tasks
It’s always fun to work when you know what awaits you at the end of the tunnel.
So, make sure you have something exciting waiting for you.
Set timeline to meet goals and how you would celebrate meeting these deadlines.
The best way is to reward yourself with a 10-20 minutes break to do something that relaxes you, every time you complete a task.
When you take a break, you can:
- Take a coffee break and scroll through the notifications on your phone that you hadn’t while you were working.
- Watch a short stand-up.
- Read a blog of your interest.
- Scroll through Facebook, and Instagram.
- Enjoy some memes on Reddit, or Tumblr.
3. Make a home office for yourself
This is one piece of advice that you will get whenever you talk about working from home, and rightly so!
Working from home may sound convenient, but it’s far more challenging than working in an office as there are many more distractions.
This is why, try finding a quiet working space for your home office with good ventilation, light, and less disturbance.
Make sure you have a desk and chair to work comfortably and that there is enough space for all your stuff.
Remember, working without the cooperation of your family or roommates can be very difficult.
So, establish a strong understanding with them about your working hours, and lay some ground rules to avoid distractions and have a better work-life balance.
4. Consume limited news from genuine sources only
You may think watching news has nothing to do with you getting distracted but it does.
In uncertain times such as this lockdown, news has a huge impact on how we function.
Watching too much news and falling for rumors can take a toll on you mentally and may even leave you with anxiety and negative thoughts, further impacting your work.
To have a healthy work life and avoid distractions, don't watch news all day.
Rely only on selective genuine news sources that inform and not mislead you.
5. Turn off social media notifications when working
Almost all of us spend a major part of our day with our phones.
We are always consuming content, scrolling, and moving from one app to another.
But this habit can also become a major distraction, especially when you are trying to get your work done.
Using your phone while working will not only distract you but will also affect your productivity.
So, it is a good idea to turn off the notifications of your favorite social media platforms and keep your phone aside when working and only use it in free time.
6. Take reasonable, but regular breaks in the working hours
Working without any break will ultimately exhaust you and make your mind wander.
So, it is important to take breaks at regular intervals while working.
Use this time to do something relaxing like rest your eyes, grab a cup of coffee, or listen to some music.
Now that you know how to avoid getting distracted, we hope working from home will be easier for you.
End your day well and log off from your system, until the hustle starts again tomorrow!
All the best!
