What is distracting you more lately? Netflix or News?
If you are new to working from home, welcome to your new office. I’m not new here – maybe I can show you around.
If you are like me, these distractions are lurking in unlikely places…take laundry for one. Laundry is typically a last resort or chore. When you are working from home and facing an email you don’t want to write, a difficult task, or uncomfortable conversation, laundry folding can become a welcome distraction. Laundry folding “feels like working”, is a chore and is necessary to do, but when it comes to work that you need to accomplish, it is a distraction. Laundry can become the at home equivalent of the break room. Beware 😉!
I had to train myself to stick to a work schedule during my work block. Here are a few “best practice” tips.
Get dressed each day
This is inspired by “Dress for Success.” I admit I don’t EVER want to do this, but AFTER I am dressed my mindset is far more positive and productive and goal-oriented.
Dedicate a place to work
No matter what it looks like, you need a designated place to be present to get your work done!
I have an unfancy “make-shift” office. My pretty office has no doors or carpet to buffer the sounds of the family who are doing life in the next room. It made more sense to turn a space (with carpet and a door) into my space. I have recently heard of friends putting a table, lamp, and chair in a closet. The acoustics are great & the distractions are low. It is ok to get creative.
Staying healthy and happy while working from home.
Plan your TOP 3 the night before
It is hard to make it up on the fly. If you can decide, as you close down at the end of the day, what your top 3 things for the next day are, your odds of being more productive increase greatly. A mentor once said, “Focus on doing what is important, not urgent.” The top 3 help with finding where to focus.
Block Time
This is a productivity hack. I will set an alarm (for 25 minutes or 50 minutes..depending on the task) and power through things I don’t really want to do. Somehow, feeling like I am beating the clock helps me to tackle tasks with more efficiency… probably because my mind knows I only have a few minutes. This worked for me when I was a student with my math problems.
No matter, it all comes down to consistency. Consistency compounds. This blog is an example of that. I didn’t want to get up and get dressed, but I did it and headed to my office where my calendar said to write. I set my timer, opened my laptop, and voila, a productivity list about what I did to be productive.
You’ve got this! What do you do to be productive?
Originally posted 2020-04-18 11:34:00.
