Since mid-March, millions of Americans have had to quickly adjust to working from home in response to the coronavirus pandemic that struck the world. At the same time, they’ve had to deal with the emotional, psychological, structural, and financial changes in their personal lives. Needless to say, the transition has not been an easy one.
Despite everything that’s going on right now, it is imperative for business professionals to find ways to rid themselves of distractions and enhance their focus to remain successful. As this can be difficult to master, below is a list of solutions that can help.
Create a Designated Work Space
Where you work has a lot to do with your ability to focus. When working from home, there are a ton of things that can distract you from the task at hand. Using standing desks have helped some people remain focused by keeping them active and limiting other distractions. You have the kids running around and playing or begging you for something, news reports on the television playing on your fears and anxieties, and the laundry-list of chores that need to be completed pull your mind in all different directions.
In order to remain disciplined and focused, it is highly recommended that you prepare your house for work. This can be a spare room, your attic, garage, or some space within a larger room where you can get peace and quiet. Once you’ve found an area, make sure that it is equipped with everything you need to complete your job including a computer or laptop, desk, chair, and basic office supplies.
Invest in Productivity Tools
If you’re having a hard time getting things done during the workday, there are productivity tools that you can use to your advantage. Do some research to determine which tools would be most effective in helping you complete your job. Calendars, for instance, can be ideal for keeping up with appointments. To-do lists and task managers are instrumental in helping you to get more done. The benefits of note taking can be realized with applications that allow you to jot down ideas, store data, and share information—keeping you focused on what’s most important.
Develop a Workflow
Trying to remain focused while working from home without organization can prove difficult. You can save yourself some time and gain more traction by developing a workflow. A workflow is essentially a sequence of tasks completed regularly to accomplish company goals.
Write down your daily work tasks. Next, you can create a daily workflow template to use. If you have trouble creating it yourself, use daily free schedule template. For example, you might start your day by checking the calendar, retrieving voicemails, reviewing emails, and responding to clients. Then, you might work on a specific project, book meetings, and do accounting in the afternoon.
Creating this repetitive flow of processes essentially helps you to develop habits that keep you focused.
Create a Personal Routine
If the kids are crying about hunger, the house looks a mess, and you’ve got a ton of other things on your mind, focusing on your work is going to find its way to the bottom of the list of priorities. To reduce distractions and improve your focus, you should create a personal routine for you and your household.
Having a set morning, afternoon, evening, and bedtime routine help things to run more smoothly. Decide on when meal times will be, when the best time to take care of chores is, and find ways to keep kids occupied. Don’t forget to block out a set number of hours to complete work. Ensure that everyone knows that during these times, you’re not to be disturbed unless for an emergency.
Working from home has always come with a diverse set of challenges. When you add to that a national pandemic and abrupt changes to your personal life, the challenges only multiply. Be that as it may, finding a way to adapt in the midst of chaos will be imperative to the success of your business (or stability of your career). By using advice such as that provided above, you can create a calm that allows you to remain focused and productive despite the craziness of current times.
