As we all know, the whole world is in quarantine because of the recent pandemic outbreak called Coronavirus Disease or better known as COVID-19. The majority of large enterprises have reinforced working from home for health and safety purposes.
Although we are indeed fortunate enough to work from home and to ensure that we can maintain our lifestyles, there are some issues that may arise when you are working from home.
For those who are not used to working from home can be quite cumbersome, as your personal home is far from your professional workplace. And it is true, working from home can take some getting used to. Numerous distractions may occur, such as household chores, prepping for breakfast, kids playing around your work area, and there is that desire to watch that new movie from Netflix that everyone is talking about, and seldom it is quite tempting to play your PS4 games rather than to maintain productivity at work.
Not every struggle is from distraction, though; there is this unfortunate circumstance of ensuring that you have a stable internet connection (provided that we are all now working from home, internet traffic is a possibility, and internet connection issues may occur), communicating with your office mates. There are some instances that you are working longer than expected, for some reason that your employer may require you more productive time, or you just lost track of your professional time since you have been at home all day.
Since I have been working from home as a marketing Virtual Assistant and have been doing this for three years now, working from home has been beneficial for me, as I ensure that I follow these regimens that I set up for myself. Here are my ways of ensuring that I remain productive while I am working from home.
Set up your work area in a place wherein you’re free from distractions. Avoid setting up your workstation in front of your TV. Ensure that the area you set it up is an area to ensure that you remain focused and concentrated; avoid setting up your work area besides your bed (although I know it is quite tempting). If you do not have a specific area, then find a spot wherein there is less traffic flow or a corner that will not distract other people from your households.
One of the benefits of working from home is there is no need for you to allot your time traveling, you are not required to commute, and you may wake up anytime before your actual shift. And you have to admit that the moment you wake up and about to start your day is not entirely starting your day. Take a shower, brush your teeth, and put on some proper clothes. Treat working from home like you are actually working. This will help you set your boundaries between work and home.
Try to block the noises that surround your home. Use some earbuds or noise-canceling headphones. Or perhaps try to play some relaxing music while you work, as it helps decrease your stress level and actually helps with your concentration and productivity. Now the type of music that you want to listen to is up to you. However, a study called the Mozart effect means listening to classical music while performing a task can help to focus on a task at hand and improve memory retention.
In relation to the first step, make sure that you have a designated work area to increase productivity. Allow your other household members that that specific area is off-limits. Treat it like a dimension far from your actual home. This will help you keep your thoughts organized from what are the actual work or chores that should be done at home and at your actual job. Ask yourself if you really need to do the laundry today at this specific hour and specific day? When may you do it during your day-offs or rest days?
Since you are spending a ridiculous amount of time inside your home, take a look outside to get a change of scenery (make sure that you keep going outside on the minimum to ensure that you do not make yourself a host for the virus). Or perhaps watch a movie, or read a book once your work is done, do not succumb to your work, and try to perform other activities that will help you with your mental health.
The most important aspect of working from home is making sure that you set your boundaries between work and life balance. When you are done with your job, make sure that you set your objects aside, just like how you would store your carpentry tools.
Since working from home can hinder your hobbies and activities, it doesn’t mean that you should stop doing them. Do the things that will keep your mind healthy and at ease. If you are living alone, make sure to stay connected with your loved ones by utilizing social media applications or websites. Or perhaps try to cultivate your relationship with your other household members, try to do something fun, and make sure that you engage in other activities. This pandemic has affected all of us on a different scale, let us remind ourselves to be thankful and ensure that we maintain our health intact.
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