Are you struggling to stay away from your bed during the midday slump when working from home? Or perhaps you feel overwhelmed by all the distractions around you and find it challenging to stay focused on your work?
Working from home is a double-edged sword;
While it gives you more freedom and flexibility over your working day, it can also be a huge source of distractions.
When working from home, you might be tempted to put the TV in the background or do the laundry during work hours. After all, how long does it take to put a load of washing on and unload the dishwasher?
The thing is, interruptions and distractions can kill your productivity and prevent your brain from focusing.
So, in this post, we’re sharing our five favourite tips to keep your brain awake and focused when working from home.
Create a Schedule
Have you ever gotten into the flow state when two hours fly by because you’re super busy getting through your to-do list?
Keeping your diary full can help keep your brain active and focused. Plus, seeing your daily goals on paper will keep you accountable.
You can simply use a notebook to write down your to-do list or more advanced tools like Monday.com or Google Calendar. These tools not only allow you to write down your list, but they also enable users to organise them by day.
This way, you can see at a glance what you’ve got on for the day and ensure there’s enough to keep busy.
Invest In Noise-Cancelling Headphones
The first thing to do is to invest in noise-cancelling headphones. While this might sound very simple, noise-cancelling headphones will allow you to block out any noise around you and hyper-focus on your projects.
Plus, upbeat tunes will keep you awake throughout the day and help you get your work done in rhythm.
So, put your favourite playlist on and zero in on your work!
Eliminate Distractions
The average person receives up to 80 phone notifications a day. On top of this, on average it takes 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back on track after being interrupted. Unfortunately, distractions are a recipe for a distracted brain and an unproductive day.
Some things you can do to eliminate distractions when working from home include:
- Blocking time-wasting sites of putting them on a timer
- Turning off push notifications on your phone
- Turning off any distracting devices and avoid having the TV playing in the background
- Sharing your work hours with your family or housemate to avoid being interrupted
- Turn off social media and email notifications during set work periods
- Using a work profile to only allow calls and notifications from chosen people and apps during work hours
Get Dressed
This again might sound very simple but working in your pyjamas every day is the best way for your brain to switch off and get into sleep mode!
So, every morning make a conscious effort to get dressed as if you were going to the office. We don’t mean wearing a suit or dress formally. Instead, make sure to always look presentable and professional. You can even allocate your own "work uniform" that you wear only during work times, even if it's just a t-shirt and some comfy pants!
And if you really enjoy wearing comfy clothes at home, just make sure to change your clothes between relaxing time and work time. This will help your brain dissociate lounge time from work time.
Have a Defined Workspace
Keeping your workspace separated from your living space is one of the most effective ways to keep your brain focused and in work-mode.
If you’re working from your bed or couch, your brain will be in lounge-mode and won’t be able to dissociate the environment with working.
So, if you have an extra room, make sure to turn it into a home office to avoid distractions and clearly separate your work from your personal life. And if you don’t have a room you can use as a home office, here are a few tips on optimising a small living space:
- Use a room divider
- Invest in a fold-down desk
- Sneak your desk into a cupboard
- Paint the wall in front of your desk with bright colours, and use a rug and some plants to define your workspace and create an office zone
We hope this article will allow you to keep your brain focused and achieve your goals when working from home. At upcover, we’re all about making our clients’ lives easier. That’s why we regularly publish tips and tricks to help small business owners succeed. And that’s also why we’ve created an instant quote generator. This easy-to-use tool will allow you to get an estimate on market-leading insurance within seconds!
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