What Classifies as a Distraction?
Working from home… awesome, right? We at KarmaHub think so too. However, being around all of your distractions can also be a creative streak’s worst nightmare. We aren’t even required to leave our bed. How awesome is that? Although, it’s probably best that we do. Working at home is a modern-day game changer for most individuals and companies. We are provided immense flexibility, we save big on transportation, as well as those morning coffee stops and lunchtime take out trips and we get to spend more time with our loved ones at home. These are huge benefits for a remote worker, but we are faced with all of our homey comforts. We never truly know our distractions until we are working remotely in our homes. Distractions take many forms and sometimes we aren’t aware of how great we are at finding them until we start to hit that post-lunch energy dip. We get it, work isn’t always exciting, nor does it get your adrenaline pumping. When we hit these slumps, it’s too easy to turn on the Television, work in bed and get comfy, or mindlessly scroll through social media. There are distractions that we cannot control. Many remote workers are in these positions because they are stay-at-home home moms and dads. This alone can present a whole new level of challenges to navigate through. Environments that are busy and loud make it difficult to focus even for the most dedicated, focused worker.
We don’t expect all of your distractions to go away. However, we do want to help the remote community work effectively while still working comfortably.
Creating a Home Office
Whether you already work at home or are getting tips for future positions, our first tip is making the investment. Creating your own working space not only makes you still feel professional while working at home, but you must have immense willpower to work where you sleep. Making an investment doesn’t have to be expensive. Is there a corner in your home you can rearrange and create your own home office? Keep it simple. Visiting local secondhand shops can be an awesome alternative to investing in a brand-new desk. The idea is to create a simple, organized environment in order for you to work comfortably while minimizing distractions. If possible, try to find a room that isn’t a common living area where you will have a lot of traffic. Try finding a room with its own door, it will really help! In creating a home office, we wouldn’t recommend an uncomfortable chair. For example, try not to use a bar stool or uncomfortable kitchen chair. If you are willing to spend the extra dollar, spend it on a comfortable chair to give you support throughout the day. Remember, the intention is to try our best to avoid sitting in our go-to comfy places such as the couch or bed where we will lose productivity. A good chair will go a long way!
Set Intentions
No matter what kind of remote work you are currently doing, have a game plan. Every morning before work, or in the afternoon before logging off for the day, set intentions for the next work day. Productivity thrives in an organized environment. In setting a game plan, we can make a clear and conscious effort to stay on track with the work we want to complete. It also allows for not forgetting important tasks we need to address. Did you not finish a task today? Complete it first thing in the morning tomorrow to ensure the best quality and to not get distracted by new daily tasks. In setting intentions, we can also minimize changes to our schedules. Create a list of tasks in order of priority to ensure the most important tasks get finished on time. Put tasks of lower priority at the bottom of the list: for example, tasks without due dates.
Another tip when setting intentions is to use timers to ensure you aren’t going over the time allotted when working on tasks. When setting intentions for that day, I also put an allotted amount of time required to complete that project. This ensures great time management.
Scheduling
Nothing is worse than seeing a project deadline approaching for a project you haven’t even started yet. Scheduling is very important when working at home. When you are not around coworkers daily, or in an office where you may hear or see reminders, it may be easy for meetings, projects, and important dates to slip your mind. Also, staying on a consistent schedule as if you were working a traditional job may help you stay on track and maximize your productivity. Schedule breaks for yourself as well! It is important for yourself and your quality of work. If you are expecting to work a full eight hours without a break, your quality may begin to suffer.
If you’re feeling tired, your creativity isn’t at its peak, or if you are suffering from a quality dip, take a break! Refocus your energy. Make some coffee, go for a run, even do some stuff around the house during breaks to ensure maximum relaxation after work. You’d be surprised how many small tasks you can get done while taking small breaks. Scheduling breaks may also be a great time to throw something in the crock-pot for dinner time.
Organization
Being organized offers less stress and more productivity. A clean office, organized space, and schedule can go a long way, especially when you’re responsible for creating your own schedule and deadlines. Implementing organization techniques can prevent forgetting and misplacing. We recommend utilizing organizational technology and apps to assist you. The following are free and great!
- One Drive- availability to share documents with co-workers.
- Google Calendar- track vacation days, meeting, deadlines and important dates.
- EverNote- have a great idea? Track it here. The same goes for to-do lists. Prevent information from slipping through the cracks.
Invest in organizers. If you frequently print, have a separate folder for each category. A physical paper calendar may help for quick glances at upcoming projects as well. Being an organized worker, we can prevent the distractions of searching for files, looking for missing items, and trying to remember the last time you saw something you needed. Why stress more than you have to?
Ask for help
Minimizing distractions can be much easier if we ask for help. Are you a stay at home parent with the kids while working? Talk with your spouse and discuss scheduling them to care for your children when you know you have meetings or important tasks.
Asking for help also means speaking with co-workers or your boss if you are finding something work related especially distracting. Have several notifications pop up while trying to type? Communicate with your boss on if it is acceptable to silent notifications while working on difficult projects. Have a meeting? Ask your co-workers to put a pause on any unnecessary communication for an allotted time.
Summary
Working at home is a great experience. We are provided immense flexibility and the freedom to stay home, or work anywhere we please with internet access. However, with great reward comes great responsibility. We are responsible for our own productivity and remaining consistent with the quality of work. This can be challenging when we are in the closely surrounded by all of our comforts and our favorite distractions. Implement these changes into your daily routine and adjust as necessary.
- Know your distractions
- Create an office space
- Set intentions
- Manage your schedule
- Remain organized
- Ask for help
We hope you enjoy working at home as much as we do!
KarmaHub 