7 strategies to help you get focused when working from home
Working from home can be great. I love it and have chosen to work this way. Yet, it is not for everyone.
Right now, however, so many people are being required to work from home. It can be a major adjustment to get comfortable with working from home if that is not your usual work environment. A significant part of that adjustment is how you will find ways to get and stay focused on your work under these different circumstances. For many of you, it isn’t just a change of location. There are other people at home who want your attention and other aspects of the situation that can significantly impact your ability to focus on what you need to do for work. At a time when everything is feeling so different, we crave the connection to our regular or normal activities. Additionally, it is important for us to stay focused on work as many of us are concerned about earning income and remaining employed.
Here are my top 7 strategies to support your ability to get focused when working from home:
Reframe your mindset about how challenging it might be to get focused at home. Even though the elements are quite different, think about how you naturally get focused and leverage those strengths first, then adapt with reinforcements to support what already works for you.
Ask for help! Given how suddenly this work from home situation has occurred, it can make people feel as if they have no control or no say in what happens next, but now is the time to take charge and build in the supports you need to help you make this work as effectively as it can. So if getting help with your children or help with creating a space to work in would serve your needs to get focused, do it sooner than later.
Exercise gets the endorphins going, and the oxygen circulating which can enhance brain function and… FOCUS! 30-minute walks will do the trick or more if that is your regular routine.
Mindfulness practices such as meditation are also known to help improve focus and decrease stress. Consistency is key and it does not need to take up a lot of your time. There are great apps that can make it a fairly easy practice to develop. Some of my favorites are Headspace and Calm, but there are many good ones available.
Buddy Up with an accountability partner or mastermind group of peers who you can share challenges, resources and accomplishments with. Make commitments with each other of projects and goals you plan to work on with deadlines and follow up with one another to check in on the progress as well as to support each other. Knowing that you have someone out there who supports you will help you to focus on your work.
Create a daily short list of 3 – 5 items you plan to address or accomplish in a day and stick to those items. Keep them specific and realistic. Do not look at other items on other lists unless you finish everything on your current list earlier in the day.
Pace yourself and take breaks. Some people like the Pomodoro technique in which you perform tasks in 25-minute segments with 5-minute breaks in between each “Pomodoro”. It is advisable that several breaks over the course of the day will actually serve your efficiency and aid your ability to focus.