Working from home has its perks, allowing employees to achieve their desired work-life balance. However, one common downside of working from home is the difficulties employees can face in terms of productivity. Working from home poses many distractions and makes it easy to procrastinate. If an employee has children at home, for example, then it can be a bit overwhelming to ration enough time to complete all of one’s tasks. This can also cause the work quality to dwindle if multitasking is not a strong quality in the person.
One’s full attention tends to alternate between the tasks they happen to be doing, so the focus is dispensed unevenly. This effects quality, performance, and productivity. Awareness of these distractions and problems can help workers to maintain a high level of productivity while working from home, along with these simple fixes.
Turn Your Notifications Off
If you do not need to use your phone for work, you will likely benefit from turning it off. There is no sense in being bothered every five minutes to be bombarded with notifications or phone calls, especially if you are typically not interacting on it when you are in the office. Having your phone accessible may still prompt you to constantly check it. It is best to put the phone down until work is completed so that your undivided attention is allocated to work.
Schedule Your Objectives
Although working from home does allow for flexible planning, there still needs to be structure within your work routine. Sometimes, people underestimate the time that they have due to the comfort of their at-home job. By the time they know it, they are approaching important deadlines. There’s no need to cut it close and rush work. Having a schedule will keep you on track with your objectives and prevent any slacking.
Get Dressed
Working from home also offers the convenience of being able to wear whatever you want – like loungewear. However, lounge clothes may actually have the opposite effect that you are looking for. By getting dressed in business or business casual clothing, your morale can get an instant boost and you feel more productive and more authoritative.
Set Up A Proper Work Environment
A person working at their home should probably invest in an office or set aside space for working. Having the appropriate setup for work will also assist in your organization. It is not wise to do work in bed because, subconsciously, you associate your bed with sleep and relaxation. Even if you are not tired, being in the bed can create lethargic moods. The same applies for couches. This environment makes it hard to be productive as all you will want to do is sleep or decompress from your work. A desk specifically for working would be a better option in these cases.