Working remotely sounds like paradise for most people. Who doesn’t enjoy the thought of getting paid to work without having to leave your home? You don’t need to go through the hassle of commuting to the office everyday and you’ll have more time to spend with your loved ones. This lifestyle is as flexible as it can get. If there’s one good thing the pandemic has brought us, it’s the ability to work from home. Gordian Staffing’s remote workers are provided with the necessary hardware equipment to conduct their work, all they need to present are their skills!
While the privilege of working remotely has its perks, there’s no such thing as perfect. Working from home has its fair share of challenges just like working in a traditional setting has. The biggest challenge that every remote worker faces—no matter what industry they’re in is distraction. Distraction comes in many forms such as housework, television, friends or family gatherings, pretty much any task that requires you to be away from your computer.
People who don’t fully comprehend the remote work lifestyle will assume that you’re not doing “real work” and force you to do things with them. What you thought was a flexible lifestyle turns into a liability, which can lead to unfinished tasks, and your company won’t be pleased about this in the long run.
So, how does one battle against the distractions? Thankfully, there has been a multitude of proven ways to overcome this hurdle.
Foolproof ways remote workers remain focused during their shift
- Create a to-do list. When you list down all your tasks in the form of a list, you develop a sense of urgency. This is a great technique if you’re struggling with prioritizing and managing your responsibilities. You can create your list on your laptop but nothing beats writing it on a piece of paper and crossing out a task that you’ve already finished.
- Create a home office. When working remotely, you aren’t provided your own cubicle unlike a typical office job. This can affect your concentration especially if you’re working on your bed. Establishing a designated workplace can give your brain signal cues to remind yourself that you’re working.
- Establish daily schedules. Besides writing down a list of your tasks, it helps to be more specific about it—take note the amount of time you’ll be allotting on each task. This will help you refrain from doing any unnecessary activities and you’ll have your complete focus on your main responsibilities for that day.
- Create a calendar. If you want to be uber-organized, setting up a calendar on your workspace can act as visual cue for you to remain focused on your requirements. The more organized and visually appealing the calendar is, the better.
- Set an alarm. It can be quite distracting when you’re constantly bombarded by notifications on your phone. Setting an alarm can help you get rid of that distraction. Simply set your time for around 20-30 minutes to dedicate for work. Once that timer sets off, you can set another alarm for 5 minutes, this will be for your break. Having a timer not only helps structure your time, but it also reminds you to stop checking your phone constantly.
- Work in a quiet and organized place. When you work in a room full of noise and other distractions, unless you’ve got tunnel vision, you will not be able to concentrate. Being in a room that’s quiet and peaceful will allow you to focus on your work more. Fewer distractions mean less wasted time; you will be able to maximize your productivity.
- Lessen the use of media. This just doesn’t refer to your cellphone, but also other forms of media consumption. This can be difficult to escape since even on your laptop you can easily access social media tabs just by clicking a tab. Aside from setting an alarm, you can block specific sites you know you’ll waste time on especially during your shift.
- Get a breath of fresh air. Feeling stuck on what you’re doing? Sometimes going out helps. Just take a few steps outside your home and do some light stretching as you direct your eyes to some nature. It can be relaxing to see some greenery after hours of staring into the screen.
- Get ready for your work as if you’re working in a real office. This tip has helped a lot of people especially during the beginning of the pandemic when everyone had to adjust to working from home. You can do this by setting an alarm an hour before the start of your shift. Take a shower and change into work clothes (or anything except pajamas), these cues can shift your mindset into being productive at work.
- Set boundaries between work and home. When your shift is over, leave it on your designated workspace. Don’t bring work into your bedroom because this will disrupt the flow you have. Similarly, don’t do any leisure activities in your home office.
Rob Buffington is the founder of Gordian Staffing and has helped over a hundred companies incorporate remote staff into their workforce.