According to a report, almost 74% of North Americans are willing to quit their jobs if it meant their employer would give them the freedom to work from home. That’s mainly because working from home results in zero commute costs and offers one the opportunity to spend more time with their loved ones.
Unfortunately, while working from home has its benefits, it has its downsides as well – with the most irritating among them being the frequent distractions that force you to sit up from your work chair and run the errand which cannot wait until tomorrow.
Here are four tips acting on which you can stay productive while working from home:
1. Build a dedicated Work Space
Resting on your couch while working will soon divert you to set in a comfortable position and lure away your whole focus. For this reason, find a calm corner in your home, set your working table and chair, and designate that area for work-related activities.
Also, before coming to the desk, leave your smartphone on the charging station for phones so that its constant beeping won’t distract you. I’d also suggest that you do not have lunch at your work table as research states that you stand a greater chance of a weight gain when you eat at your work table.
2. Hold Regular Breaks
According to a study, if you are working without taking adequate breaks, you’re inviting trouble. Working for long stretches might harm your productivity, overall work performance, and even mental health. In the worst-case scenario, it might also lead to job burnout. That’s why you should take regular breaks while working on your study.
3. Close your Emails and Messenger
Not all distractions have external causes. Some of them are a part of our jobs. Never-ending emails and instant messages are constant pushovers to our productive drive. That’s why, before initiating your day’s work, park your gadgets at the phone charger station and make a promise with yourself that you’d check (and respond to) emails and messages during the break time.
4. Limit the interference of those around you
It gets tough to concentrate on work when the kids are running around, family members are talking loudly, and the TV’s volume is touching its upper echelons. That’s why you need to let everyone around you know that just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean that you’re available.