Tips, tricks for working at home
Productivity expert talks getting things done while quarantined.
Thousands of Central Floridians sent to work from home because of coronavirus have discovered a nearly universal truth: The home is not the office. Pets and children make for noisy coworkers, lunchtime seems to be whenever and the old break room didn’t have their TV in it.
But one of the biggest changes has been the absence of the “work spouse,” that coworker with whom one talked all day. In a survey by digital marketing service PRPioneer.com, nearly two out of three Florida employees say they would have been more productive being stuck at home with their work spouse instead of their actual life partner. One in 10 respondents said they have accidentally called their home life partner by their work spouse’s name.
“As we sit down in front of our computers to get work done from home, we attempt to flip a switch in our brains to go into work mode,” said productivity consultant Emily Parks in
an email. “When you suddenly find yourself trying to create work-life balance in a space that used to be dedicated to life-only, it is important to have a dedicated workspace and a dedicated work schedule.”
Parks is the founder of Organize for Success, a North Carolinabased consultancy that helps people develop best practices at work. She believes the reasons people might have trouble staying on task these days go beyond the change from office to home.
“Although I keep hearing people refer to this as ‘the new normal,’ the current season of more people working from home is not normal,” said Parks. “Instead of choosing to work from home, individuals are attempting to get work done from their homes during a global pandemic.”
Basically, the world is an emotional rollercoaster at the moment, according to Parks. “Anxiety remains high as the future is unclear, and that is distracting,” she said. “Couple the distractions in that emotional rollercoaster with the pings and dings of tech notifications as well as the visual reminders in our homes of all the non-work to-do list items, and it’s amazing we can get anything accomplished.”
In her email, Parks identified four key elements to success when people suddenly have to merge their home and work lives:
■ Visualize what matters most to you, committing time to those priorities. Every what that has a when is more likely to get accomplished, leading to more wins. Anything for which time is not assigned is a wish, not a goal.
■ Internalize the belief that we all deserve joy, putting things on your calendar that bring happiness while working from home. Maybe that’s scheduling virtual hangouts with friends, achieving milestones with work goals, enjoying a tasty meal via takeout from a locally-owned small business, self-care or something specific to your unique interests. When you fill your cup with joy, you have the energy needed to better get things done.
■ Create structure. Beyond protecting your designated workspace, choose ways to systemize your days and build a cadence. Have a morning routine that sets you up for success, including an effort to get dressed in such a way that you feel better about yourself. Set breaks throughout the day for movement, eating and staying hydrated. Establish an evening routine that is calming and creates a foundation for the next day’s success.
■ Determine what will hold
you accountable. Do you need a carrot to work toward or something negative to avoid? Maybe you need an accountability partner with whom you check-in regularly to stay on track.
But how does one’s spouse or life partner factor into productivity?
“Your spouse, partner or roommate is not your new coworker, but any individuals sharing space with you while you are attempting to get work done from home must be incorporated in your productivity strategies,” said Parks. “Decide how you will communicate with each individual about your availability throughout the workday, including when you are on a phone or video conference as well as when you are intent on meeting a work deadline.”
When done correctly, Parks notes there are actually productivity benefits to working from home, such as eliminating the time of one’s commute or the coworkers that stop by with their own problems.
“Although research shows that employees are generally more innovative when working in the same physical space, studies have found that employees are more efficient when working from home, and technology further enables that boost in productivity,” she said.
Lastly, Parks said not to be too hard on yourself during this sudden switch.
“Offer yourself grace,” she said. “You are doing the best you can in the most extenuating of circumstances.”