Are you one of those people that finds it extremely hard, or even impossible to stay on schedule at the moment? It seems that no matter how hard you try and organise your day or how many detailed notes you make, you are always ending up behind at the end of the day. But don't worry, it is a problem we are all facing at the moment as we have lost a sense of routine.
As most of us are adjusting to home life for the foreseeable future, it has been quite the transition to move from an office environment to working from home especially if it's something you've never done or only have experienced every so often. Along with working remotely, we have to plan our days around family, friends and partners, so we can concentrate, focus and proactively get our work done. But this can be quite difficult depending on your home location, especially if you have your kids roaming around, your parents or partner walking in on your zoom calls or just terrible wifi signal.
However, don't panic most of us are experiencing a bit of a shaky start, and we are all in this together when it comes to adjusting to home life. You can get back into your creative and business-led mindset by focusing on planning your tasks, having regular communication with your work colleagues and most of all, having breaks from your desk.
1. Give What You're Doing Your Undivided Attention
Our smartphones, laptops and tablets have become the norm for us at the moment. We are having to use them to manage our workload and also stay connected to friends, family and our partners if you're going long-distance. However, having these technology devices right at our fingertips can tempt us to get distracted and go off task. From scrolling your Instagram feed to watching TikTok videos or chatting to your friends on what's app. You are preventing yourself from focusing on your job and most of all, ticking off that checklist of the day.
2. Create Realistic Deadlines
Depending on your role and workload at this moment in time, it's worth making a realistic deadline every day, which allows you to get through your task list without any distractions. Plan your morning and afternoon with different assignments such as emails, calls, creating presentations, managing data and make sure you're giving yourself a lunchtime break away from your desk to have some food and get some fresh air.
3. Play some music to keep your mind at ease
Letting your mind wander is a habit even if you've turned off your phone. But one thing you can do to help keep you focused is listening to music. If you've got Google Home, Amazon Echo, Apple Music or Spotify. Put yourself a playlist on which helps you relax and put your mind at ease while you work at your desk.
4. Use your online calendar
Create an online to-do list. Sometimes a note task list isn't practical for everyone, so using your phone calendar or outlook calendar will allow you to keep track of zoom calls and deadlines. You can also add in your lunch break, and when you have finished the day, so it allows you to keep track of your working hours.
6. Blast out the hard tasks in the morning or afternoon
Depending on your working schedule, you need to make sure you assign yourself the correct amount of time to get through some of the most challenging tasks of the day. Using your morning or afternoon after a workout and some food will help you stay focused and get through the more challenging pieces of work without any distractions.
7. Switch up your out off working hours activities to change up your working day
Switching when you workout, wake up or have your meals will change the levels of productivity you have during the day. Putting back a sense of routine to your working from home lifestyle will help give back structure to your working days and most of all, allow you to reap in other rewards while you work. If you're a morning person, get up, get out of bed and get your workout in before you grab a shower and log on to your laptop. However, if you prefer to have an extra hour in bed, have your breakfast and then log in then choose to work out during your lunch break or after you logoff to give your mind time to have a break and switch off from stress and anxiety that you may be feeling.
Finally, drink lots of water! It's easy to forget the importance of hydration while we are typing away on our laptops. But it's essential to make sure you drink the right amount of water while you work as it will help prevent headaches and migraines. On top of that, it helps clear your skin and keep your body healthy, which is incredibly important during these uncertain times.
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