7 Strategies to Supercharge Focus and Productivity While Working From Home

Monday morning. I have left the first day of the week free so I can get some desperately needed work done.

Three articles to write, research on Prosopagnosia (a neurological disorder characterized by the inability to recognize faces) to do in order to understand how a client who has the disorder, as well as trauma from an abusive marriage to a pathological narcissist, may cope differently than those who do not have prosopagnosia, and over a dozen client plans for the coming week on my to do list. Yet, where is my mind?

Quick peek at a People article on how happy and smiley Jennifer Lopez looks hanging out with Ben Affleck, now that they may be reuniting 20 years after their heart wrenching break-up. She was Jenny on the block back then and now at 50 looks just as amazing. Quick google of her anti-aging regimen.  Maybe some fruit will get my head in the right place. Watered the plants on the front porch.  Feeling just a bit weary, I think I will lay down for a minute....You get the picture!

I love working from home but I have to say, the easiest time for focus is when I am actually meeting with clients.  That is a substantial amount of time but I absolutely need the in between appointment hours in order to get my work done.

I have discovered what I am sure many of you have discovered, it’s not always easy to be productive from home.

Not everything is harder at home. Other stuff is easy.  For instance, it can be easy to sleep late, watch a little TV, spend too much time on social media, or just waste time in general. Having children at home makes working even more challenging and sometimes seemingly impossible.

There are so many distractions when working from home that never appear when I sit in my office in close proximity to my white noise machine, set to light rain. 

The white noise machine perpetuates the myth that when I am at work I am, indeed, in an entirely separate world from the one I am in at home.

Instead of researching prosopagnosia, I took a slight detour and reviewed techniques for working more productively from home. I can allow that detour if at least one of my dear friends out there gives a try to these 7 strategies to supercharge your focus and productivity powers to get more work done when you’re working from home.

 The 7 Supercharger Strategies

1. Set a schedule and stick to it. One of the benefits of going into the office is that you have a set period of time to work each day. You can’t arbitrarily sleep in, read the paper on the couch, check your Facebook page, and then decide to get to work.

Create a schedule and follow it. Avoid starting your day too late and ensure that you get to bed at a reasonable time.

2. Schedule your work-related tasks. Don't watch TV during the middle of the day where 10 minutes can lead to a 10 hour Netflix binge.  Following weekend routines during the week confuses your brain and body into feeling like it’s the weekend. 

Create a to-do list and follow it.

3. Get fresh and clean as a whistle. My grandma Mary's phrase. Totally outdated by all things covid. Use the same grooming routine that you use before working at the office. Tend to more than just how you look for coworkers on Zoom. While it may be helpful to have your hair up in a bun and a silky blouse on top, all that effort might not be enough with wearing PJ's on the bottom and your favorite comfy chair in view. Take a shower and follow your normal grooming routine. It will put you in a more productive frame of mind.

4. Dress for success. You might be one of those people that can take over the world while wearing boxers and a ripped T-shirt. Or you might be one of those people that needs to dress like you’re going to the office in order to get your work done. Give both a try and then dress in a manner that works best for you.

5. Become an expert on your distractions. I am all about the psychological benefits of being curious. Study yourself.

What triggers distraction? Is it a certain time of day? Two PM after a lovely lunch can be tough.  Or is it the sight of very appetizing alternatives to work? 

I truly believe Clementine, my minnie Aussie, learned how to perfect the look of "I'm so depressed!" so that I would pet her rather than dig into my work. And perfect it she did.

Learn how and when you distract yourself. When are you most likely to get off-track and waste a lot of time doing something other than work? What types of activities do you use as distractions?

Imagine you were given the challenge of being the demanding boss or coach of yourself. How would you keep you,

you the the music lover who has to get up and dance just to this year and last year's pop and R & B hits,

you the dog lover who is easily persuaded that a walk is, indeed, called for,

or you the chocolate bourbon pecan pie cupcake chef.....

How would you keep that you productive from morning to evening. How would you do it if the answer meant winning a challenge?

6.Take breaks responsibly. Checking your social media accounts just might lead to an hour long Instagram dip. Watching TV for a few minutes can easily lead to an hour or more of wasted time. Cleaning out the closet? Clear into 2022.

Set a timer and avoid any activities that will be challenging for you to stop when your time is up.

 Manage your phone and computer. The phone and the computer are often the biggest distractions.

Put your phone on silent and leave it in the other room if you can.

Turn off email notifications on your computer. Consider using a different browser for work and home life to help you to not get distracted by other tabs.

7. Perform chores after work. It’s tempting to vacuum the floor, do a load of laundry, run errands, or make your bed during the workday when you’re working from home. Well, not so much for me but I know for many.  You managed to do those activities outside of work in the past. Get your work done and then worry about your household chores.

Working from home might seem like the ideal situation, but it can be challenging to be productive for several reasons: the lack of a schedule, distractions, and the lack of supervision and peers in your environment.

Working from home can be highly productive with a few changes in your approach.

Do you have a strategy for staying focused and productive while working from home? Please hit reply and share with me.

Soon.

Before Ben and JLo are in the process of breaking up, during which she will still look amazing and I will once again yearn to know just how she does it.

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xoxo

Jodi