In the past decade, we have seen rapid advances in technology, this has given more people with all different jobs the opportunity to work from home. I myself have seen an increase in recent years for companies asking for remote access to be set up for employers. It has now been reported that 4.2 million people across the UK now work from home (according to the TUC).
It has now become the norm for us to visit a home of a friend or family and to see a home office set up. So many people have taken up this opportunity as there is no commute, no drive-by meetings and no dress code. Remote working can seem like a dream that is until personal issues get in the way. When working in an office you can step away from home life and problems seem easier to ignore but when you’re at home the lines between work and personal tasks become blurred.
Here are few tips on how you can try to stay focused when working from home.
- Establish working hours
If you want to stay focused when remote working you need to treat your day as a formal work day, pretend you’re not working from home. Many people will schedule personal appointments or run errands during the day and let their personal life take over. You then may fall into the trap of picking up work tasks after your work day has ended. By setting rules and boundaries you are helping to create a structured work day and you are separating work and personal time.
2. Structure your day for success
Maximise productivity by structuring it differently than a typical workday. “For example, if you don’t work from home very often you can make it a meeting-free day. Then define one to two key items that you want to accomplish during this time. These could be tasks that require an hour or more of uninterrupted attention, or they could be items that simply require more creative, strategic thinking than you may be able to achieve in the office environment.” By giving your day structure and focus you will feel like you have had a productive workday.
3. Set boundaries with others
To make your days working from home feel like real work days you need set boundaries with the people around you. Be clear with the people who might be around you at home. Explain to friends and family that the days you’re working remotely aren’t opportunities for non-work-related activities. “For example, if you’re home with your spouse, tell them, I’m planning on being on my computer from 8 AM to 5 PM today. I’m happy to chat at lunch, but other than that I’ll be occupied.” By setting these rules you are less likely to become preoccupied with personal tasks.
To learn more about how you can stay focused when working at home read the full article here: https://hbr.org/2017/09/how-to-stay-focused-when-youre-working-from-home
If you have any questions on how to set up remote working please contact my team on 020 3141 8833.