10 Tips for Staying Focused While Working From Home

Most of us have a routine, whether we realize it or not. We get up about the same morning, eat and drink the same thing, let the dog out, ship the kiddos off to school, etc. 

But I'm no longer putting on my shoes, getting in the car, and fighting traffic on my commute to work.

This is a whole new routine for me...

Getting up daily with the mindset that you are going into the office, not your guest room or living room, will help start your morning off right. 

Dress like it's “Casual Friday”
Sweatpants and pajamas are comfortable for sure. But if you want to get in the mindset that you are going into the office and beginning your workday, and not lounging on your couch watching football on a Sunday afternoon, then you need to dress the part.

Create a home office 
Most people probably don’t have a spare room in their home or apartment that is just sitting empty, waiting to be turned into an office. This is where it is vital to create an office environment. It doesn’t matter if you are working from your living room or the kitchen table. Getting into that office mindset just like you would if you were sitting in your chair at your office is what’s most important.

Keep in touch with your coworkers
Chat with your co-workers every morning just like you would if you were seeing them in person. Tools like email or Slack are great ways to communicate.  Small talk about the family or local events happening or “must watch TV” programs are all part of being in that mindset as if are in the office. 

Limit distractions and remove temptations
Most people probably think it will be much easier to stay focused while working from home, as opposed to being surrounded by people in the office, right? On the contrary, it is very tempting to throw that load of laundry in or start dinner. Equally as enticing is to pick up your phone and scroll through social media websites.  By logging out of social media sites and keeping your phone where you must get up to look at it, you will be able to limit distractions and stay productive. Your boss and your paycheck thank you.

Get up and move around
Sometimes by working from home, we become so absorbed in our work that we forget to take breaks or  lunch like we would if we were in the office. It is important to take a few minutes out every couple of hours to stretch your legs or go outside and get some fresh air. Let the dog out or walk around the block. It is good exercise and gets the blood flowing,  as well as it gives you a few minutes to clear your head and give your eyes a break from your computer before you resume your workday.

Connect with your team out of the office
For companies with the majority of their team working from home, connecting live and in person at least a couple of times a year is important. Team members want and need to meet each other. Sure Zoom is great, but it’s not nearly the same as spending time getting to know each other on a more personal level and being able to deep dive into work issues.

Set a timer for the end of the workday
You sometimes might find yourself so engrossed in your work that you lose all track of time. Since you don’t have any distractions, like co-workers stopping by to say goodnight as they leave the office and head towards their cars, it’s easy to keep working. A good way to prevent burnout is to set strict work hours for yourself...and stick to them. 

You have a wonderful job, but you also have a personal life
Being able to work from home is usually a great thing, and the pros far outweigh the cons.  People are home even more than usual these days, and home is also where work is, so it is very easy to entwine the two. If you allow it to do so, work can very easily begin to slowly dominate your life. By setting firm work hours, this leaves time in your day to enjoy your family, your pets, your hobbies or whatever it is you enjoy doing.

Your employer shouldn’t expect you to be at their beck and call because you work from home, just as they wouldn’t if you left the office and went home for the day.  At the end of your workday, set yourself to “away”, close your laptop, and turn off your office light. 

Working from home is a luxury that most people only dreamed about 20-30 years ago. If you follow these tips and set firm guidelines and expectations for yourself, you should be all set and be able to flourish while enjoying working from home!

Here at Foxie, we all work remotely and we hope these suggestions help make your time at home more productive.

Are you ready to drastically improve communication with your customers and employees?

Allow us to introduce FoxieEngage.

Foxie has developed FoxieEngage, which is a single platform that gives you the ability to chat, respond to social media questions, text, talk, and communicate with your staff, customers, and vendors…all on their terms and in the way they choose to communicate with you.

FoxieEngage is what your business needs and what your customers and employees have been yearning for.

Be more engaged with your customers and employees...call us at 866-BE-ENGAGED (866-233-6424), text START to FOXIE (36943) or if you prefer just shoot me an email at mdaudfar@foxie.com.

We are looking forward to engaging with you soon!