Working from home – how to be more productive!

Let’s be real, on the outdoor table on the back deck, picturesque as the garden is, isn’t going to be a good “go-to” place to really generate the quality of output you need on a daily basis. Neither is sitting in the sunshine streaming through that lounge window.

Spaces create memories, and some of us suffer from distraction more than others, so our environments can cause all sorts of triggers that aren’t related to work! Put simply your homework space should trigger that sense of efficiency and productivity.

Context-dependent Memory

It has been shown that learning something in one environment makes it easier to recall that same information when we return to that same location. So if you wanted to study for an exam, the best place would be the examination room itself!

Our emotional state of mind and mood can also impact memory retrieval.

This context memory applies to our home office, so building an association between a place and a set of skills/memories/activities will actually make us better at entering into the right state of mind. If you work in the living room where you also watch Masterchef and play with the kids, you won’t create that strong association and it will be harder to get into a productive state of mind.

Creating a good workspace

Ideally, you have space where you can shut yourself away from people, and any heard and seen distractions! If not there are some key spacial ideas that will help you be more productive;

• Separate your worktop from other things in the room, use a couch or a bookshelf as a visual divider perhaps.
• Face away from distracting things in the room, like other screens or the main entrance to the house.
• Having a task light, a desk lamp is ideal that only goes on when you are in prime work mode. The general area should be well lit as well.
• Use earplugs, or earphones to ensure the sound you hear is helpful to getting work done. Get a playlist that stimulates you to produce work, and put it on repeat!
• Position yourself as far away from other noisy activities in the house if possible.
  Turn off notifications and any electronic reminders for periods of time to minimise the distractions you can control. Determine a schedule for checking emails and social media, that doesn’t distract your flow of thoughts.
• Remove physical temptations, other devices out of sight and reach!

Prepare yourself mentally

Let other people know that you are working between certain times, and you don’t want to be disturbed. Putting up a sign on the door or even on the back of your chair at key times may be worthwhile.

Develop a timetable, and it may be worth writing it down and logging in each day, and logging out again. Habits repeated become harder to break and that works in the positive sense with work routines.

Manage your time in order to create more separation between your workday and your time off. This requires discipline and practice, as it is all too easy to fall into the trap of working late “just this once.” The danger is that with your office so close to your couch, you’ll end up with no downtime at all (which isn’t good for your health, your work, or your relationships!).

Hope this helps your focus, and perhaps now we are in level 2, for some of us, it’s just become a little less important.

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