No doubt about it, it’s great to have a sleep in and move to the next room to start your day’s work.
Keeping your comfy trackies on the bottom half while you present well on the top half for the day’s scheduled Zoom calls. That could be the new definition of bliss!
If you’re a Victorian, you’re living through lockdown 2.0 with level 4 restrictions in the metro area and level 3 in regional areas.
This means most people forced to work back at home again.
Initially, for many it felt great and for some, it removed much stress as people didn’t have to fight peak hour traffic to and from work and paying for parking.
No doubt, working from home has its benefits.
But boy oh boy, does it have its downfalls.
Less body movement as we’re not walking to and from the car or around bigger working spaces or legging it to the local café for our morning caffeine fix. Hence, the term that has been coined, “COVID kilos”.
The list is big, but let’s focus on three productivity killers when working from home.
#1 Kids at home
You’re in the flow, working away and one of your kids walks into your workspace… demanding your attention. It might be an algebra question that needs unpacking or a drawing that needs your approval.
Just like that, your flow is broken and so is your concentration.
You’ve also put a kink in that heart connection between you and your child as they feel the tension that has been momentarily been created.
That’s what we call “Parent Guilt” and it is very real: especially during this pandemic.
The juggle between achieving your work goals and “home learning” is a tricky one to balance and not everyone is great at it. Let’s be honest here…most are not great at it.
A family member recently said to me that not all adults are natural teachers and that some are incapable of breaking things down and explaining it to other people. We are not all teachers and this can lead to further frustrations at home, especially when you’ve got deadlines to be met for work.
Remember to be kind to yourself and your children.
This is not forever.
#2 Domestic Duties That Continually Arise
Are any of the following familiar to you?
“I’ll just put a load of washing on…the washing machine has finished? I’ll just go and hang out the washing…it’ll only take a few minutes.”
“Oh, the dog needs to go outside… now come back inside.”
“I’ll just tidy up the kitchen and put the dishes away.”
“It’s lunch time, ok what are we all having for lunch?”
“I’ll fold up the washing and put it away quickly”.
Whilst it’s convenient to do these things in your day, it’s taking you away from being focused and productive.
Your brain cannot process two things at once (another topic for another blog).
It’s true.
While you are hanging out the washing, you can’t be focused on your work.
Whilst you’re having a conversation with your child and trying to email someone at the same time, one of those two activities will not get your 100% focus.
So how do you choose?
#3 Distractions Overload
If you’re someone who is easily distracted or you procrastinate, then working at home may not be productive or an effective choice for you and could be a total time killer.
Netflix.
Amazon Prime.
PS4.
Staring at the pantry or fridge.
Checking the letterbox three times a day.
Oh and how about those time zappers where you sucked into their vortex…you know what I mean.
Facebook.
Instagram.
TikTok.
You can easily spend an hour or two scrolling away.
Let’s not forget the alluring ads that pop up and next thing we’re at a check out buying the next best face mask or that top on sale that we don’t really need.
Hmm…it’s so easy to do.
Meanwhile, your “to do” list continues to grow and that little sense of overwhelm starts to sneak in.
Yuck.
No body likes that feeling.
Whilst working at home does have its benefits, we must also be aware of the distractions and disjointed time frames that it presents.
These can be a real bug bare and drag down your productivity and focus, making tasks drag out longer than they should.
Placing extra stress on you!
So what do we do with these three things that challenge us when working from home?
Organise some time to work somewhere where you won’t be distracted.
Come and try out one of our desks at Platypus Coworking.
We’re open and have space dedicated for you that is clean, safe and interruption free.
Now that sounds like true productivity bliss!
If you’re sick of working from home and would like to trial coworking at Platypus Coworking book a Day Pass and use the coupon BLOG to come in and trial for free.