This past year, we’ve all had to make changes. We’ve attempted to survive this pandemic by baking a lot of cakes, dancing on TikTok, and sharing a lot of memes! Students had to study online, and adults, had to work from home. As comfortable as it is to attend meetings in our pajama bottoms, working from home is not really a walk in the park. Here are 7 tips to help you stay focused and meet those deadlines!
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Take Regular Breaks
Let’s face it, you’ll never be able to work for 8 hours straight! Instead of guiltily spending two hours in the bathroom and staring into the void with your laptop open in front of you, be realistic! And give yourself a real break. Research shows that a 15 min break between each 1 hour of work can greatly boost productivity.
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Make To-Do Lists
Make your lists as detailed as possible and make it tick-able! Cross off everything you’ve gotten done to feel motivated.
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Designate A Working Space
Get out of bed! Designating a space for work and a space for leisure tells your brain what you’re supposed to be doing where. You can’t have any more coffee stains on your bedsheets. Make the space your own, remove the clutter and your old school books, and put up some pictures. Also, don’t get Netflix anywhere near it!
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Communicate With Your Co-workers
Working at home can be lonely. Video-call your work buddies and work together virtually!
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Have a Set Routine
Stick to the 9 AM to 5 PM work schedule. You might be thinking “I might as well get those couple of hours of sleep, I have all day to work” and I’m telling you, it’s a bad idea. Sleeping in will only have you working all day instead of the assigned 8 hours. Having work constantly looming over your head is stressful. So, get everything done in the right time and spend the rest of your day chilling guilt-free.
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Fight The Urge To Procrastinate
The time you’re supposed to spend working is not the right time to tidy up your room or look for that thing you lost a hundred years ago. Fight the urge to get up and make a cup of tea if it’s your 5th one today! Contrary to popular belief, it’s not likely to magically get your task done. Sitting down and focusing will though!
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Dress to impress
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While working from home, it’s easy to spend the day in your PJs. Honestly, how often have you fantasized about wearing pajamas to work when you had to go to the office? But, dressing up for work will give you a sense of purpose and a boost of ‘feeling yourself’ confidence. It’ll also allow you to wear those outfits you didn’t get to wear because of the pandemic.
Jokes aside, adjusting to this new life is not an easy task. But, we’re all navigating it together. Let’s hope we don’t have to do this for long. Until then, stay safe.