How to Be Productive While You Work from Home
Intentional planning. As the initial excitement that some felt about working from home wears off and some of the complications of working from home set in, it is more important than ever to invest in how to make it productive and sustainable. Here are some strategies that work well for many professionals:
Post a schedule. Now that we no longer physically commute to work and home, we still need to keep a boundary between the two. Posting a schedule in your home will help you stay on task as well as telling your family when you are available to talk and when you are “at work”. Consider sharing it with coworkers to communicate clear expectations about when you are no longer available.
Have accountability meetings. Consider having a 10-minute morning check in each morning with a coworker or friend to share what you are going to work on. It will give you a few minutes of social connection, make you think through what you actually want to accomplish each day, and at the very least, wake up by that time every day.
Take “water cooler breaks”. Even if you don’t have a regular exercise routine, you still move around way more when you commute to work, walk around the office, or go out to dinner. Make sure that you move regularly during the day, even if it is just going to the kitchen for water or going outside to walk for a few minutes.
Choose when to hyperfocus. Hyperfocus can be an incredible gift, when used correctly. If you have a task where you are prone to hyperfocus, try to schedule it for a time in the day when you can zone in for a couple hours, not when you have twenty minutes and something on the stovetop. Schedule the tasks you like less during shorter work periods to break up the task and make it easier to start.
Transition yourself out of hyperfocus. Asking a professional’s brain to stop hyperfocussing can be like asking a teenager to stop playing their favorite video game just when they are about to beat a new level – it often doesn’t go over well without a plan. Just like you would want to with a teenager, give yourself warnings to pull yourself out of the task over the course of 10-20 minutes. Setting a series of timers leading up to your final cutoff time will allow your brain to disengage and make it to your next meeting on time.
Schedule an end of day video dinner/get together. Just like you might be “forced” to stop working to go out with coworkers or make dinner with your family or friends, you should also schedule virtual get-togethers. While we are in isolation, intentional social connection is more important than ever.
We are here to help coach you through this transition.
If you would like help creating a customized plan for you, your employees, or your family, reach out to us to learn more about our online ADHD and executive function coaching for adolescents and adults. You can schedule a free consultation.
Sign up for our blog to receive more action steps you, your coworkers, or your family can be taking.
Best,
Paige Porter
The How Skills
ADHD & Executive Function Coaching
thehowskills.com
hello@thehowskills.com
