5 Hacks For Staying On Task When You Work From Home
Working from home isn’t like this. No, really. I promise.
Many of us are new to working from home, especially after the pandemic. It was awe-inspiring to watch the corporate mindset shift from “I need my workers to come into the office” to “everyone benefits when some workers stay home.” That doesn’t make it any less frustrating when I find myself in a rut of unproductivity (at its worst — a week of unproductivity!)
I know I’m not the only one who finds themselves thinking, “why can’t I just be like everyone else?” when I stare blankly at a google doc for 20 minutes or get up for my 7th coffee break over the past hour. I just need a moment of clarity to remember one of the most important lessons I’ve learned since shifting to a work at home job.
I’m more productive than I ever was at any job before this, writer’s block aside. Studies show that people who work shorter days from home are more productive. I can name clear examples in my work history that verify this.
Like when I used to take 15-20 minutes between calls when I worked for a call center because I was so fried from getting screamed at. Or when I used to have my students do “group work” to give myself a break. Or when I would take mini-vacations from my most dreaded job by calling in sick the three days before my off days. I know that even if I have to take a mental health day working from home, I’m still working harder than I ever have at any job, rarely taking breaks and getting much more done.
Still, when I feel as though I could be getting more done, check-in with myself, and realize I’m bored and not just mentally checked out, I have some workarounds to get me through my unproductivity rut. Here are some of those.
Move To A Different Space
Sometimes, the couch is calling me and I must go.
Plenty of productivity blogs insist that working in the same place every day is the best way to stay on task. These types of blogs don’t keep in mind that one solution doesn’t work for everyone. The recommendation of returning to the same workplace every day may work great for neurotypical people. Still, it doesn’t work well for some of us with mental differences like anxiety, depression, ASD, ADD, or ADHD (to name a few).
If you find that the general recommendation of working only in one particular area of your home doesn’t work for you, mix it up. If you have a home office or desk space you usually work at, choose to work on the couch for a day instead. Or in bed. Or, take it outside. Sometimes even a day away from your desk can keep you motivated to stay on task.
2. Work On Another Task
Although not for everyone, having a few things to work on at once really helps me stay productive.
This is another recommendation that may work better for some than others. For me, I find that trying too hard to focus on one writing task makes me less productive. I get into a cycle where I fight with writer’s block for a while, think of things I’d rather be doing, then get up to take a break in an attempt to break the writer’s block. Then I come back to the task and end up repeating the cycle over and over again. Work from home jobs can be like that, especially if your position requires you to be self-motivated.
For me, the answer to breaking this cycle has been to work on multiple tasks at once. If you can deal with it — be that monster with dozens of open tabs on your browser. If you find your mind wandering from a task, switch to another one, even if just for a few minutes. This has been helpful for me when it comes to procrastinating. In undergraduate school, I was the type of person who put things off until the very last minute because “that’s the only way I could get things done.” I know I have a hard time focusing on things I’m uninterested in. So, I start first by prioritizing my tasks. Then, I work on them bit by bit. If I have something due today that I’m having a hard time focusing on, I’ll pull up another task I have due a few days from now and switch back and forth on working on them.
This saves me from cramming (which produces flawed work) and also helps me focus. This technique won’t be for everyone, but working on multiple tasks can be a powerful tool for overcoming writer’s block and getting things done on time.
3. Prioritize Your Work From Home Tasks
Keep track of and prioritize each of your tasks so you never fall behind.
Look, we’re not all going to be master organizers, I get that. But even loosely prioritizing your tasks will help you overcome missed deadlines and will potentially motivate you. Find a way that works for you to help you remember exactly what your top priorities are. For me, I have a couple of tactics.
I write down my tasks on Todoist. I live by Todoist, it’s my favorite app, and I use it every day. I use the reminder tools to set reminders for big-ticket items that have exact due dates.
Then I write them down on a chalkboard next to my desk. I color code based on my clients!
Every day I’ll look at Todoist and see what is due for that day and what is due the next few days. Then, I’ll open those tabs on my browser.
I look up at my chalkboard throughout the day to remind myself what is due, just in case I x-ed out of a tab.
I check my email throughout the day to look at any reminders I set myself about due dates or times.
When I’m done, I first cross the assignment off on my chalkboard then in Todoist!
4. Drink Some Water
If being dehydrated were an Olympic sport, I’d definitely have a gold medal.
I am the literal worst at drinking water. I cannot think of something I am worse at (maybe dancing, but I might be better at dancing). The only time I remember to drink water is when I’m taking my medicine or doing something physically exertive. I’ll go through my day tired, cranky, feeling foggy, and then start brushing my teeth before bed and think, “wow, I’m really thirsty,” only to remember that I barely drank any water today.
This is an awful thing to be bad at. Most Americans are dehydrated, and that not only wreaks havoc on your immune system (causing more sick days), but it also can cause brain fog. If you experience brain fog during the day when you’re trying to work, get up and get some water. Dehydration might be the main culprit behind your focus issues.
5. Don’t Beat Yourself Up
If you really, really can’t focus, beating yourself up doesn’t help.
Finally, remember that we were not meant to sit behind a desk for eight hours a day, five days a week, for fifty years or more. We evolved to hunt and gather food. To walk a lot. To be social with other people in ways that don’t require a monetary transaction. Your body knows this and sometimes pushes back against grueling modern work schedules.
If you really can’t concentrate on something, don’t beat yourself up over it. Take an hour break, two hours, or even the rest of the day. As long as it’s not a regular occurrence, most clients understand if you need to extend a deadline by a day or two, leaving room for a mental health break. The more you learn to prioritize and work on things little by little, the more you will be able to get work done by and before deadlines, the more free time you’ll have during the day, and the fewer deadlines you’ll have to extend.
Just remember to take it easy on yourself — everyone has days they can’t work. It’s normal. You’ll get to the point where you make it work for yourself. It just takes some trial and error.