Staying Motivated While Working from Home
As we are in the middle of a global pandemic, many offices are shutting down and asking their employees to work from home. For some, this may be exciting, an opportunity to do work in their pajamas all day and work at their own pace. But for those that thrive on working closely with others, whose favorite part of going to work is the people they interact with, and who need the structure of a normal workday, this can be incredibly isolating and difficult.
I am not currently one of those people. I am in the midst of my job search, therefore I have been experiencing this isolation in working independently to get a job for the past couple of months. As a UX Designer, I thrive on making those connections with others and building relationships, and working alone doesn’t always allow for that. It’s easy to lose motivation or procrastinate when you’re alone and no one is holding you accountable. It’s incredibly important to set yourself up for success in these situations. Here are a couple of tips based on lessons I’ve learned from working at home that may help you avoid feeling isolated and keep you motivated while working from home:
Create a space for working
Designate a space in your home or apartment for work that separates times of work with times of relaxation. You don’t want to begin associating your bedroom or any other space that traditionally is a place of leisure, with work. Make sure this space also has minimal distractions so that you are less likely to procrastinate, and so that when you are in your workspace you can be productive and motivated to get things done.
Understand your personality type and working style
During my UX Bootcamp, we each had to take the Myers Briggs 16 personalities quiz to better understand our personalities and how we could effectively work with others. It can be helpful to understand your personality type, as well as your coworkers’ so that you can share with them your strengths and weaknesses and where you might need more support when working from home. After all, empathizing with the people we work with can make for a more productive team. This can also be beneficial in terms of understanding how we best deal with isolation and loneliness.
Time block tasks
Setting up a schedule for yourself each morning or even the night before, with blocks of time set up for different assignments that need to be accomplished each day may help put you at ease. Make sure that you also set aside time to take a break and a stopping time for the day. It can be easy to work later into the night and through meals when you have less structure. Time blocking also helps you to feel accomplished when you can check something off of your list and move to the next task.
Stay connected
While some may remain in constant contact with coworkers while working remotely, others are working more independently and can feel isolated. Set up times to check in with coworkers to stay accountable and to maintain communication, and reach out to friends and family during those break times you set up for yourself.
Maintain as much normalcy as possible
Try to emulate how a normal day would go if you were physically going to work. Set your alarm in the morning, get dressed for work, pack or prepare your lunch ahead of time, and start and end your day as you would in the office.
Take time for you
Just as you create a space for working and time block your tasks, it’s equally important that you are allotting time for self-care. Whether it’s working out, eating healthy, meditating, talking on the phone with a friend or family member, or pursuing outside interests, we need to do these things in order to set ourselves up for success when we return to the workplace. I recently saw an image that indicated that productivity is not just working hard 100% of the time, it’s a combination of working hard, exercising, healthy eating, sleeping, and time off. Just because we have the ability to work around the clock while working remotely, doesn’t mean we should. Set healthy boundaries and prioritize your overall wellbeing. You will thank yourself for it.
