How to Avoid Procrastination When Working Remotely
The outbreak of COVID-19has disrupted almost every facet of life in 2020. Air travel restrictions, empty supermarket shelves, and limitations on large gatherings are putting huge strain on the average person. One way many of us have seen our normal routines upended is through the switch to remote work. Suddenly, jobs that absolutely required commuting to the office to spend 8 hours in a cubicle can miraculously be done from the comfort of home. But what seemed desirous in the halcyon days of 2019 — working from home — has brought a new set of challenges, namely procrastination. Who can resist the siren call of the next episode of a favorite Netflix series? How can you finish your report when there are so many witty tweets to be read? Without the panopticon of the office environment, it can be difficult to stay on task, but a deadline is a deadline. To combat the scourge of procrastination, here are some tips to boost your productivity and help stay on task.
Listing
It can be daunting to sit down at the computer to begin work, only to realize that you aren’t quite sure where to start. At the beginning of your workday, spending 15 minutes to order and write down the tasks you want to complete today will help you in several ways. First, it will give you an idea of how you should be spending your time each day. If you know roughly what you want to complete in a day and approximately how long each task will take you, you will have a sense of how your time management is tracking.
Another benefit of listing is motivation. Completing of a task and crossing it off your list can be incredibly satisfying. This can result in a virtuous circle where the completion of one task leads to increased motivation, resulting in further tasks being completed. Rather than feeling overwhelmed and helpless by thinking of all the things that need to be done, having a list gives you clearly defined goals in a prioritized way, which is much easier to manage.
It’s important, however, to make sure that you don’t get discouraged by setting yourself a list that’s too ambitious or by not completing all your set daily tasks. You’re human, after all. Sometimes we run into unexpected delays and tasks can take longer than expected. Just remember that tomorrow is another day and another list of tasks.
Act as though you are going to the office
It can be tempting to think of working at home as an opportunity to get paid while being comfortable, but trying to get anything meaningful done while lying on the couch in your pajamas is a Sisyphean task. Our homes are our pleasure domes — where we retreat when the working day is done. If we’re used to relaxing at home, our approach to work can become similarly relaxed. This is why it’s important to remember that you are still “at work” and to set yourself psychological cues to remind yourself of that fact.
One way to remind yourself that you are, figuratively, in the office is to set up a dedicated work-space. Make sure you keep your space free of any distractions, such as hobby equipment, reading material, and especially the television. If you can work without it, try keeping your phone beyond arm’s reach, as the lure of Instagram can be difficult to overcome. If you have limited space in your home, and can’t escape distractions, try simply making sure that your work-space is oriented away from the TV. If you can set up a desk so that you’re facing a window, you’ll find it much easier to concentrate.
Similarly, making sure that you are presentable, even if nobody will see you all day, is very helpful for reminding yourself that you are at work. No one is suggesting that you need to wear your normal work attire, but changing out of your lounge-wear into something more presentable can work as a psychological cue to remind yourself that this is work time. Most importantly, remember that working from home is never an excuse to skip a shower.
Make your workday work for you
Some people are early birds and others are night owls. Finding your own “peak time” when you are the most focused and motivated will help you to keep on task. For example, if you generally do your best work in the morning, make sure to set an alarm early enough that you can be at your work-space, ready to go, at the time of day when you are at your most productive. Alternatively, if you do your best work later in the day, try to plan your other activities around your work time so that you don’t have any personal tasks to distract you when you need to get your work done. Although peak time can be different from person to person, the best practice is that if you have something to do, don’t put it off — do it now.
It’s also important to factor some “me” time into your workday. If you are getting stuck on or frustrated by a task, taking 15 minutes to do something else can be invaluable. However, try not to use this time to get sucked into time sinks like social media. Making a cup of tea, meditating, or doing yoga or other exercises can give you a necessary breather that won’t keep you distracted from your work for too long. It can be helpful to set a timer for your breaks to keep you from going overboard.
Working from home can be a challenge in ways that you may not have anticipated, but it’s important to develop habits that work for you to help you stay on track and work towards excellence. It’s impossible to say how long COVID-19 is going to disrupt our work lives, so experimenting with what works, and what doesn’t, when working from home will help you to stay productive and avoid procrastination.
