It might sound easy but there are struggles of working from home you need to take into consideration.
If you are part of an organization which has given their employees the chance to work from home, be thankful. For one, you still have a job. Despite everything that this COVID-19 virus throws your way, you still have a decent source of income. You also get to work without the risk of being infected by other people.
There are other people who still have a job but are required to report for work every day. This poses a significant risk for employees who goes out for work. There are essential workers who need to report for work. Some of them even get into contact with other people in the course of their job which increases the risk of getting sick.
Working from home seems to be the best option at the moment for a lot of employees. That is of you can bring your work home. But even if you do, there are struggles of working from home you have to overcome. It is a new way of accomplishing your task. Doing them right in the comfort of your home might seem like a breeze but you will encounter some problems along the way.
You need to have an idea of what these challenges are early on. Once you do, you are in a better position to tackle them head-on. They may not exactly be the same as what you will go through. But the idea is you are also mentally prepared for this new normal. If you are working from your house, here are a few things to keep in mind.
You are not taking it seriously
A big reason why there are struggles of working from home is the fact that you may not be taking it seriously. This could be the first time you are working from home. Everything is new to you and easy. You no longer have to wake up at the crack of dawn to prepare. In the past, you had to prepare breakfast for the family. On top of this, you still need to prepare for work. Not to mention the travel time going to work in the morning.
Now that you are working from home, all of this goes out the window. You no longer have to wake up early in the morning to report for work. Your office is just a few steps away from your bed. Taking a bath seems optional and breakfast can be a bowl of cereals on your desk while you work. Everything seems so easy that you always put them off for a few more minutes in bed.
When working at home, you need to take it seriously just as you do in the office. You can still wake up early. Use the time to get some exercise in for the day. Create a routine to help you condition your mind and body for work. You need to take work from home seriously so you can get through the day and accomplish tasks at hand.
You have too many distractions
One of the biggest struggles of working from home is having a lot of activities all at the same time. You are in front of your computer but the tv is beside you. Not to mention that your smartphone is also on your table an arm’s length away. You might also be chatting away with a friend on social media all while trying to work from home.
There are some people who can multitask and that is great. But even then, it takes away from your main objective for the day. The entrepreneur even points out that it can kill your performance. You need to focus on work to stay productive. If there are things you need to attend to, take scheduled breaks. Go for an hour for lunch and a few breaks throughout your day. Use these breaks to attend to other activities.
When you put a lot of distractions around you, the temptation is there to do anything but work. You start to pick up your phone and without thinking about it, you start flipping through your social media accounts. You might even start watching some episodes or giving a friend a call. Unless you can control these temptations, it is best to keep them away and focus on work.
There is no boundary between personal and work time
One of the biggest struggles of working from home is putting a clear line between your personal and work hours. There is a big chance that while working, you are consumed with house chores at the same time. There are also instances when you are trying to multitask and squeeze in other personal tasks in-between work.
If you are just starting to work from home, it is better to focus only on your work. Treat it like you are in the office. That being said, set specific times for breaks throughout the day. This can include a few minutes in the morning and in the afternoon. Do not forget to take your lunch break as well away from your computer desk.
If you have flexible working hours, you can schedule personal and family needs in between but you need to put off work. This allows you to focus on what you need to accomplish. It also allows you to focus on your job when you get back to it. Just be cautious because the more you schedule non-work related tasks in-between work, you will finish with your work late in the day.
You do not filter the news that comes in
One of the unique struggles of working from home at this time is the news that comes in. The biggest reason why you started working at home is because of the pandemic. COVID-19 is weeping through the US and the world. It has infected and killed a lot of Americans in the process. It is only natural for you to try and stay up to date with what is happening around you.
As a result, you could be constantly monitoring the news on your tv screen. You might also be looking at and refreshing your social media accounts for updates. It is also possible that you call and chat friends just to know what is happening. As a result, your mind becomes too preoccupied with concerns not related to your job.
You lose focus and unable to put out quality work. The constant need to be updated on current news can take you away from what you need to accomplish every day. There are even times when the news is so grim, it can start to affect you mentally and emotionally. This makes it a lot more challenging to focus on your work.
There are a lot of struggles of working from home that you need to keep in mind before thinking it is an easy task. You need to make sure that you are prepared mentally, physically, and even emotionally before diving in. It is also a good idea to try and stay updated with your officemates. You can check how they are dealing with the new work environment> they will surely have their own set of struggles. It would be nice to learn from it so you can make adjustments as you go along.
