The Home Office Dilemma: Why can’t I be productive at home?
The picture is clear, in the myriad living rectangles lined up in rows on your video calls. Hunched backs, overcrowded dining room tables, frozen stills of cluttered workspaces – these are the images that define the way that today’s workers are spending their hours, now that the corporate model has transitioned towards a style oriented to working from home.
4.7 million people were already working remotely before the pandemic, a number which grew exponentially when 88% of organisations encouraged their employees to work from home. The hours spent frozen in the cycle of shifting between work and home in an unsuitable space drain workers of their motivation, and install warped conditions where productivity comes at a personal expense, and not the gratification that achieving one’s goals has the wonderful power to provide. Through losing our office spaces, we’ve lost touch with our purpose as workers, and this is detrimental. It’s hard to be productive when you’re not inspired.
Is there a solution? How can you increase your productivity?
Craft a schedule, and stick to it.
From waking up early every day for your morning coffee to reading every night before bed, finding a routine that works for you will create structure in your life, allowing you to focus on the things that really matter instead of feeling paralyzed by the weight of every small decision. When the small things are already part of your schedule, your mind is free to focus on work, and be more productive.
Take breaks.
When the goal is to get more done, it may seem counterintuitive to suggest taking more breaks, but productivity is severely hindered when your mind and body are being overworked. It is imperative that you are well rested to avoid burnout, and no one should feel guilty about taking proper care of themselves. This is why it is so important that you take breaks, not only to better enjoy the passage of time, but so that each time you return to work, you are rejuvenated and can bring a new outlook to your tasks. Maybe try implementing the Pomodoro technique, with which you can make time your asset, and not the enemy.
Say goodbye to digital distractions.
Now more than ever, it can be near impossible to escape the dangerous continuous feedback loop of living in a world where you are connected to everything simply by a tap on your phone. It isn’t natural for the human body to be exposed to so much at once, and when you are trying to focus, the overwhelming nature of opinions, messages, photos, and news cuts down on your productivity levels significantly. Try your hand at not checking your phone during the work day at all, putting it on silent for non-essential calls until the end of the day, and focusing on what directly surrounds you. You might just find it improves your overall mood, leading to a clear mind and a more productive day.
Work with intentionality in your own designated space.
“How we spend our days is of course how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour and that one is what we are doing.”
Whether you follow the 9 to 5 schedule, or one of your own choosing, the time spent in your office space constitutes a considerable fraction of your life, so spending it in a space tailored for your needs as a worker is paramount to working with intentionality, and subsequently more productively. When you can work in a space that you do nothing but work in, your mind subconsciously registers the area as your work space, and you naturally are able to work more efficiently with that separation in place. Even better is when your space is customised to your specific needs and taste to best accommodate you as a worker, and human. If the space you work in is a space you enjoy spending time in, then you’re already most of the way to being more productive.
Gain the RISEDESK Advantage.
The desk at which you spend the majority of your waking day, and complete the projects that will determine the trajectory of your career is a desk worth an investment. But what is the best desk to buy to maximise productivity at home? With the extensive selection of sleek adjustable standing desks that RISEDESK has to offer, your desk will rise to any and every occasion, and you with it.
Being intentional with the design of your workspace is made simple with RISEDESK, where the venn diagram of form and function constructs a perfect circle. The modern colour ways are both stylish and conducive to focus, and the adjustable height is intuitive to navigate, so that the height of your desk can quickly adapt to your changing needs throughout a dynamic work day. When the way we spend our hours becomes the way we spend our lives, RISEDESK is here to help you make every moment count.
