Written by Waterworks Accounts Receivable Co-ordinator Mariana Melo
Here at Waterworks we believe every challenge brings with it an opportunity from growth. Due to the current events and the widespread of COVID-19 worldwide, we all had to move quickly and learn new ways of doing business, which includes the majority of the workforce around the country now having to work from home.
We know this can be incredibly challenging, as we try to juggle work, kids, partners and an ever growing pile of laundry, dishes, and many other jobs that all of a sudden seem to have become incredibly important – and distracting!
Most of us are quite comfortable fitting into a pre-determined schedule at work, where our bosses, colleagues and clients are constantly keeping us accountable. We are now faced with other accountability “partners” we weren’t used to having to respond to during work hours, and they seem to have many urgent requests – from your daughter showing you her latest dance moves, to that pile of laundry that seems to stare at you all day long until you put it away, or your dog who can’t seem to get enough of you, and your cat… well, the cat doesn’t care actually. It’s a cat. But these are indeed very important things that we are used to walking away from in the mornings, and resume when we get home from work.
As you must have noticed by now this luxury is temporarily gone, and we are being invited to improve ourselves by developing true productivity skills and self-discipline.
With this in mind, we have put together 7 productivity tips to help you improve your focus and minimise distractions.
Tip #1 – Define your morning routine
On our normal workday we have a certain ritual that we perform every morning before going to work. We brush our teeth, have a shower, make a coffee, get in our cars and drive to work, and when we get there, we are ready to hit the ground running, nice and refreshed. No matter what your morning routine is, your brain is already used to doing the same thing every morning and it does it on autopilot, with little to no effort from you. Studies show that our brains instinctively act to preserve energy as a survival mechanism and therefore it likes routine. Making even the smallest decisions such as which comfy pants to wear, not only consume more energy but also confuses us. We need to train our brains to understand what is going on, and the way we do this is by creating a new, consistent morning routine so our brains know exactly what is happening when, without using a lot of unnecessary energy making a lot of tiny unnecessary decisions on a daily basis. Without a consistent morning routine, we might feel like a big Airbus taking off – it feels heavy, it takes a long time to gain momentum and it demands a lot of effort and fuel.
Tip #2 – Establish a designated workstation
Not having a designated workstation will not only take a toll on your energy levels for the reasons mentioned above but can also take a toll on your relationships. On a normal workday it is easy for most of us to keep our work and personal lives separate, but when we work from home the boundaries are blurred. Some people may not have the luxury of having a spare room they can turn into an office, but even if your designated work station is on the left corner of the dining table, you need to train yourself to understand that when you are sitting there you are working, and when you walk away you are at home. Not having this clear boundary set usually means you are both at home and working at all times, which can drive everyone crazy. Your family will demand your attention while you are sitting on the left corner of the dining table trying to create a spreadsheet, and you might catch yourself doing work while sitting on the couch in the evening. This is not healthy for you, your work, or your relationships. So, do this for your own sanity’s sake.
Tip #3 – Minimise distractions
Our house is the epicentre of distraction and they come from every direction at all times. Make a list or even just a mental note of everything that distracted you during one work day, and then decide what practical actions you are going to take the next day to minimise the chances from having it happen again. This will be different for everyone, so you must take responsibility. Do you need to hide the laundry basket? Vacuum in the morning? Put your phone in the other room? Fix that broken cupboard door so it stops bugging you? Oil that squeaky door?
Tip #4 – Make deals
Don’t expect the other people in your house to simply know that you are working and don’t want to be disturbed – no this is not common sense and no, they don’t know. They are used to you being available when you are at home and now it won’t be any different. You need to make deals with them and make sure everyone in your house is on the same page. Just as an example, you could all come to the agreement that whenever you have a red post-it note stuck to your computer screen it means you cannot be disturbed. Show them what you mean, where exactly the post it note will be and ask them to look out for it. But guess what… we are creatures of habit, they will forget this – and so will you! When this happens, simply train them – or yourself – as you would train a new employee. They forget, you remind them. So, the steps are:
- discuss this with the others and make a deal that works for everyone, remembering to let them to have a say.
- show them what your “do not disturb” sign will look like.
- remind them when they forget.
Tip #5 – Create time management rules
As much as we would like to think we will be able to focus on our work, you will still want to get up and make just another cup of coffee, quickly check your family WhatsApp group chat, turn the dishwasher on so dishes are done before lunch, hang up your clothes while the sun is out, and so on. You are only human. Because of these urges to do “just another quick thing”, Francesco Cirillo developed what he calls the Pomodoro Method, which is a time management technique. Traditionally, you would be hyper-focused for 25 minutes straight with zero distractions, and then relax for 5 so you can text your mum, tell a joke you heard, get another glass of water or Google something quickly. But obviously different people function better in different ways, so you might only need to stop for 5 minutes once every 2 hours. You will need to experiment until you find what works best for you. In a typical workday we have pre-determined meal breaks that work ok for most, but as mentioned before, different people work better differently. If you want to be a high performer, you must know what works for you. Take this opportunity to develop self-awareness and see what truly produces results – for you.
Tip #6 – Plan and prepare
Have you ever showed up to your designated work station in the morning, turned your computer on, and only a few minutes in realised that you haven’t got your notebook, or you forgot your water bottle, your child has your favourite ballpoint pen, your phone is going to die soon or realised it is a bit cold and you might need socks and a hot water bottle? This sounds simple, and it is. Make a checklist of all the essentials you need in order to start your workday fully prepared. If you go through your check list for a few days in a row, you probably won’t even need it again, but going through the process of creating this checklist will make all the difference.
Tip #7 – Schedule a time to check the news
In times of global crisis like the one we are going through today, it is only normal that you will want to know what is happening around the world and in NZ. Choose one or two reliable sources of information and schedule a time to check them daily. We just suggest that you avoid doing this first thing in the morning as you want to start your day on a good note.
We hope you have found this useful and we would love to know which 1 or 2 tips you are ready to start implementing today.
Remember to be kind to yourself and others, we will get through this and come out stronger and more productive on the other side.
