Just one more video ... then another 15 or 30 minutes passes. This happens to all of us, whether it's a video, meme, facebook, reddit, tiktok, clubhouse or whatever is the current trend that demands our attention.
The time suck.
Many of us have been thrusted into working from home during the pandemic and it's created a new set of challenges for those that have not been telecommuting or have no experience of remote work. In this "new normal" it is even easier to reach for that cell phone and have that type of distraction.
Technology is a wonderful thing that has helped our lives be more efficient and be more connected with people. It can also be an addiction. That feeling of needing to check if there is a new notification or pull down to refresh to see the latest content to not miss a thing. This repeated action throughout the work day adds up to be a significant amount of time in the aggregate.
One of the trends I want to capture on this blog is being intentional with our time. Time spent on these various social media platforms, a mobile game or a youtube video is time I cannot get back. I am not against taking a break or downtime. I want to be more explicit when that happens and manage when I engage in these types of activities.
I have been working remotely for the last 5 years and coming into work about once or twice a week pre pandemic. I have had various levels of success with different types of strategies to remain productive. In this series of posts I want to help share some of those strategies that continue to help me today.
Define Schedule
The first tip on being productive while working from home is to create a schedule. This is to really break down your day in 30min or hourly increments from time you wake until the end of your day. You could cap it at the end of your work day. That is up to you. The important part is that you scoping out the day.
It really should be explicit on what is happening during these times to help create focus. Some tasks require cognitive skills and that requires uninterrupted time. This is when the learning and breakthroughs can happen. Having a schedule gives you the time to be able to focus on those types of task.
The goal is to make it your "ideal" schedule.
Post the Schedule
I post my schedule on the whiteboard next to my workspace. The key is to keep that schedule visible to you every day. This helps me focus and defer those distractions to the parts of the day I allot.
Interruptions
It is bound to happen. A meeting is scheduled or someone drops into your "office".
This is OK. It does not mean you have to change your schedule around, it's just something that happens try to not let it break the momentum of the rest of the day.
Meetings
If you are a manager or in a profession that demands a lot of meetings, this can be hard since you have to be somewhat available for meetings.
What I find helpful is to block out entire days that I can keep to my schedule. The other 1 or 2 days I leave open to scheduling meetings. I find it hard to actually be a technician or someone that has to produce something and be in meetings every single day. The daily scrum (aka status update) meeting can part of your schedule. I am speaking mostly when you have to engage in collaboration or be part of informational meetings. These can be the real time killer.
If you find yourself in that situation it might be time to talk to your manager or try to work with the people scheduling the meeting to a different day. There is nothing more than a productivity killer than having multiple meetings a day that are spaced out just enough to not really get anything done but prepare for that meeting.
Adjustments
Not everyday is going to be the same. Remember it was to put down the "ideal" day. I also tend to write alternatives in some slots to keep in line with the variations. Sometimes it may go workout or I swap that for study/work time.
Remember to iterate on it and adjust. It's taken me a few stabs to find the right mix of day to be ultra productive. I am sure it will be changed again the next time you read this.
TLDR
How to be productive WFH:
- Create a schedule (like when you were in school?, yup)
- Post a schedule visible all the time
- Adjust when needed