Feeling lazy while working from home? Try this to boost your productivity

First of all, it is absolutely fine to feel lazy! If you for some reason, have held this feeling against yourself, shun it away right now. It is not you but the circumstances that the pandemic is putting you through. But what you should be doing is thinking and acting upon how you can overcome this laziness while working from home. You might have to put in the hard yards but staying active is not next to impossible. Just some modifications and there you go, all geared up to boost your productivity. Start slow but don’t stop. 

Avoid overlaps of personal and professional life

It is most wise to compartmentalize your life. Allot specific time for specific activities. Talk to people in your immediate vicinity and help them understand how you’d like to chart out your day. Prioritize and execute! Know when your kid can stay engaged with other activities and when they would need you. Discuss with your partner how you can actually spend time with each other and not just sit next to them while working. And with all of this, keep some part of the day that’s only yours. Attention to personal life required emotional energy which might be mounting the elephant’s back at this time. Therefore, sit for a moment, rewind the past few days that have been bugging you and figure out a well-planned routine.

Refresh your mind

Consider taking micro-breaks. An excellent way to declutter the mind, taking a break in between meetings can help you refresh the brain. Staying hooked on the screen can lead to exhaustion. Break a bigger break into smaller ones, this will allow not only you but everyone to reset themselves. In that break, don’t continue to sit, instead, walk around. Even if it means moving around in the hall or the room, keep moving! This could also be a nice stint to brew some fresh ideas. For example, tell yourself that you’ll work for 30 minutes and then take a quick break. Focus intensely for those 30 minutes. 

Avoid overlaps of personal and professional life while working from home

Continue the routine you followed before COVID happened

Now since workspace and home are not divided geographically, the commuting time is evaded. Recall what you used to do to pass this time. It could be listening to music, a podcast, munching, or talking to your parents. Bring that back. 

Set aside your work material and devices away after getting done with office work. Avoid checking your mail or any other communication app after work hours. This will help you set your boundaries between work and personal time. While you work from home. You often skip keeping track of time. As you are completely immersed in your work and are in a more comfortable setting, you get unaware of the amount of time that has passed. It is good to be a workaholic but not at the expense of your general work-life balance. In a nutshell, make the following pointers thumb rules:

  • Set an alarm for the time one hour before your office hour
  • Freshen up and do the needful (eating breakfast, sipping tea, bathing) before settling in your workspace
  • Before going ahead with work, set the timer for the end of your work time
  • Give it all in, work will full dedication, and make the most of your work hours
  • Shut your laptop down, as soon as the alarm rings
  • Try and move away from your workplace, call it a day!

Working tirelessly every day past your work hours, to meet your goals and depriving yourself of spending time with friends and family is detrimental. It’s the simplest rule, yet the toughest to follow. But remember to wrap it up at the right hour!

Push yourself to move in between long sitting hours

Redundancy at work can be really boring. But then it is what you are being paid for. But you are a human too, so feeling sleepy is very natural. In order to stay interested in doing what you do, get up and do something. Do a few squats, stretches, or any other simple movement. It will help in activating your mind too. Staying sedentary signals the mind to slip into a sleepy place and thus you get even more reluctant to do the work. Avoid this! Here are some simple movements to help you give your body the required flexibility, suggested by Aman Kumawat, a certified Yoga Teacher, Mountaineer and Passionate Mover from Jaipur, India.

 

In Aman’s words, movement is a fundamental aspect of life. Sitting slows down our metabolism very quickly. Taking more effective movement & mindfulness breaks are proven to be the best during long sitting and to beat it fully following an active lifestyle is the only answer. As you join the revolution of taking breaks amid your long sitting hours, you will be able to beat the blues of a sedentary lifestyle, improve posture, decrease pain, kick metabolism, boost productivity, and find peace.

He is actively working for the past five years to help people move better every day realizing the importance of it, how to maximize productivity, creativity & capabilities while minimizing unnecessary stress, pains, ailments. 

Eat to eat, not to entertain

Try to refrain from eating every now and then. Set a schedule or eat when you are really hungry. Uncontrolled snacking can lead to unnecessary weight gain. This will also lead to disorders in the later stages of life. Keep some dry fruits handy and pop a few to satisfy hunger bursts. Don’t make eating food a way for amusement while working from home. 

Allocate a proper space in the house for home office

The biggest contributor to your laziness could be the most comfortable space of your house. Be it your bed or the barcalounger. Don’t operate from such spots. It will cost you your productivity, goals, and targets. Overcome the temptation to sleep, because it will harm your sleep cycles. Select a corner that witnesses the least amount of noise and a good amount of natural lighting. Set up a table and chair there. Lighten it up with an indoor plant and some motivating quotes. Play some mellow music on the side, something that keeps the momentum going. Once your surroundings are more work-oriented your attention is bound to swoop in along with your efficiency. Dedicated working space will enable you to keep yourself interested in your work by providing an office-esque environment.

Continue the routine you followed before COVID happened

Gather all your willpower

Get hold of your mind, the body will follow. Tell the mind what it needs to hear in order to stay charged up. Do simple things. Don’t slouch while attending a call, sit up straight. It will make you feel more positive and motivated. Try to have the right kind of conversations within. Try to feel positive about the tasks at hand. Negative thoughts will stall your progress. If there is a task that is not to your liking, finish it first. The more you delay, the more discouraged you will feel to do it. Because your mind will bear the thoughts of it, once over, it is done and dusted. 

Chart out a workflow, be SMART about it

Working from home can really make the day look mundane sometimes and the subsequent laziness to accomplish tasks. Sometimes you might succumb to the laziness that you experience. But be smart about it. Let it not win over. An effective way to do this is the distribution of the tasks in tandem with a timetable. Before you start working, prioritize the tasks that you have to do across the length of the day. Make a to-do list, and use a tool like a Time Management Quadrant to devise the level of priority.

Time management quadrant

List out your task in each of these quadrants and pick them up accordingly. Try and stay in the top right quadrant most of the time so that you don’t land up in the top left quadrant. As you achieve this equilibrium, eventually you will find yourself feeling relaxed. Consider these parameters:

  • Do the highest priority tasks first
  • Plan your day around your own natural cycles—do the hardest work when you have the most energy throughout the day

This way, you can always stay focused and will not get distracted easily.

Dress up for the day, light it up

Get ready and dress up just the way you would do if you were going to the office. Put on a nice pair of *athleisure* that are comfortable but good-looking as well. See this as a nice opportunity to experiment with clothing without falling prey to risking a look outside the home. Steal a good look in the mirror before you get to work. It will make you feel good about yourself. If you have a hard time motivating yourself to get ready in the morning, try laying out your outfit the night before, or planning an outing during the day so that you have to get dressed.

Reward yourself for a task well done

Use a reward to assist, encourage and hold you accountable if you're having problems finishing a project. For example, convince yourself that as soon as you finish a presentation, you can enjoy a cup of your favorite tea. You can give yourself something to look forward to at the end of the day by saying inspired. Reward yourself by doing something you enjoy, such as watching a movie or taking a long, hot bath. It's difficult to stay motivated when you work from home. You do, however, have a choice. You have the option of succumbing to the strain or making the best of the circumstance.

Invest your time and efforts in self-care

Don't forget to look after yourself as well. In the short term, eating a lot of sugar or drinking a bottle of wine every night may feel fulfilling, but in the long run, these are dangerous choices. Instead, invest in simple things that make a big impact on your mental health, such as avoiding despair and anxiety and getting adequate sleep. Exercising, going outside, performing a creative pastime, connecting with family and friends, laughing, praying, journaling, reading, and listening to music are just a few of the alternatives available. 

We are living in an extraordinarily difficult time in the world. But the assurance that you have what it takes to not just make it through, but to emerge even stronger than before. Use these actions over and over to stay motivated and keep moving forward, even when things are difficult.


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