Challenges of working from home

Working from home introduces challenges into both your professional and personal lives and often, the line between the two can be blurred.

By Joanne Richard, Monster contributor

If you've always wanted to work from home, you're likely getting that opportunity—and it's not entirely what you bargained for. The pandemic has blown apart our routines and schedules. Countless distractions, interruptions and temptations lurk around every corner, sabotaging our work efforts. We’re logging in from makeshift home offices with pets, chores, online shopping and TikTok vying for our attention, interrupting our best efforts.

Still struggling with staying focused and managing distractions? Now is a good time to pay attention. On average we get interrupted every 11 minutes and it takes about 25 minutes for our brain to completely refocus on the original task, according to research. Getting anything done is no easy feat.

Your ability to get important work done depends on attention management. Check out all the work-from-home jobs available right now and read on for work-from-home tips for the easily distracted.

Stick to your regular work routine

While it’s tempting to sleep in or tackle a few chores first thing in the morning when working from home, don’t do anything that’s not always been part of your regular morning routine. Veering from your typical behaviours and start time will make it even more challenging to transition into full work mode. You’ve got enough home hurdles in your way! Sticking with your familiar schedule and routine will keep you productive and on task.

Have a dedicated workspace

If your kitchen-table office setup isn’t working so well, that’s no surprise. Working from bed isn’t a great option either. It’s tough to be professional and productive when you’re sprawled out on that faux-fur comforter in your footie PJs.

Have a dedicated work space and permanent home for your computer, printer and other work supplies. Being organized helps diminish distractions, like having to get up for the charger. If you don’t have a separate room, find an area or corner with minimum traffic flow, or invest in noise-cancelling headphones. And while slumming around in your PJs may be tempting, it won’t signal to your brain or your housemates that you’re in work mode.

Schedule business hours

Just because you work from home doesn't mean there's no distinction between the work and the home parts. Without boundaries, distraction-free working and thinking will grind to a halt. Set a work schedule and notify family or roommates of your at-home work hours. Try not to deviate from these set hours. Hang a Do Not Disturb sign on your door if needed.

Working from home does require a flexible mindset, especially with pets or kids around, but if the ground rules continually get broken, then have a conversation with the people who derail and distract you most often. Explain your challenges and elicit their help in diminishing distractions and keeping you focused.

Remember you're still (sort of) at work

Working from home requires you being your own boss and that means managing your time. Control what websites you visit during the day. If you were in the office, it’s not likely you would be spending hours ordering off Amazon, doom scrolling or playing video games. These bad habits need to be reeled in and your time effectively managed—set a timer during breaks to indulge, then shut down the websites during work hours.

Create a productivity calendar

To diminish distractions and stay on track during the day, prioritize and pinpoint the most important tasks. Create a work calendar, not a to-do list. Although viewed as a productivity hack, a to-do list will actually set you back. We gravitate to the fun, easy or urgent tasks on the list, and these overtake the important ones, like that big project you need to complete.

Set reasonable goals. If you’re really struggling to focus, break the task up into short, doable time chunks and build up time over time. Don’t forget to include routine yet important job-related tasks in your calendar, like filing regular reports or cleaning up spreadsheets. These mundane tasks will nag at you—another distraction.

Avoid temptation to multitask

Multitasking is a sure bet way to derail your focus. While the laundry and those breakfast dishes may be more appealing than your project, ignore them. Research shows that switching from one task to another can eat up as much as 40% of your productive time. Complete personal activities outside of your work hours. Multitasking leads to shallower thinking and, ultimately, longer work days. Working too many hours can lead to burnout, damaging focus, motivation and lots more.

Put that phone down

Unless it’s work related, avoid the temptation of picking up your phone. Tweak your notification settings—notifications are notorious for disrupting your flow of thinking. Silence your device to reduce calls and messages. If it’s not essential to your work, consider leaving your phone in another room.

The mere presence of a phone is a brain drain and reduces your ability to focus—out of sight may not be out of mind, but not having it at your side improves cognitive capacity, reports research.

The habit of constantly checking your email is much like your cell phone. Too much checking and you lose valuable time, much of it trying to refocus on your work. While email is likely an integral part of your job, it’s a major distraction so set aside specific times you’ll deal with your inbox.

Stay on task with more tips

Learning to work from home and remain productive is a challenge—even when a global pandemic isn't hanging over your head. Need more help staying focused? Join Monster for free today. As a member, you’ll get career advice and job search tips sent directly to your inbox. Additionally, you can upload up to five versions of your CV—each tailored to the types of jobs that interest you. Recruiters search Monster every day looking to fill top jobs with qualified candidates, just like you.