5 Ways to Stay Focused While Working at Home
/Are you struggling while working from home? You’re being pulled in a million directions and you don’t know which way is up. Let’s face it, our life got turned upside down in a matter of days, or hours for some. While it took me a while to find my groove, I’ve done some self-reflection on what helps me to stay focused while working from home and I want to help YOU!
To-Do List
Write a list of what you want to get done for each area of your life, such as work, kids, and home. I like to create to-do lists with everything that has to be done as well as long-term goals. On a sticky note, I write a separate daily to-do list the night before of what I want to get done the next day. This helps me to focus on the exact things I need to do when I have time throughout the day. I try not to put too many things on it, so it is not too overwhelming.
Keep a Schedule
Do you have kids? Try your best to keep them on a schedule similar to the school year. Maybe their bedtime is a little later and they sleep in a little, but find a new schedule during this time of social distancing and stick to it during the work week. Do you still need to set an alarm for yourself? Then do it! Whatever helps you stay on schedule is important to make you feel like you’re not wasting time throughout the day. You will find your schedule changing sometimes, like my son was sleeping in a lot, but now he is waking up super early. Your schedule requires some amount of flexibility, but having a structure allows much more freedom.
Breaks
Nothing that we are doing is normal. I’m used to waking up at 5:30am to get ready, quickly get my son ready, and then we run out of the door to head to daycare and work. That just doesn’t happen anymore. We are together all the time (and believe me when I say - I LOVE being together!), but we need breaks. Find a way to bond with your family and take a break from work. Our go-to break is going on a walk. There is nothing like getting some fresh air and just chatting about what we hope to do when this social distancing becomes a thing of the past. If you are able to, carve out some time for yourself by reading a book, watching a show, or going outside.
Close the Computer
Seems obvious, right? If I close my computer, then I will stop working. But this one is hard. We are working in a digital world and it can be hard to put it away. I’d venture to say that many of us, especially teachers, are working longer hours during distance learning. We’re checking our emails starting at 6am and many of us open up that computer again at 9:30pm. This is something we would rarely do when working in the building. Heck, many of us were asleep by 9:30pm! But in order to be a more productive person, we have to close the computer. We have to stay focused on work during set hours (don’t forget #2!) and we have to close that computer! Believe me, I’m writing this as a reminder to myself too.
ME TIME
Yes, I wrote it in all caps because it’s that important! It can be hard to find time for yourself when you’re constantly at home with no place to go. However, it’s important for you and your physical and mental health to find something that makes you happy. What do I do? After I put my toddler to bed, I watch tv. It may sound silly, but I have recordings on my DVR of shows that I have fallen behind on because I had a baby, I was busy at work, trying to keep up with the house chores, and the list could go on. But during this time of social distancing and no place to go, my husband and I have intentionally carved out time each night to watch shows we love. Maybe tv is not your thing, but any type of self care will be beneficial for you. Maybe it’s meditation, bath bombs, or exercising.
So can you do it? Can you check off 1 - 5? I challenge you to start finding small ways to help you find structure in your life that may feel so chaotic right now. Because if you can do these, I promise you will feel better!
Are you struggling to manage the work life balance as a teacher? Let’s face it, we could also use more tricks up our sleeve! So check out - 5 Ways to Manage a Work Life Balance.
