In the last few years, remote work has taken over the traditional way of working. Besides Covid-19, the numerous advantages offered by remote work are responsible for its success.
Some of these advantages include:
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77% of remote workers say they’re more productive when they’re working from home. (Source: CoSo Cloud )
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Better work-life balance, increased productivity, and less stress are some of the reasons why people choose to work remotely. (Source: Owl Labs )
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69% of millennials would give up on certain work benefits for a more flexible working space. (Souce: CBRE )
But there are some drawbacks too.
Tell us, have you heard these phrases before:
- Could you hold for a moment, please? Someone is at my door.
- Shh! Kids go play outside, I am on an important call right now.
- Let me reconnect, my network bandwidth is coming in low.
If yes, then you must be aware of the different types of distractions that an employee encounters while working remotely.
Let’s talk about these distractions in brief.
Top 4 WFH distractions and ways to deal with them
1. Family matters
Avoiding family-related distractions are next to impossible during remote work. No matter how much we try, it’s impossible to turn our heads away from a child crying, or our parents needing our help with something.
These distractions often affect our productivity and result in low performance and delayed deadlines.
Tips to prevent family-related distractions:
- Communicate with your family members and ask them not to disturb you during your productive hours unless something important comes up.
- Prepare a to-do list and adjust household-related tasks either before or after your working hours.
- Invest in noise-cancellation headphones to stay focused and avoid loud noises caused by television, children, or other family members.
- Set up a dedicated workplace, preferably somewhere quiet and with a door. Ask your family members to not enter the room whenever the door is closed or have a “do not disturb” sign on it.
2. Pets
Pets are another major cause of distraction among remote workers. Unlike humans, we cannot ask our pets to not disturb us during our productive hours. They will continuously ask for our attention and the more attention we will pay, the more they will get used to it.
Tips to prevent pet-related distractions:
- Try to get them on a schedule that works both for you and your pet. Such as:
- Take them for their morning walk before you start your office.
- Coordinate their bathroom breaks with your breaks.
- Take them for a quick stroll, whenever you feel blocked or need to refresh. This will help them release their energy and you to relieve your work stress.
- Prepare a to-do list and adjust household-related tasks either before or after your working hours.
- Ensure that you are working in an area they can’t access.
3. Social media
With no one to monitor your progress, it gets easy to fall into the trap of social media. One minute, you were checking your messages and before you know it, it’s been 2 hours and you are on your 7th video on YouTube.
Tips to prevent social media distractions:
- Set a time limit for using social media and stick to it.
- Turn off notifications during your office hours. This will help you stay focused and work without interruptions.
- Install browser plugins or site blockers on your desktop for silencing news alerts and other pop-ups while working.
- Install time tracking tools such as KonarkPro to stay focused and increase productivity.
4. Household chores
Not worrying about the household chores until you reach back home, was one of the biggest advantages of WFO. But with remote work, it is difficult to resist the urge to stop working and take care of household duties first.
You may think that it will only take your 10 minutes but in fact, these 10 minutes turn into 4 hours, and still, you are nowhere near done.
Tips to prevent household chores distractions:
- Set a schedule or pre-plan your day so that you get enough time to complete both your household chores and office work.
Little Tip: Get done with the chores before your workday begins. - Keep chores that may take a longer time to complete for weekends.
- Ask your family members to help with some of these chores or if possible, hire a housekeeper.
Wrapping up
Numerous factors can cause distractions while working from home. It’s upon us, how we manage them. Remember, in the end, being productive is all that matters.
If you are looking for a productivity tool that can help you manage time and increase your efficiency, then you are at the right place.
KonarkPro is a new-age time tracker that lets you visualize your workflow, increase productivity and figure out areas of improvement.