3 Tips to Stay Focus at Home
One thing we should be grateful for is that current technology infrastructures we have in place today allow us to continue to be productive and stay connected with the world whilst staying in the comfort of our homes. If this event were to happen back in the '90s, it would have been a different story, people could face possible closure phobias, depressions, domestic violence or cannot sustain being indoors and force ourselves to go out despite the risks.
Staying and working from home full time does have its challenges. You may not have the most comfortable ergonomic chair and desk, you do not have a large screen and hunched onto a laptop, you are distracted by family members, Netflix and Youtube are just next to you, snacks and food within arm's reach and lack of space and ventilation in general. Our work life and personal life are all mixed up, you could be logging on extra hours and felt exhausted by may not be as productive, you could be spending more time with family at home but still feels lacking the attention as you multi-task in front of your work computers. We need to figure out a way to strike the balance and create a structure in place to help us to adapt to this new normal.
This work from home trend is going to last and will completely change the way we communicate and co-mingle with others. An excellent ARTICLE published on 6th August 2020 by BBC on what the future of going to work in the office and home looks like post-COVID-19 gives you a possible glimpse of the future.
We are not experts in setting up the perfect environment for you to be the best of yourselves when performing work or personal activities in the same closed environments. We would like to share our top 3 tips and ideas which have worked for us here in 5SENSO, hope that you can take away something which could have helped you to stay more focused at home.
Tip 1: Change your clothes
There is a reason for sunrise and sunset, its there to let you know the difference between day and night. One day through some packing activities we noticed our work/outgoing clothes are folded neatly in its places without any use, we thought what a waste of money. We took an idea to change into them from the moment we finished our morning routines, just the same as the good old days when we have to change into our work clothes before going out. Although not as comfortable as Ts/shorts/PJs, we felt more professional and awake, it tricks our body and mind to say its productive time and get some work done. Our daybreak could be triggered by changing clothes every morning and change back after work in done. This small change has helped us to be more alert and productive, our colleagues also complimented our professionalism during video conferencing as well.
Tip 2: Schedule your day
In our work calendars, we often get meeting invitations to block our schedules and we will do what it takes to join and finish on time. Why can't we make such commitments in our personal lives? Is your work life more important to your personal lives? Do you worry about your perception in front of your colleagues but not yourselves or family?
Block your time for self-development, reading, meditation, exercise, entertainment, playing with kids, and most importantly sleep. The hardest part is to stick to it and commit. Use whatever method works for you, some people like to use their phones or computers digital calendars or To-do lists, some like to use a paper planner, some like to use sticky notes on the walls or fridges. Try different methods that work best for you, ask your family to do the same, create a structure, and have a common calendar for everyone to stick to. That way, people know when you will be busy, and when you can be distracted for that particular activity, it will help you and your family to enjoy more time together whilst getting more productive work done.
Tip 3: Temperature, Ventilation, and Lighting
Our bodies are conditioned to function differently based on many external factors such as temperature, air scent, and brightness of the room. You can argue the views from your window and paintings on the wall also helps. Our feelings and reactions come from all 5 senses of our bodies, we cannot create the perfect condition, but we can try to match the best possible situation to help us to focus better and be more productive.
Ventilation is common in all situations for the day, ensure fresh air is flowing throughout the room by opening windows or use of fans/air conditioners. We as humans need more oxygen not carbon dioxide to stay alive and awake. Our brain and bloodstreams will thank you for that.
For work, set the temperature which is comfortable enough for you to be in a long sleeve shirt and pants. Ensure lighting is bright but not glaring, natural indirect light is the best for your eyes and concentration. I.e. Sit 1 meter away from a window on the side. Background music with the right tunes can also help you to concentrate, we love one of the playlists from Spotify HERE.
For relaxation and wind down into the evening, start letting more warm yellow lights into the room, sunsets are warmer than sunrises for a reason. Your eyes need a good rest away from bright blue lights, your brain needs to slow down and absorb the events from the day, it will also help with your memories. Lighten some fragrance scent together with 15 mins of calm meditation, give yourselves some quiet moments for self-awareness and reflection, your body will really thank you for it. The key is to be consistent at it every day.
For sleep, it's much better to be in a completely dark room with a cooler temperature (around 22 Degrees Celsius or 72 Fahrenheit). Soft background music can also help. Try not to use any electronic devices 2 hours before bedtime and don't have your phone in the room or next to your bed to avoid unnecessary distractions and temptations.
We can go on and on for tips that have worked for us, we hope this has been useful for you to practice staying focus at home and it doesn't cost you anything to try them. Please stay safe and enjoy your day.