Teleworking WFH: How to stay focused at all times?

Telework Work From Home: how to stay focused at all times?

For a few months now, many of us have switched to teleworking mode. The sentence fell on us when many of us may not have expected to work from home one day. We must also keep in mind that we will be spending the summer teleworking.

At the beginning, let's face it, we were unanimous in saying that it was a very good experience. Get up later, put on your softest sweater, take breaks whenever we want and not be disturbed by the office neighbor's discussion.

Everyone knows about telework, but are we able to give it a clear definition? What is telework? What are its advantages and disadvantages?

What is telework?

According to the Secretariat of Labor of the Government of Quebec, teleworking allows an employee: "to accomplish part or all of his work outside the establishment of the employer" let us add to this that the work can be accomplished from home, provided the employee has access to an Internet connection and an environment that provides security for their data and that of the company. "

What are the advantages of teleworking?

Working from home has several advantages, the main ones being that the employee feels completely independent and less stressed. A better organization of the lifestyle and a better work-life balance are possible.

Also, the costs and time related to transport no longer exist. A considerable saving of time and money for many households. This way, we don't have to wake up early, take the car or other transportation, search for a parking space, and run for fear of being late for a meeting.

Many surveys and studies have shown that telecommuting employees are more organized and more productive. Before the pandemic, less than half of businesses in Canada offered this option, which is not the case today.

Finally, let us not forget that teleworking also offers an advantage to employers who can limit rental costs, equipment, office maintenance costs, etc.

As you know, teleworking is expected to become widespread after the pandemic. Many employees will get used to this way of working and many will find it better to stay at home, provided they are given the choice.

What are the disadvantages of teleworking?

Telecommuting not only has its advantages, it also has its disadvantages. You must have felt a bit lost and isolated for at least a day. Between lack of tasks, boredom of your colleagues, your interactions in front of the coffee machine and the good atmosphere during dinner breaks

When working at home, we often feel isolated and on our own. You can lose interest in work and the obligation to dress, eat well, rest and change your mind.

It is for this reason that we must impose discipline. The ideal would be to set a start and end time of work as often as possible. Otherwise, efficiency and productivity will go up in smoke as soon as monotony sets in. You should know that many employees want to return to the office as soon as this crisis is over .

For employers, having a global view of the progress of projects is a challenge in teleworking. You have to find the right balance between pressures, which may seem like espionage and performance monitoring. It is for this reason that working at home is a culture that cannot be learned overnight. We all need to learn at this particular time.

By the tenth week and with the beautiful weather setting in, we have to admit that it is more difficult to stay focused and be constantly productive. That's why we thought it would be useful to give you some tips - some of which you know - to continue to be productive, focused and comfortable at home.

Let's discover without further delay the best tips to stay focused when working from home:

• Communicate with your team
• Adopt the Pomodoro technique
• Keep a schedule
• Make rules with the family
• Define your workspace
• Keep the social link with your colleagues
• Get some exercise
• Think about after-work distractions

Communicate with your team

Maintaining communication with our team allows us to keep the feeling of belonging to our employer. Even if they last only 15 minutes a day, follow-up meetings, also called Scrum meetings, allow you to take stock of the projects and objectives of each team member. Thus, we can also be aware of the progress of joint projects, such as when we are working in our offices.

Certainly, your company prefers instant messaging as part of its internal communications. Do not hesitate to use it to share your obstacles or to report a problem. You can also check in with your colleagues. Being isolated in your corner 5 days a week can make you feel far away and lonely.

Adopt the Pomodoro technique

The Pomodoro technique is simple if you want to perform quick and efficient tasks. Take a timer, calculate 25 minutes for a work session, give yourself a 5 minute break. Repeat this as much as possible during your workday.

In addition to allowing you to concentrate for a relatively short period of time, this technique gives you the opportunity to take more breaks.

This technique is perfect if you have moments of procrastination. You can notify your colleagues of your desire not to be disturbed for an hour. Set a busy or do not disturb status, depending on what option your email software offers.

Keep a schedule

After ten weeks of working from home, the days end up looking the same. Is monotony starting to settle in your work dynamic? Make a schedule. Take your schedule and maintain a decent pace of work. this ''little pressure'' that you put on yourself will do you good.

By taking your breaks into account , you can consider a daily to-do list to manage your tasks. Take the time you need to organize yourself. If the task of organizing your days or weeks is going to take you an hour. Never mind: it is better to take the time to organize yourself, rather than wasting it finding a way to resolve scheduling conflicts.

Make rules with the family

No one is asking you to abandon your spouse or children, and working at home amidst all the energy and family concerns is not easy. For this reason, you need to set limits for those around you during your working hours.

If you can find activities to occupy your children, be clear: no one is bothering mom or dad during this time. Take advantage of your breaks to control what they are doing, and make some quality time with them as soon as possible. The rewards system can also work: if you stay good, you will get a little surprise.

This being for generalities. As for the rest, we're sure you have your cute little habits with your family members.

Define your workspace

If the design and organization of your home allow it, set up a space dedicated to work . This will allow you to tidy up your equipment every evening and not feel like a stranger to your new workspace. If possible, try to personalize it, like your real office.

Do not hesitate to put yourself in a comfortable place if you have to read documents for example. You can do this in the comfort of your living room, as long as you maintain a comfortable and ergonomic position for your back, neck and legs.

Keep the social link with your colleagues

Are you used to group dinners and happy hours with colleagues? Find alternatives. Instant messaging software gives us a lot of isolation-breaking features.

In addition to simply sharing documents, interesting links to series, podcasts and articles, you can share your screen. You can also organize dinners and virtual happy hour. Find themes, talk to each other as usual, and keep the connections as possible.

These kinds of moments will make you feel refreshed, in addition to keeping your sense of belonging to your company, you can be more productive afterwards and feel less alone.

Get some exercise

One of the benefits of working from home is that you can arrange your work day however you want. Taking into account your meetings and various tasks of the day, it is possible to find yourself half an hour to jog if the weather permits. Go out and stretch your legs in the nearby park, take a little bike ride

In the winter you can find yourself indoor exercises like yoga or other fitness exercises that will keep you in shape. The important thing is to keep in shape and to exercise. Nature abhors a vacuum: the place of physical fatigue can be taken by moral fatigue. You don't want that.

Think about after-work distractions

Since our social life is restricted, it is important to compensate with other activities. If you see sport as a distraction, do more. Otherwise, if you have other occupations, now is the time to get down to it more diligently.

Treat yourself and don't be stingy with activities. Try out new things to do and take this opportunity to accomplish outstanding projects. It will do you the greatest good.

Finally…

The merits of telecommuting will continue to be shared with us even after the end of COVID-19. Between those who would like to continue this momentum until the end of their careers, others who would like to return to the office as quickly as possible, there are those who want to have the choice of dividing their working time between going to the office or stay to work from home.

We like to have a choice, we just have to get used to it and find a balance between these two ways of working.