8 Possible Reasons You’re Not Getting Things Done While WFH
May 29, 2020 • Ina Louise Manto
Before *~all this~* happened, most of us thought that working from home would be easy. After all, you wouldn’t have to wake up early to beat the traffic, there’d be no more queuing for hours, and you can pretty much work from your bed. However, working from home can actually be more challenging than working in an office setting. If you’re struggling to find the will to work, here are possible reasons why you’re not getting things done:
You procrastinate too much
We can all agree that procrastination is the top enemy when it comes to productivity. You tend to put things off, oftentimes saying “there’s still so much time left for the day”. It’s the classic, mamaya na lang. Tasks will keep on piling up and then you realize it’s already nearly the end of the day, and you’ve got to cram to get them done. Are you putting things off because you don’t want to get them done yet? There’s no better time than now, and you’ll be glad at how much you’ll accomplish if you slowly let go of procrastination.
You get distracted easily
Distractions really aren’t an excuse because it’s you who lets yourself get distracted. You don’t always have to be on your phone getting the latest updates. You don’t have to disguise time doing everything else as “breaks”. How many breaks are you taking each day? What you can start doing is allotting time for deep focus and give yourself five-minute breaks in between. You can also control your screen time or set app blockers that will ensure that you’re not sneaking on social media from time to time.
You don’t set boundaries
One of the challenges of working remotely is having the right work-life balance. Laura Mae Martin, Google’s Executive Productivity Advisor, says that it’s important to set boundaries when you’re working remotely. Some would say it’s convenient that you can just work anywhere at home but it can be detrimental towards your productivity.
It can be difficult to maintain a work-life balance when your place of rest is also your office. In a productivity webinar with the press, Martin shared the importance of having an area at home that is solely dedicated to working – and nothing else. The more you switch places at home, the more you get distracted. According to a study by the University of California Irvine, it takes an average of 23 minutes for the brain to readjust and get back to a task after being distracted. So just imagine the time you’re wasting if you’re constantly bringing your work with you everywhere at home.
You don’t manage your time wisely
Are you the type who plans ahead of time or the type who just wings it? You may get away with just winging it from time to time but still, there’s nothing better than proper planning. For example, you have a big presentation that requires a lot of data and research; certainly, you just can’t wing that one, right? Come up with a workable schedule and it doesn’t have to be separated into big chunks. You might want to start planning your day by the hour (it sounds too much but it works) so you wouldn’t get overwhelmed with the number of tasks you do. This way, you can start accomplishing them little by little.
You multitask too much
Did you know that you lose 40% of productivity when you multitask? You might think being able to multitask is a cool skill because “you get things more done”. No. What you’re actually doing it just switching from one task to another and it usually takes more time. How many times have you switched tasks and remembered where you left off? Chances are you end up spending more time picking up where you left in between switching tasks. Multitasking is very counterproductive and it’s better to just focus on one task at a time.
You lack accountability
It’s easier to get things done when you see an actual list of what you have to do. Writing tasks down is an effective way of having a sense of accountability and isn’t it just satisfying to tick everything off at the end of the day? Try to make to-do lists or set deadlines on your calendar. You can also try bullet journaling if sticking to a planner becomes too much for you. Bullet journals are just basically a more organized to-do list with trackers based on your needs.
You’re burned out
Having no boundaries and work-life balance can quickly result in mental exhaustion. These are stressful times we live in, and while throwing yourself into your work can be an effective way to forget about problems, if you don’t let yourself rest, you could end up feeling overwhelmed and emotionally drained. Give yourself a break and try to find balance.
How do you try to get things done when working remotely? Share with us below!
