{"id":6767,"date":"2020-06-22T21:05:47","date_gmt":"2020-06-22T17:05:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/krisp.ai\/blog\/?p=6767"},"modified":"2024-07-04T12:52:44","modified_gmt":"2024-07-04T08:52:44","slug":"working-from-home-pitfalls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/krisp.ai\/blog\/working-from-home-pitfalls\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Tips to Manage Most Common Pitfalls of Working From Home"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many had to start working from home in the COVID-19 pandemic era. And even if such an opportunity seems great at first, \u2014 favorite pajamas, cozy sofas, no need to spend time on heading to offices \u2014 it appears to be not that bright in practice.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Remote work is <\/span>not for everyone<\/span><\/a>, and some might discover they are more productive and motivated when in the office with colleagues, not alone or with family members at home. But even if you’re sure that such an employment type is for you, there’re a few common pitfalls of remote work that you’ll most likely face.<\/span><\/p>\n

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In this article, you’ll find actionable tips on dealing with them.<\/span><\/p>\n

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1) Set a Clear Schedule<\/span><\/h2>\n

Working from home doesn’t always mean fewer tasks than when in an office, even though you don’t have to waste time on the way to it. You’ll most likely have to set a schedule to meet your deadlines.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The good news is that you don’t have to follow the standard 9-to-5 working day. If you are more productive in the evening, nothing stops you from starting at 11 am or even 2 pm. Or, you can split the working day into several blocks when you need to go somewhere.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The trickiest moment with all this planning stuff is to make yourself stick to that plan, beating the beast of procrastination regularly. For that, try the following tactics:<\/span><\/p>\n

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1) The Eisenhower Matrix<\/b>. It’s a framework for organizing your tasks and deciding what to give your attention to. What you need to do is separate all your actions based on their urgency and importance.<\/span><\/p>\n

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You’ll have four columns in your matrix:<\/span><\/p>\n

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    \n
  1. Urgent and important tasks (to do immediately).<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Important, but not urgent tasks (to schedule for later).<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Urgent, but not important tasks (to delegate to someone else).<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Neither urgent nor important tasks (to eliminate).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \"eisenhower<\/p>\n

    Source<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

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    Once you have all of them on paper in the matrix, you’ll see what to prioritize and do for better productivity.<\/span><\/p>\n

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    2) “100 Things.”<\/b> Write down 100+ things you need or think to do. Use the tactic of free-writing here: Write everything that comes to your mind, and don’t stop until you have 100 things in your list.<\/span><\/p>\n

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    It can be both professional and personal tasks, <\/span>a la<\/span><\/i> “buy new jeans,” “finish an article,” “go for a walk with a friend,” “bake biscuits,” etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

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    The catch is that all these things, when in our mind, absorb our energy and distract from productive work. And once they are on paper, you’ll separate them with the Eisenhower Matrix to see which to do first.<\/span><\/p>\n

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    3) “To-do lists.” <\/b>Write down everything you need to do in a day. It doesn’t have to be long <\/span>personal essays<\/span><\/a> but step-by-step actions or lists of tasks to complete.<\/span><\/p>\n

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    The trick is that you’ll focus on the list and do <\/span>only those tasks<\/span><\/i> and actions that you’ve written there. It will be your schedule for a day, and you won’t have to get side-tracked.<\/span><\/p>\n

    2) Fight the Distractions<\/span><\/h2>\n

    It can be more challenging to do at home than in the office: No one sees you watching a YouTube video instead of writing a report, and no one observes your half-hour talks on social media. Still, some tricks work when at home too: If you feel that something prevents you from being productive, do your best to give it up.<\/span><\/p>\n

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    Yeah, it’s easier to say than to do. Especially when your kids play around, neighbors slam doors or make home improvements, your dog barks, social media notifications get in, and so on. However, you can try the following:<\/span><\/p>\n

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