At first, many of us enjoyed the ability to work from home, finding we could better balance work and life in this way. However, it is slowly becoming apparent that working from home isn’t all it is cracked up to be.

In fact, homeworking can result in fewer collaborations and less job opportunities than working from an office. For some, distractions might be problematic for homeworking – from pets and children demanding attention to DIY projects, housework, and more. It can be tempting to cave into these distractions and not focus on your work.

Here, we will explore some ways you can give your remote work ethic a motivation boost so that you can once again take pride in the work you are doing and complete it to the best of your abilities.

Work in new areas

Working from home can give you a better work-life balance, allowing you to do chores during lunch, receive home deliveries and have a better routine without the disruption of commuting. However, it can be difficult to maintain concentration and motivation when working alone.

One way to improve your motivation might be to choose new locations to work from. This will still give you the freedom or remaining out of the office without feeling trapped within your home study. You might consider grabbing a caramel coffee and enjoying the atmosphere of a local café, or some people have even started working from pub locations. This is particularly helpful for neurodivergent workers as body doubling means you can concentrate better when working alongside someone. Even if this someone is a stranger, having someone close by also working can help you concentrate – without the necessity of having to visit the office.

Redecorate

Another method of keeping you motivated is to redecorate. As we head into the new year, there is no better time to spruce up your working area and add a few luxuries to your space. Whether this is a new lick of paint on the walls, which can drastically change the feel of the environment, or a new desk chair which is perfect for your comfort, making sure your workspace suits you is crucial. Not only can a new environment be exciting to work in, but the creative process of redecorating can actually bring motivation itself. This is because it can put you into a different mindset, such as a brainstorming mode, which can make you think about situations differently – positively impacting your work and productivity as you might have some inspiration come from this new space.

Keep communication open with your team

You might also want to consider joining teams calls and conferences in order to maintain the working mindset. It can be easy to isolate yourself when working from home, sticking primarily to chat messages, however calls can boost your motivation. Being able to converse with someone in real time can help collaboration efforts, as well as bring a level of socialising you might not have otherwise.

While face-to-face socialising might be easier in-office, with coffee breaks and communal areas being widely available, it is just as important for remote workers to be able to communicate and get to know their colleagues. You should consider setting up regular check in which your peers, as well as attempting socialising where possible, to keep the workday from dragging.

Set achievements

Setting achievements for yourself can also help motivate you. Rather than the appointed achievements your management might set, these will be individual goals which you can list for yourself. For example, this might include finishing a task quicker than previously. This can keep your self-confidence up. Lower confidence can lead to slowing productivity, making you feel less efficient or able to perform the role, but by setting self-motivated achievements you can prove to yourself that you are capable and boost your confidence back up again.

Maintaining motivation when working at home can be difficult. The distractions can be endless, from children coming home from school to chores which need to be complete. Sometimes, even the lack of strict oversight can mean we slack more as we work from home. But by maintaining self-motivation techniques, we can keep up the work even within our own four walls. Whether you choose to redecorate, set self-achieving goals, or split the day up by working from different places, you can find your motivation returning without needing to re-join the office.

Sources:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ntwe.12153

https://www.healthline.com/health/adhd/body-double-adhd#:~:text=Bod....

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/cost-of-living/remote-workers-te...

https://followtheyellowbrickhome.com/five-reasons-why-home-decorati....

https://efectio.com/en/the-importance-of-social-engagement-at-workp...

https://www.startupgrind.com/blog/4-factors-that-are-slowing-down-y...

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