Now that most people around the globe are compelled to work from home due to the ongoing pandemic, several aspects of this work setting, including unplanned work-routine, homely environment, and irregular sleep cycles, have created an adverse impact on our daily life. It’s not that stress can only hurt one’s peace of mind, though – it can also result in higher productivity.
How?
Well, stress can be classified into two different categories. The first one is acute stress, which may result in positive spin offs. For instance, if you’re working on a tight deadline, time constraints will force you to develop productive stress. Whereas, chronic stresses are long-term and result in detrimental effects, such as unhealthy relationships, increased financial obligations, loss of a job, or other emotional problems.
It’s important to remember that stress can be effectively managed to harness pressure. On that note, here are some tips for dealing with stress for the better:
Define Your Workplace
Whether working from your work desk or your couch, it’s important to maintain a healthy workplace along with other work-from-home guidelines. There will be many distractions from the TV shows to kitchen chores and even your pets. You have to define your workplace with a specific area, establish work hours, and block all distracting elements around you to ensure better productivity and a stress-free environment.
Prioritize Your Daily Tasks
Trying to complete your to-do-lists every day can be stressful. Studies have shown that multitasking often lessens the quality and efficiency of tasks. People who tend to focus on one task at a time are proven to complete tasks with lesser stress and better productivity.
It gets easier if you prioritize what’s important for the day and what might be carried out later. Don’t let irrelevant or unimportant tasks take over your mind.
Make Time And Practice Self Care Everyday
Though you CAN work 24/7 when you are working from home, that doesn’t mean that you SHOULD.
Make sure you get proper sleep, nutritional intakes, an hour of workout, or maybe some “me” time in your backyard for a couple of hours every day. Giving yourself a break every now and then will give you the fuel to kick-start at full speed.
Share Workloads
Don’t push yourself to complete every task you’re assigned to. Try to take tasks you believe you can accomplish within the deadline with no extra pressure. Remember, it’s only you who can plan out your schedule. Set realistic deadlines, and if possible, try to share workloads with your colleagues for ensuring more concentration and productivity. Don’t allow stress to take over your creativity.
Play Therapy
Play Therapy can enable you to de-stress, get more creative, and boost your productivity. Just like video games, football, or other creative activities enable the mind to refresh itself, introducing play therapies to your workplace ensures added passion. For example, make your meetings more fun by including a gossip break or brainstorming activities. Organizing online tournaments or gaming events weekly can also help in dealing with stress.
It’s okay to take time to learn how to adjust to this new form of work. After all, once you get the hang of it, nothing can hold you back.
What do YOU do to stay productive? Let us know in the comments!