Just when it seemed as if things were finally getting back to normal in the workplace, the rapid surge of the Omicron variant has sent many workers back to their home office. This may be a challenge for some workers who were finally getting back into the groove of working in an office setting again. This disruption may make it difficult to concentrate while working from home. Here are some tips on how you can stay focused when put back into a remote work role.

Adjust Your Personal Schedule

Rather than focus on the drawbacks of working remotely, dive into the parts that make this advantageous. Most remote workers find that they will have more success in staying focused if they are able to adjust their work schedules to fit their personal preferences and needs. While this is not possible for all types of work, it can be a significant advantage to your concentration levels if you choose the best time of the day for you personally.

For example, if you have small children home with you during regular business hours, you may find it useful to work around their schedules so that you are not distracted by them. Some people naturally find that they are more productive during certain hours of the day. If you have a flexible work schedule, try to arrange it so that you are doing the bulk of your work during this peak time for you.

Set Boundaries

One of the biggest challenges for people working from home is how easy it can be for your work life to bleed over to your personal life and vice versa. This makes it important to set boundaries when you are a remote worker trying to put separation between your home and work life. If you always make yourself available to co-workers regardless of the time of the day, they are going to take that as the green light to interrupt your personal life when it is convenient for them. Conversely, those in your personal life also need to be given boundaries so that you can effectively focus on work when you need to.

If you find that your kids are continually interrupting your workday, consider coming up with a sign to alert them that you are not to be bothered unless it is an emergency. Perhaps this means putting a sign up on your office door?

Create a Structured Daily Schedule

You cannot expect to stay focused on the task at hand if you do not create a structured daily schedule. By planning your day in advance, you will be less likely to get sidetracked. Be sure to build in time to step away from your work and decompress throughout the day. Leverage the biggest benefits of working from home by scheduling breaks to throw in a load of laundry, take the dog for a walk, or anything else that you can do to break up your day. These breaks will help you to focus on your work and check things off of your to-do list. It also provides the necessary structure to ensure that you make the most of your time.

Collaborate with Fellow Employees

There is a good chance that your co-workers are also finding it difficult to concentrate while working remotely. Just because your team is working remotely, it does not mean that you cannot stay connected. It will just take a bit more effort to make it happen than if you are naturally seeing each everyday in a traditional office setting.

If you know that you work better when collaborating with others, you may need to be intentional about setting up these opportunities. This could come in the form of a daily virtual brainstorming session, a weekly lunch over a Zoom call, or a recap at the end of day to make sure everyone is on the same page. It does not matter how the collaboration looks as long as it happens regularly while keeping everyone connected.

These four tips will go a long way in helping you to stay focused when you are working from home. The key is to make the most out of this time at home by enjoying the extra freedom this work arrangement allows while still reaching your career goals.