Maintaining Focus (In a Pandemic)
2020:
It already feels like it’s been a long 2 years, yet we’re just 8 months in.
There has been a lot to learn and take away from this year. A particularly important lesson I learned while working from home has to do with time management, and prioritization.
The past month being back at work has felt like an opportunity; a chance to make my own schedule, increase my output while not necessarily extending my hours, and learn a lot about my own work style and preferences.
Overall I feel like I’m working as hard as I was in January and February before Covid. I’m still balancing school full time and work full time, and also now this blog. Regardless, some days I still felt like I was being lazy… simply because I watched a few episodes of a series, took my calls in workout clothes, or had a nice lunch break on the patio. It’s just something I would never do in a “normal work day”. I keep having to remind myself this IS the new normal, and it’s totally ok.
But today I did not feel lazy at all… I felt pride.
I woke up to my alarm at 7:30am, checked emails, dressed myself in something business professional, brewed a cup of coffee and prepared myself for a client meeting starting at 8am. I am in my capstone class this quarter for school, and providing marketing consulting to a travel company in Ireland - but I’m used to working with timezones in the EU. The call lasted an hour, at which point I had some breakfast and started my work day. I had Webex meetings, calls, and sent emails. I went for a run at lunch, then cooked and ate with Ryan, before hopping back into my afternoon of work. I wrapped up the work day and reviewed my study guides for my evening Midterm exam. I vacuumed and cleaned the apartment, made dinner, did my final test prep, and got situated prior to 8:00pm to take the Midterm. I used the entire hour and a half allocated to me and submitted my file by 9:30pm, in which I sat down on my couch to write this blog post!
It was a busy day, and trust me not every day is like this. But instead of this schedule knocking me on my ass and leaving me defeated, I feel this surge of energy and a sense of accomplishment. I knew I had a lot to do, and I needed to maintain focus if I was going to get it all done.
Some days its extra challenging to stay focused, especially with this air of unknown and anxiety around us. Also because my couch is just a few feet away now, and I spend more time than I would like to admit scrolling on Instagram. If you feel like you’ve been in a rut, have been feeling unmotivated, or have been watching the days pass you by… just know that you are not alone.
Here are some of the tools I use to help me stay focused and accomplished while working from home!
Managing Distractions
This can be pretty challenging when you are working from home, or after hours on nights and weekends. There are so many distractions around us at all time that range from watching TV, to making a snack in the kitchen, doing a chore, or talking to someone else in your household.
Prior to Covid I really had to work on this when balancing my schedule with being a new student. Sometimes I really wanted to join my friends at dinner, or grab a drink with Ryan after a long day, or make that workout class. I had to miss a lot of social things this winter for that reason, and even last fall when I was signed up for all the early marathon qualification races. But it’s up to you to plan your time, and complete your work by its deadline. It’s not always easy, but sometimes the sacrifice is worth it to achieve your long term goals.
These days, as a rule of thumb, if I need to read the same sentence more than once, something is getting in the way. It might feel nice to have a casual work in environment, but keep in mind that you are only wasting your own time when being slowed down by noise interference or lack of attention. Limit your distractions and find somewhere quieter to work. If you stay focused and get your stuff done, then you can have more un-interrupted free time!
Set Your Intention For A Good Day, By Having A Good Morning
If I have a lot to get done, then I love to get myself mentally prepared by buying a coffee. I normally make coffee at home, but when I have a big day I think it’s worth investing in myself and getting that caffeine jolt. I really look forward to ordering Starbucks when I wake up, to get myself out of bed and ready. This has become something of a ritual for Ryan and I. It makes me get dressed into regular clothes, get some fresh air first thing in the morning, and it gives Ry and I a chance to spend some time together before the work day commences.
So go pick up coffee, take a walk or jog, make some breakfast. Start your day with a good morning and some positive vibes! It might just keep you on track to have a great day.
Complete A Task Before Moving On
Sometimes we try to juggle too much at once. I’m a common culprit of this because I like to use 100% of my time - so while I wait for something to load, I work on something else. This sort of constant stream of productivity has good intentions, but the fact is that when I’m initiating too many tasks at once my head might not be 100% in each task. So the past few months I’ve been teaching myself to be smarter about multitasking and knowing when to do it. Sometimes its best to finish the task at hand, before moving on to the next one.
Andddd sometimes I’m an expert at juggling multiple things at once - like a research paper and an Aperol spritz :)
Prioritize What’s Most Important
This one is pretty simple: there is a lot to be done, and you’re juggling deadlines. Try labeling your work by priority and tackle what is most important first. If you have an upcoming meeting at 3pm and classwork due at 8pm, focus on preparing for the work thats due first. Sometimes we tend to check the small tasks off the list, and leave the biggest for last, but it really does help me manage my time when I focus on the deadlines.
Use a Planner, Organize Your To-Do List
At the beginning of this year I was actually carrying this 2020 planner around in my laptop case, or backpack, or purse. Wherever I went it came with me! I hadn’t been so busy in years, and it was important for me to plan my time carefully. The last thing I wanted was to miss a group meeting, or forget I signed up for a workout class.
Using a planner and creating to-do lists help keep me organized. I am very visual so I like to color coordinate, and I categorize my tasks by different colors. A different color for my work schedule, my school schedule, my fitness classes, and my social/personal commitments.
Once I write the plans down, it’s easier for me to visualize the dates when I’m scheduling something. It helps me to remember and helps me to avoid double book myself.
These days I’ve been using my Google Calendar a lot more - it’s also color coordinated and keeps me on track. Whatever your method, just don’t keep it all in your head because something is bound to get lost!
You Keep Saying You’re So Busy….
Try talking about it less, and working on it more. That sounds ROUGH :/ But I swear this is coming from a good place… I think we’ve all been there! Sometimes you just want to vent. Or maybe you want people to know you have a lot going on, because you are feeling pretty tired or emotional etc. But ultimately we are all accountable for our work. We all only have 24 hours in a day. So think about it… if you spent a good portion of the day talking about how much work you have to do, did you actually do that much work? You wasted more of your own time and others by doing that. If you need to have a moment of frustration, do it! Briefly let it out. Then move on and GET IT DONE.
When You’re Feeling Unmotivated
This is normal. Sometimes I lose motivation for even some of my favorite activities. Recently I’ve been really enjoying this blog and everything involved with it - editing photos, writing posts, adding new innovations - it’s something I look forward to doing and I keep making time for. Something I’m not so interested in right now? Running in this heat. Each day I wake up with the intention of getting a few miles in, but it has been so hard to actually force myself to do it. I’ve been feeling disappointed with my performance, and worse than that, I’m feeling a lack of motivation. So this week I’m going to plot a new course, and go to a new neighborhood. I’m not going to get bogged down with how far I went, or how fast, I’m just going to jog and explore somewhere different. And for the first time in a few weeks I’m excited about getting out there!
With this in mind, if you are lacking motivation, try changing things up! Make a new schedule, work from a new place, or tackle the project in a different way. It’s crazy what a new perspective can do for you.
Keep Your Space Clean
Anybody else have a hard time focusing when your space is a mess? At work I like a clean desk, with minimal papers or documents. It helps me pay attention to the task at hand.
At home, I find it even more necessary. My apartment doesn’t have to be spotless and perfectly dusted and wiped down. But I definitely need to feel like my space is organized and together. Having my apartment in order while I work keeps me calm and able to focus on work. Otherwise I’ll be thinking about that… when I should be thinking about the task at hand.
Challenge Yourself to Something New
In this strange year, you might find yourself with a little extra time on your hands. It’s easy to use this time to relax and recharge. I certainly enjoy that! Or maybe you want to unwind and have fun? I certainly do that too.
If you like to stay busy, and have been feeling unfulfilled recently, then why not explore some different ways to challenge yourself? Sign up for some classes, or watch some tutorials. Form a new hobby or teach yourself something new. Start a website, a journal, a blog. Do a home improvement project. Learn how to make a Tik Tok video, or attempt a new yoga pose. Finish a long book or series. Beat a new world in Candy Crush. Learn how to skateboard, to write calligraphy, or a new language. The world is your oyster.
But why not come out of this thing with some skill you never imagined you’d have this year?
We don’t have to keep putting so much pressure on ourselves to be constantly productive. But we can absolutely do something good for ourselves. Regardless of how small the challenge may be, I’m going to keep aiming for that feeling of pride I had today.
I know these are pretty general, you may have heard them before. But I hope you can take it as a reminder to continue working and regain your focus. At the end of the day, work (whether it be your occupation, your side hustle, your passion, your education - whatever it is) shouldn’t be the most important thing in your life. Sometimes things come up and remind you what really should come first, and thats the people in your life. Your family and friends.
I firmly believe that if you work hard, you deserve to enjoy the rest of your life, and what really matters!
Thanks for reading.
Xx Gab