Learn how to avoid distractions while working from home. This can make you more productive.
A recent study by the Institute of Applied Economics (Ipea) found that approximately 20.5 million people in Brazil work in jobs that can be performed remotely. On the other hand, according to data from the technology website ElectronicsHub released in April 2023, Brazilians spend 9 hours and 32 minutes a day looking at their cell phone screens.
This raises the following question: Is it okay for people to work from home? After all, we can easily imagine that between those nine hours and thirty minutes there will be days when these people will commit to working remotely. And we know that the dilemma between focus and distraction can be a big problem. But instead of teaching you a self-training manual here, we are going to teach you some tips on how to program your device to help you with this task. Check it out!
Distractions in the home office
First of all, it is important to emphasize that the telephone is often a tool for work from home, so it is not a good idea to leave this context to focus more. So, we need to look for options that can improve our daily lives when we have our devices by our side. However, what is visible on the device should be isolated during the time when you need to focus on a task.
Attention often goes out the window when you leave work and check social media. It’s no surprise that more than 551% of bosses believe that mobile phones are a major cause of lack of productivity. The data comes from CareerBuilder, a careers website surveyed in the US.
First of all, we know that phones aren’t the only source of distraction during work-from-home hours. When it comes to distractions, the list includes family, TV, and even pets. So if you consider all of this on top of your phone, there’s potential for productivity to suffer. So, read on for tips on how to eliminate this problem.
Disable notifications
This is a real bait for focus shift in the home office. Especially when the notifications come from a chat app like WhatsApp. It is one of the most intrusive apps for Brazilians, with around 80% accessing WhatsApp at least once an hour, according to a survey conducted by Deloitte. You can reset all app notifications and remove sounds, vibrations and lock screen notifications. All of this in the phone settings.
Control the time spent using the app
Most cell phones have this feature, which allows you to limit the time you spend on certain programs. Interestingly, if you enable this feature, you can also track the time you spend on apps and websites through the calendar. This tool also allows you to set access restrictions on social networks and other platforms so that they remain blocked during certain times of the day.
Download an app
Believe it or not, there are apps that can help you focus while working from home. These can help you focus on your work and minimize distractions from other apps. Not only is it very intuitive to use, but it also provides information about how much time you spend. This can be useful not only for your home office, but for any activity that requires concentration. Some of the most popular ones are Freedom, Toggl, and Forest.
Do not sync your phone with your computer
Syncing is another way to keep your devices connected, especially if they show the same notifications. Many people sync their Google accounts, WhatsApp, and personal emails to move distractions from one device to another. So avoid syncing so that you don’t waste your free time scrolling through non-work-related posts.
