Working remotely can be advantageous in a way that you are working in your own comfortable environment and being productive. However, this setup has some employees prone to distractions since they are not in an office environment, especially to those who are working from home. Later on, these habits of distractions will turn to a practice that may be hard to self-prohibit later on. Here is a list of personal habits to avoid in a remote work setup.
- Disregarding Preparation for Working Hours
Always have a routine to boost up productivity and help you get ready with the day; wake up to a morning jog to exercise, and eat a heavy breakfast before work to get you started for the day. If ever you want to dress up your attire for work, why not. These are basic measures of self care to prepare yourself for work.
Also, always prepare what is needed for work the day prior to avoid cramming. This also increases the practice and having the positive good habits of productivity. Make sure the files for your presentations or tasks are saved, your emails are scheduled to send, etc. Everything you need for the next day is all ready to show you are ready for the day.
- Misusing the Flex Time
To define, flex time is the arranged time of the employee; his/her starting and finishing time of work. Employees may have the tendency to start work at a later time and therefore overworking in the evening later on. Sometimes employees abuse the time setup too with starting to work late on purpose.
Always follow the schedule given to you to practice organization and proper flow of tasks in the department. Be aware that it will be unfair for other employers who finish their work on time if you have the privilege to work on a later time. Additionally, be considerate to other employers; a fall back of one is a fall back of everyone and therefore delaying the time process of getting the task done on the planned date or time. With that, make sure to sleep early the day prior to get the enough needed sleep so you won’t feel drowsy the next day during working hours.
- Working Without Breaks
Sure, grinding can be a very fulfilling and rewarding feeling. It can really show how consistent you are as an employee, however, it can heavily affect you in the long run. Working without any breaks can lead to a toxic mindset. Having this kind of practice is prone to higher stress levels and burn outs.
With that, learn to take breaks in between like coffee breaks, lunch breaks, or converse with a friend for an hour. Eat lunch on time to give your body energy to refuel. Take a quick stroll to rest your eyes too from staring at the screen of your gadget too much while working and have your body exercise and move. Remember that taking breaks is part of self-love, self-respect, and self-care too.
- Eating More & Exercising Less
Employees who are working from home have the easiest access to the fridge. They can easily reach into the fridge whatever they want, whenever they want. Some people have a habit of snacking from time to time, even during work to satisfy them as comfort food, especially those who stress eat. Some people just snack because they are bored too.
However, overeating can lead to serious health issues and weight gain. Obesity is a common illness caused by overeating since there is too much sugar intake and therefore turning it to a lot of fat. Another illness is heart disease; you may have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or triglyceride levels. As you get older, you are prone to have heart problems, heart attacks, and cardiac arrest too.
While working from home, it is best to make your own schedule on when to have snacks, additionally have breaks for lunch too. Always exercise before or after work hours to retain and improve a healthy lifestyle of work-life balance. Exercising for at least 30 minutes everyday is good to have the heart pumping and for the body to move. The more often you exercise, the more you are to live a sustainable lifestyle and live longer.
- Having Distractions Open
Having excess tabs open and your phone open can be very distracting, especially when they are not related to work. It really gives temptation to keep yourself entertained rather than getting your work done. Just by opening social media in an open tab or opening Tik Tok on your phone is already a trap. Next thing you know, you have spent an hour scrolling down facebook Best to delete these tabs so you can focus on your tasks.
There is existing advanced software to limit the app usage; there is a time limit that has to be set for each app desired. This is an advantage to stop distracting yourself and discipline yourself to be more productive. Additionally, it will be a new doorway to open yourself to discovering new habits for your future self to thank you for; reading books that can help you grow, finding a new hobby, learning to invest, etc.