Four ways to improve concentration when working from home

“I wish I could just work from home!” – said everybody at some point in time.

 
But at no point did we envision that this would one day be imposed on us because of a global pandemic. Now I’m not even going to attempt to use familiar words to describe the implications of this reality on our lives and loved ones, because C-19 is tough for everyone for different reasons. What I will say is that the option to work from home at all is a blessing in a time when many people don’t know where their next salary is going to come from.
 
One thing that we can all relate to is information overload. We’ve received tons of memes, graphs, links to fake news and TikTok videos, and forwarded more of them than we would like to admit. All this digital noise begs the question – how can we concentrate better in a time like this?

Here are some superpowers that you can access to help you concentrate:

1. The power of muting

Thankfully, technology has created so many platforms to foster connection, community, and collaboration. Indeed, these tools can help free up your time for focused work by making sure that your team is on track. Check out this article for some of the top-rated collaborative tools. But beware of notifications! These can quickly get as distracting as the memes and TikTok videos. Most of them have settings that allow you to disable or temporarily mute notifications. That way you can carve out some undisturbed time to concentrate solely on executing your tasks.

2. The power of melody

Like with everything on the internet, someone has done the homework for you and created a list of the best playlists to help you concentrate. Or does this kind of study music make you want to hurl your computer across your apartment? Don’t worry – a 2014 study on the effects of music preference on functional brain connectivity found that hearing music that you like correlates with increased concentration whether the genre is drum & bass, worship, classical or P Diddy’s “Coming home”. So, by all means, bring on the house music if that’s what floats your boat!
 

3. The power of movement

Taking frequent breaks may feel counter-intuitive when all you really want is a nice three-hour block of uninterrupted time to just get those tasks over the line. However, science has shown that taking brief breaks from a task can radically improve your ability to concentrate on that task for an extended period of time. Movement supports concentration because it promotes fresh oxygen to be pumped into your brain. No, you don’t need fancy gym equipment, all you need are some apps that will remind you to go walk around your living room, or even do some quick jumping jacks. I quite like the free app stand up because it quite simply reminds you to do just that. But this list is quite extensive – you’re bound to find a movement app that works best for you.

4. The power of mindfulness

We are living in unchartered territory, and if this has you feeling anxious, that’s a completely normal response. Rather than spending your time feeding your anxiety by checking the news constantly, or using all your energy to suppress your feelings, consider simply accepting that it’s ok to feel whatever you are feeling right now. There are some simple exercises that can help you quickly tap into and accept what’s present in this moment, let go of it, and move on with your workday. To see if this could work for you, try a free app like Insight Timer or Headspace, which has made a set of COVID-19 themed meditations available for free.

Tell us how you do it!

As a digital renting specialist, HouseME is lucky and grateful to be able to continue most of our services uninterrupted with our entire full-time team working from home. So, we’re in this with you. Comment below or join our social accounts, and let us know your own Top Tips to concentrate better while working from home.
 
#BetterTogether #TogetherWeCan