The number of people working from home has increased in recent years and thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic this number has shot up.
Setting out your workspace on the dining room table and connecting to endless zoom chats was very common in 2020.
But with so many distractions around the house, many workers found it difficult to get any meaningful work done. It’s so easy to zone out during a zoom call…
In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the most common distractions people face when working from home in 2020.
Let’s dive in.
5 distractions that stop you working well at home
So, here goes… What are the key distractions that stop you from working well at home? Below are some of the most common.
Your situation might be very different so I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
- Family and friends
- Netflix and other streaming services
- Day to day tasks pop into your head
- No work colleagues or bosses around
Family and friends
Potentially the biggest distraction is family and friends who live at home with you. If you are all working this won’t be a problem but in my experience, this is rarely the case.
There’s generally someone to talk to about anything other than work itself. Clearly, this isn’t very productive…
With families stuck in the same house thanks to the global health crisis, this is a very real distraction that many of you have probably faced.
Netflix and other streaming services
Netflix and other streaming services are another distraction that stops you working well at home.
I know what you’re going to say, you can get Netflix on your mobile phones when at work. But you’d have to be brave to do that in the office.
However, when working at home the temptation of skipping your afternoon work to go and catch up on your favourite box set can be hard to resist.
Day to day tasks pop into your head
Another distraction that may stop you working productively at home is day to day tasks popping into your head.
If your office window looks out into the garden or you work in the kitchen, this distraction may occur quite often.
Looking out into the garden and reminding yourself that you still need to cut the grass or pull some weeds up… you get the point.
It’s the small day-to-day tasks that can be the most distracting for some.
When you’re working from home, it’s very difficult to separate work and personal tasks. They blur into one and the majority of us prefer to think about the latter option.
Especially when you’re unlikely to get caught by your boss!
No work colleagues or bosses around
Not so much a distraction, but it certainly plays a part in being less productive when working from home.
Out of the office, there are no work colleagues or bosses around. You feel more obliged to be more productive and work well when others are doing the same.
No one’s going to see if you take an extra half an hour at lunchtime or finish early for the day.
Working from home kills your productivity
As you can see from a few examples above, working from home can be incredibly distracting and kills your productivity. Unless you’re super disciplined, you’re always going to struggle to get any serious work done when working at home.
So how can you combat this? If possible, you could take your work to a local cafe. But there’s a better alternative… Enter coworking!
What is coworking?
Coworking is the term given to sharing an workspace environment with others. These can be workers from the same company, freelancers or entrepreneurs.
Literally anyone can use a coworking space.
Coworking is a better option
Whilst coworking isn’t a popular choice during the coronavirus pandemic, the industry is set to boom once the virus has been dealt with.
Here are just some of the benefits of coworking offices.
- Great for productivity
- Incredibly flexible
- Cheap to rent
Great for productivity
If working from home is not productive for you, then working in shared environments at coworking spaces may be a better option.
Various studies have shown that coworking spaces increase productivity of workers and employees by a large percentage.
According to studies conducted by Havard Business Research, employees and freelancers feel more able to get down to work quickly when using coworking spaces.
Whilst increased productivity is one of the main reasons to work in shared environments, there are other benefits which we’ll check out below.
Incredibly flexible
Coworking spaces are incredibly flexible and don’t require any long term contracts to be signed. This beats renting traditional office space.
If you just need a desk or a meeting room for the day or even a few hours, the majority of coworking spaces will be able to help you out.
If the coronavirus has taught us anything, it’s that companies don’t need to spend fortunes on expensive office space in cities like London and New York. Most workers are able to complete their day to day tasks remotely.
Cheap to rent
Costs for desks and office space at coworking locations are not expensive. In fact, they’re very cost-effective when compared to traditional offices.
Obviously it will be more expensive than working from home. But as we’ve seen, you’re more likely to get more done and be more productive at coworking spaces.
This is one of the reasons why freelancers love coworking environments in 2020.
If you work for a large company, they’re more than likely to pay for your desk or office space if you put a good reason behind it.
More and more companies want to be seen using coworking spaces because it’s such a modern business approach that is very trendy especially in major European cities.
Working from home or coworking?
Working from home or coworking? What’s your decision?
Working from home is still a great option if you’re looking to keep your costs down or you don’t want to travel.
However, you’re likely to be more productive and effective when working in coworking environments.
What distractions stop you from working well at home? Let me know by leaving a comment below right now.