/ ON THE FRONTLINE
Finding Motivation in Disruption and Chaos By Cindy Campbell
A
SHOW OF VIRTUAL HANDS: Who’s suddenly found themselves working from
home? OK, now how many of you with your hand up are finding it a lot harder to actually accomplish work from home than you ever imagined it would be? With ever-changing world news, is it difficult to concentrate and stay on task? if you answered yes to any of these questions, my friend, you are truly not alone. I don’t want to brag, but on any given workday, I can easily find more than 100 reasons to not do my work. How, then, do we improve our ability to focus on the tasks at hand? How do we go about regaining the motivation and subsequent ability to be efficient during this significant life disruption? Here are a few suggestions intended to help you get back on the path to productivity.
Maintain a Routine
14 PARKING & MOBILITY / MAY 2020 / PARKING-MOBILITY.ORG
Limit Personal Interruptions Think about it—when you were working at the office, your friends didn’t feel free to call or stop by to chit-chat every morning. Embracing the concept that working from home is still working helps us set boundaries and limit disruptions. When we lose focus, we fall behind on task completion which results in adding to our stress level. We all need realistic work-life boundaries. Let friends and family know what your work hours are so they know the right time to reach out.
SHUTTERSTOCK / FIZKES
While some within our industry are considered essential staff and are still reporting to their worksites, others are in the position of working from home—in isolation—for the first time. Even those of us who routinely work from home are finding it a challenge to focus. Having worked remotely from a home office since 2015, this wasn’t a new concept for me, but I suddenly found it far more challenging to complete my tasks without constant mental interruption. At times, my ability to concentrate is nonexistent. I’ll admit that I have always been someone who is easily distracted (look, a squirrel!!), but my preoccupation with the current world health and economic condition has caused my level of distraction to soar to new heights. Listen,
Stick to a regular schedule. Get up, get dressed (yes, sweatpants count) and get going. This may feel impossible at times, but hear me out. Since childhood, we’ve learned to operate within certain boundaries. These boundaries provide us with routine and structure. These boundaries change for us as adults but they still exist, and for good reason. As humans, we tend to function more effectively—and with less stress—when we can operate within a routine. if you can start work at the same time from the same consistent workspace, you may find yourself better able to concentrate, increasing your productivity.