Working from home sounds great, but for some people it’s not always fun. In fact, many people find it downright miserable.
So why is working from home such drudgery for some people?
The are five main reasons many have found working from home boring.
- they’re not set up for success to work from home with a proper work space
- they’re simply not used to it because there’s a lot less social interaction, and it can be difficult for some people to stay focused.
- they’re too easily distracted by other things happening in the house
- they don’t have a set routine to keep them on task
- The work is already monotonous and boring and doing it from home makes it worse
But there are solutions to these challenges!
In this article, I’ll share with you the reasons these things show up in the work from home life, and what to do about it.
Real quick, before we get too far into it here, if you want to get more great ideas for your gaming room or home office and want to connect with other home office hackers to make your space the best join my free private Facebook group,Home Office Hacks here.
Why is working from home so boring?
It can be boring due to the lack of social interaction and perhaps being the only person home.However, there are other downsides including the environment around you. That can change with a few tweaks here and there.
This guide will show you how to turn your workspace from boring into a place where you can be productive while having a bit of fun with it. Sure, you may be dealing with tedious tasks and such. But you’d be hard-pressed to try out these things to make working from home suck much less.
Let’s take a look at what they are so remote employees like you can benefit more than just working a boring office job.
Lack of social interaction
Let’s face it: sometimes working from home can be boring. Sure, there are some perks, like not having to commute and being able to wear your PJs all day.
But when it comes to engagement and motivation, working from home can be a real challenge.
Lack of social interaction is one of the biggest problems with remote work.
When you’re stuck at home by yourself all day, it’s easy to start feeling isolated and disconnected from the rest of your team and the world.
And without a social interaction – real life, face to face interaction – it’s all too easy to get caught in the doldrums let your work slide.
So next time you’re feeling bored and unproductive at home, try reaching out to a colleague for a virtual coffee break or taking a walk around the block to clear your head. You might just find that working from home doesn’t have to be so boring after all.
Lack of focus and motivation
It’s easy to lose focus and motivation when there’s no one around to keep you accountable. The work from home routine can quickly become monotonous, leaving you feeling restless and bored.
Of course, not everyone finds working from home boring – some people actually prefer the peace and quiet. But for those of us who thrive on human interaction and engagement, working from home can be a real drag.
And that’s especially true if you’re not good at having a regular routine that guides your day.
Setting up a regular routine and method by which you attack your day can really help you stay on task and get stuff done.
One of the things that’s really helped me is to start my day by establishing what my top 3 priorities for the day are. These are the things that I absolutely have to get done, no matter what.
If you are one of those people who already have your daily rituals set up, but you’re still struggling with feeling cabin fever and the monotony of seemingly never-ending work days, it’s definitely time to switch things up.
When you feel like you’re in a rut, try to mix up your routine as much as possible. If you normally work in a home office, then relocate to the living room and give that a shot.
Or set up at your kitchen table, or try working from your couch for a change.
Or if you’re used to working in silence, try listening to music or a podcast. And if all else fails, take a break and go for a walk around the block.
Just remember, when it comes to working from home, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. It’s all about finding what works for you.
Easily distracted by other things going on in the house
When you’re trying to focus and but there is constant hustle and bustle going on around you it can really do a number on your ability to produce good work, and the distractions can quickly lead to even greater difficulty getting work done and feel awful.
At home for many people, there’s the continuous stream of distractions from family members, roommates, and pets. Then there’s the never-ending cycle of laundry, dishes, and dusting that always needs to be done. And let’s not forget about those pesky distractions like social media, Netflix, and video games that are always calling your name.
But despite all of these potential distractions, working from home can actually be quite productive if you know how to manage your time and create a routine that works for you.
And one of the most important aspects of working from home is having a private, dedicated, quiet work space where you can get things done.
Without a dedicated home office, it can be easy to get sidetracked and miss out on important deadlines. So if you want to make working from home work for you, establish a specific area in your house where you can go to focus on your work without distractions.
Your work is already boring
If your work was already boring (not unlike what the team was doing was doing in the basement at Lumon Industries in Severance!), then doing it while isolated and working from home can make it even more boring.
This can be a result of doing the same task day after day or simply because the work is not challenging or even very interesting.
Think about Barry and his red stapler, the TPS reports, and all the work that “must be done” from Office Space, but now doing it by yourself at home.
Either way, the lack of variety can make working from home quite dull.
If you’re in this position it may be time for you to find a new job if you can’t overcome the monotony of repetitive, low-engagement work.
You’re not used to working from home
For many people, working from home is a new and strange experience.
After years of working in an office, not having to leave the house can be quite shocking to your system and there are a few reasons for this.
First, most people are not accustomed to being in the same place for such long periods of time. If you don’t have a dedicated work space at home, this can make things aggravating on top of the challenge that comes from boredom.
Second, many are not used to having to do all of our work at home. We’re used to being able to walk to a colleague’s office, hop into an impromptu meeting, or get face time with your boss on an important project.
And third, working from home can be quite isolating. If you’re an extrovert and thrive on the social aspect of working in a traditional office, transitioning to a career working from home can be difficult and frustrating.
How do you fight boredom when working from home?
One of the best ways to fight boredom is to play your favorite music that helps you focus. You may like the usual tunes with lyrics. But this might throw you off and lose focus. So here are some suggestions worth considering:
- Classical music
- Epic music
- Nature music
- Video game music
Many people who work from home say that instrumental music has helped them increase their focus by a lot. In fact, this is something known as the ‘Mozart Effect’. One study by the University of Connecticut stated that such music like classical music can influence your performance.
If you want the perfect symphony, plug in instrumental music, crank out your best work, and it will become one of the best habits that you have ever put together. Give yourself a half hour or at least an hour for a trial run.
This may vary from person to person. But test it out and bust out as much as you have to get done. You might even get today’s work done and it will be a couple hours before your scheduled lunch break.
Is working from home making people lazy?
Yes and no. It’s about how someone can handle it. You can be more productive working from home if you set the right environment and have the drive to get the work done.
However, some may take advantage of the flexible work schedule to procrastinate and put it off until the last minute. When this happens, they can get stressed and rush their work. This can lead to a poor quality performance.
They will be begging for extra time when they are coming down the wire (assuming there are deadlines). You can do whatever you need to do in your spare time. However, you need to block off time to get the work done.
If you work for a company, those hours may be scheduled in the same concept you would deal with as a 9-to-5 employee. The difference is there may be more flexibility involved. When you work from home, it’s important to make time management a priority.
Schedule a break for snacking, another for a lunch break, and make sure they are spaced out here and there. Yes, you can take breaks each hour or two to move around. Sitting at your desk for lengthy periods of time can be unhealthy, even in your current situation at the office or at home.
The benefits of exercise even if you do it for 15 minutes will go a long way. So make sure you take some time out of your day to move around a bit.
Why do people love WFH?
People love working from home because of…well, they can work from home. Remote workers find working from home to be way better than the typical office environment. This can be due to many reasons:
- No commute time: Technically, the commute will be from their bedroom to the room where their home office is. So it might be a 30 second walk.
- No office politics:You don’t want to be in the thick of it. Nor do you want to be a part of it. You can just be right at home and not be caught in the line of fire when it happens.
- Close to family: This just might be one of the best perks of working a work from home gig. You may have kids at home and you can take care of them in between tasks. Your job description may include juggling your other job as a parent.
- You can work from anywhere: You don’t have to work from home per se. You can work just about anywhere. You can work at a corner of a Starbucks with strong wi-fi. No office culture quite like your own, right? You can also get achievable tasks done if you are in your favorite place around the world.
- It keeps the busy person focused:Someone can work well in one environment, but won’t in another. If you keep busy in complete silence, more power to you. Or you may work with the help of ambient music. Either way, each person is different.
Is it worth it to work from home?
Yes, it’s worth it. But it has its share of upsides and downsides.The upsides are that you can be able to have a flexible schedule and be closest to those who are important to you. Not only that, you can be more productive and focused because you can stress less.
Yet, there are downsides such as performing boring tasks, awkward office silence (especially in your home office), and the lack of interaction (the kind of social distancing a lot people might not like). Yet, you can be able to enjoy working from home if it’s the best environment for you.
Even with something that looks great on paper, there are upsides and downsides to everything. Working from home can seem fun on most days. But on some days, you might find yourself missing the idea of working in an office.
A place where you may be surrounded by people and interacting with them. A place where you may need to go to a manager if you have questions on a task you’re not sure about.
Next Steps
Want to connect with other remote workers, contractors, freelancers, gamers and people who work from home who are creating the most amazinghome officesand get more tips, tricks and hacks on how to make your home office or gaming room setup the best it can be?
Join my brand new free private Facebook group,Home Office Hacks to connect with other home office hackers to make your work from home experience and your home office space the best!
