Still Having Trouble Working From Home? Try These 3 Mindfulness Techniques

Working from home can be a struggle. Even with all the great information out there on managing time and staying productive, some of us are left feeling unsatisfied and unmotivated. Learning to be intentional during your day can increase satisfaction and motivation by transforming boring tasks and to-do lists into small successes; giving purpose to the mundane. Here are three ways to practice intentionality during your workday.

We all know the dangers of impulsivity: eating too much candy or that late-night trip to the refrigerator. All those instant gratification behaviors actually change the way your brain makes decisions. It turns out, when our brain is making decisions — especially, small ones — it tends to default to an automatic response. The more we make impulsive ones, the more likely we will make more impulsive decisions in the future. The question is: how do you get out of this impulsive mindset?

A 2013 study from the journal Psychological Science may very well have the answer. They found that the people less likely to make impulsive decisions were also more likely to imagine future outcomes of their decisions. In the case of eating candy, you are less likely to eat too much if you imagine yourself with a stomach ache afterward. Or at work, you are less likely to waste time if you imagine yourself getting that raise at the end of the year. Makes sense, right? Impulsivity is mindless and detrimental, but imagining the future leads to better choices.

Mise en place is a French phrase that translates to “everything in its place.” Chefs use it to mean that one should have everything prepared and ready to go. But chefs should not be the only ones who keep their spaces organized for maximum efficiency; you should do it at home, too. Once you are organized, organizing should not be a task in itself but an ongoing process. There should be a spot for your pen, for your phone, and for your notebook. You do not want to be clambering for a piece of paper to jot something down; leaving you feeling scattered and annoyed. Organizing your space with intention provides clarity and elegance to your workflow. This does not only apply to your physical workplace; it applies to your computer as well. Taking the time to organize files and folders and close tabs between tasks is a must.

There are always going to be mundane tasks at work — not everything can be exciting. Setting small goals can transform chores into part of your process. Take, for example, responding to emails. Instead of letting them pile up, set a goal: like answering five every hour. Take pride in how fast you can answer them, and try to answer even more every hour. Setting small goals reframes how you think of those boring tasks, and can even make them fun.

This works for those larger tasks that you keep putting off, too. Instead of putting them off for the next day over and over, tell yourself you will work on it for 30 minutes. Often you will find that you can work on it for much longer than you set out.

Bringing intentionality into your work life is a must for those working from home. You can reframe how your mind thinks about work by not acting impulsively, keeping your space organized, and setting small goals. With all the home-life distractions associated with working remotely, it is important to keep our minds clear and focused and to stay motivated.

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