Working from home—especially during the era of social distancing—comes with a number of new and unique challenges.
Firstly, there are a lot more distractions that are different from the ones in an office. Instead of colleagues knocking at our door, we have kids home from school, excitable pets, and the ever-growing allure of the latest Netflix documentary.
These distractions feed off of the fact that we have a lot less structure in a home office.
As anyone who’s worked at home before can tell you, it can be especially difficult to keep the line between work life and home life from blurring.
Anyone can get ahold of us at any time—and it’s not like we have anywhere to go. Consequently, it can be a challenge to set boundaries and keep them firm. This can manifest in forgetting to take breaks, keeping irregular hours, and working to the point of burnout.
This is why it’s especially important to set and keep a regular schedule when working from home.
Why it matters:
When we work in an office, going to the office cues our brains to get into work mode, and coming home at the end of the day tells our brains that it’s time to switch off. When we work at home, it can be difficult to signal when we’re supposed to start and stop working.
If we’re not careful, this can easily lead to burnout.
Setting a regular schedule (and sticking to it) can train our brain to switch on and off when we need it to.
But working from home actually gives us some advantages here, because we’re not beholden to the typical 9-to-5 schedule.
We have newfound freedom to work the way we need to in order to not only get more done, but to also get our best work done.
We can set our ideal schedule.
But what does that ideal schedule look like?
Do you know when your best, most productive time is?
For some, it’s in the morning. For others, it’s late at night.
Whenever you feel your most focused and most productive, that’s what we call your Biological Prime Time, or “BPT.”
My BPT is in the morning, generally first thing after I wake up. It’s one of the reasons I find it extremely challenging to sleep in—once the brain is going, it’s hard to shut it off.
If you aren’t sure when your BPT is, it’s easy to figure it out:
1. Set up a spreadsheet (in Excel or Google Sheets) to track your energy levels
2. Set a calendar alert or alarm for each hour
3. In the spreadsheet, rate your energy level (from 1-10) at each hour
If you do this for a week or two, a pattern will most certainly emerge. It will become overwhelmingly clear when your personal BPT is (and when it isn’t).
You can now use your BPT and the rest of the information you’ve gathered to shape your ideal schedule.
Here’s how to do it:
Use your high-energy times (i.e. your BPT) for work that requires more energy and creativity. This might be creating content for marketing, making sales calls, or solving difficult problems.
Since my BPT is in the morning, I start my day with a few yoga stretches, the 5 Minute Journal, my daily meditation, and then set my intentions for the day. Most days, I will also include some reading or learning time.
Then, after breakfast, I focus on my most important task for the day. That way, I’m using my best time for my best work.
Likewise, try to use your low-energy times to do things that don’t require as much mental focus, like checking email or performing other administrative tasks.
Once you set your schedule, share it with your family. It might be useful to post your schedule somewhere everyone can see it, like on your office door or the fridge.
I also recommend putting your schedule in your phone to help you stick to it. For example, you might schedule specific tasks or time blocks in your calendar app. At the very least, I suggest setting alarms or reminders to eat and take regular breaks.
Using our BPT to set a schedule allows us to feed off of the natural ebbs and flows of our energy and attention. It makes doing work a lot easier—because we’re not fighting against our internal rhythms.
While shifting to a work-from-home environment certainly brings new challenges to the equation, it also offers the opportunity to listen to our bodies and brains so we can finally work with them instead of against them.
Do you know your BPT? Comment below.
