{"id":7194,"date":"2020-04-21T16:15:21","date_gmt":"2020-04-21T23:15:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/?p=7194"},"modified":"2021-08-25T22:34:38","modified_gmt":"2021-08-26T05:34:38","slug":"does-working-from-home-make-us-more-productive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/does-working-from-home-make-us-more-productive\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Working From Home Make Us More Productive?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We are currently living through a pandemic that will probably end up in the history books. As the COVID-19 season drags on and many of us transition to working from home, questions abound.<\/span><\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_50 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\" role=\"button\"><label for=\"item-69ec2b20a4e65\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;width: 35px;height: 30px;justify-content: center;direction:ltr;\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/label><input  type=\"checkbox\" id=\"item-69ec2b20a4e65\"><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/does-working-from-home-make-us-more-productive\/#Methods_to_Increase_Focus\" title=\"Methods to Increase Focus\">Methods to Increase Focus<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4'><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/does-working-from-home-make-us-more-productive\/#1_Practice_concentration_techniques\" title=\"1. Practice concentration techniques\">1. Practice concentration techniques<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/does-working-from-home-make-us-more-productive\/#2_Listen_to_brain-boosting_music\" title=\"2. Listen to brain-boosting music\">2. Listen to brain-boosting music<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/does-working-from-home-make-us-more-productive\/#3_Take_frequent_breaks\" title=\"3. Take frequent breaks\">3. Take frequent breaks<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/does-working-from-home-make-us-more-productive\/#About_the_Author\" title=\"About the Author\">About the Author<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many companies have had to ask employees to work from home to allow for self-isolation. Though learning to cope with new operations can be tricky, many people are more concerned with their productivity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to CNBC, working from home may <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2020\/03\/12\/study-how-working-from-home-boosts-and-hurts-productivity-creativity.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">increase or decrease productivity<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The connection is between the task and the environment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Boring tasks are easier to accomplish in a structured and simple environment like a cubicle.\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Accomplishing creative tasks is easier in a more relaxed environment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is an easy thing to be distracted by housemates, television, or dog walking when facing a dull or simple task &#8211; hence productivity lessens when doing this work from home.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When facing a complex task that requires problem-solving, an unstructured environment may heighten creativity, attention, and productivity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As companies and employees question whether working from home should be the new normal, strategies for keeping employees consistent are necessary.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To help keep yourself or your employees productive during this time, consider using helpful methods, apps, and websites designed to help increase focus and workflow.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Methods_to_Increase_Focus\"><\/span>Methods to Increase Focus<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Practice_concentration_techniques\"><\/span><strong>1. Practice concentration techniques<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Pomodoro Technique<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is one of the easiest and most rewarding productivity supports we have found. It helps increase workflow by setting 25-minute \u2018work\u2019 timers, each followed by a mandatory \u2018break\u2019. Though it may seem counter-productive, it<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">minimizes procrastination and distraction<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This is a helpful tool to use when needing to slog through basic or boring tasks, but can also help the creative soul find focus and drive.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Listen_to_brain-boosting_music\"><\/span>2. Listen to brain-boosting music<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Another lovely work assistant is a music website called brain.fm &#8211; a space dedicated to keeping you focused and efficient. Featuring anywhere from 30min to \u2018\u221e\u2019 sessions of brain-boosting music, you can tailor a soundtrack to your work length. One of their tips is to pop in headphones while you work. We believe this helps cut down on general distraction. Brain.fm also has music for relaxing and sleeping so if you find the work playlists helpful, try the others.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Take_frequent_breaks\"><\/span>3. Take frequent breaks<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Giving yourself adequate breaks throughout the day will decrease burnout and lift your mood. This is especially important when dealing with the stress of a pandemic and a changing workspace. Don\u2019t be afraid to get outside and take a short walk to keep your blood pumping and your spirits lifted.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We hope that your remote work leads to a healthier and happier lifestyle, regardless of CoVID-19. Keep your goals in sight and remind yourself to get those pesky tasks done, boring or not.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Related Posts:<\/strong>\u00a0<a class=\"text-lh29 text-600 xs-text-small\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/4-tips-to-be-an-engaged-remote-employee\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">4 Tips to Be An Engaged Remote Employee<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"text-lh29 text-600 xs-text-small\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/10-tips-to-stay-productive-at-work\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">10 Tips to Stay Productive at Work<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"text-lh29 text-600 xs-text-small\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/top-10-jobs-in-canada-during-covid-19\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Top 10 Jobs in Canada During COVID-19<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"About_the_Author\"><\/span><strong><em>About the Author<\/em><\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><strong>Simon Chou<\/strong> is the Vice President of Operations and Growth at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\">BCjobs.ca<\/a>. Over the course of his career, he carved a niche in brand development,\u00a0 marketing strategy, and online presence for startups. Prior to BC Jobs, he served as a marketing advisor for high-profile blockchain projects including Litecoin, NEM and Ripple. He&#8217;s also worked with fortune 500 companies in the healthcare space.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We are currently living through a pandemic that will probably end up in the history books. As the COVID-19 season drags on and many of us transition to working from home, questions abound. Many companies have had to ask employees to work from home to allow for self-isolation. Though learning to cope with new operations [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":111,"featured_media":7196,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[53,152],"tags":[340,336,337,338,339,342,341,343],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7194"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/111"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7194"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7194\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8019,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7194\/revisions\/8019"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}