27 July 2021 coworking
We all once dreamed of working from home, then we were faced with a pandemic and working from home became the new norm for many of us. 18 + months down the track, most of us have learned that what was once a dream of ours is actually fraught with many challenges and pitfalls. From lack of productivity because of distractions to feeling isolated and facing potential long-term psychological impacts, so we're going to look at the more common pitfalls we face working or running a business at home.
So, if you are struggling to stay productive at home, and continually fighting the urge to peer inside the fridge, you are not alone. Here are the most common challenges we face when working from home.
Distractions, distractions, distractions… what were we talking about again?
You would need the zen of a Buddhist monk to be unaffected by the distractions at home while you’re trying to get into the work zone.
If you've set up camp on your kitchen bench or table and you are staring at last night’s dishes, or people come in to make a cup of tea while you’re working, and your kids are demanding your undivided attention, then it is almost impossible to stay focused – especially for people that are used to working in office environments where your phone stays firmly out of sight and the dishes and your family have to wait until you get home later.
The scales in the work-life balance are often tipped
Whether you are all work and no play, or you are finding it hard to get motivated to stay productive instead of spending quality time with your loved ones or indulging in some quality self-care, this is a common problem for people working from home not under the watchful eye of superiors.
If there is no separation between our homes and our work lives, it can be all too easy to delve into work on our time off, do a little extra to earn more cash, or stay glued to our inbox; making it impossible to separate our work from our home life if they are both in the same space. Being constantly in work mode can easily lead to burnout or stress that can further impact your physical and your mental health.
Your Career Could Suffer
There may be plenty of upsides to working at home such as the lack of a commute, the getting to stay home with our pets all day, but what if we told you that these creature comforts could be having a detrimental impact on your career or business?
Working in isolation can lead to anxiety and depression, it can also ruin your working relationships, which in turn can lead to a loss of valuable contacts. When you consider the phrase, it isn’t what you know, it is who you know, you can soon start to see why working from home away from like-minded peers can hinder careers that could thrive in coworking spaces. Remember, your social capital is worth just as much as your bank balance in terms of your future.
The little things that we take for granted while commuting to a workspace really add up when you consider the lack of variety in your day while you work from home. You miss out on interactions with colleagues, after work drinks, trips to a new bistro for lunch, or revisiting a favourite coffee shop where you always get a warm welcome. It is no wonder that it is so easy to get bored and uninspired at home.
Working from home does not work for everyone and as previously mentioned offers a number of challenges, especially around the tendency to overwork, feelings of increased isolation and lack of social interaction, as well as decreased productivity, depression and anxiety. But thankfully, there are affordable, flexible and feasible solutions for remote workers, start-ups, and entrepreneurs looking for better work-life balance, thanks to the rising popularity of coworking office spaces.
Book CoWorking Office Gold Coast
If you are ready to reclaim your kitchen table and take your business to the next level or boost your productivity, book a coworking space in our modern coworking office on the Gold Coast today.