As most Americans continue to adjust to working
from home during quarantine, the number of hours workers save on commuting
hassles is being redistributed into their work.
Remote working certainly has some perks during
the COVID-19 crisis. Social
distancing and shelter-in-place are
two of the best ways to help combat the virus since it encourages people to
stay indoors and not head over to the office. But the additional free-time that
comes with no commutes and standing in traffic for countless hours means US
workdays are up by three hours since the rise in the coronavirus outbreak,
according to a new analysis.
Using internal data, NordVPN found that the
average workday has increased by almost 40% in the US — or an extra three hours
— which has Americans working 11-hour days, according to the study.
It’s the largest increase in working hours in
the world, according to NordVPN, which compiled the data since mid-March.
The UK, France, Spain, and Canada added two more
hours a day to their workdays, according to data, while workers in the
Netherlands have tacked on an additional hour.
“The data as well revealed that employees are
starting work earlier, but finishing at the same time. This is perhaps because
people are not commuting, and instead of sitting in traffic, they choose to
work,” Daniel Markuson, a digital privacy expert at NordVPN, said in a press
statement.
Finding ways to disconnect while working
remotely can be challenging considering your home isn’t your normal workspace,
but it’s important to find the right balance and not to have work drag on long
after your shift ends.
Josh Zerkel, head of global community at Asana, offered some tips to help find a better
balance when work and home become blurred due to the COVID-19 crisis.
Take
control of your notifications
“Opting out of notifications breaks the
“always-on” mindset that we constantly need to be available and reactive to
others. To avoid continued disruption, we suggest turning off all but the most
critical notifications—whether from a specific person or related to a
particular project. You’ll find yourself less distracted and overwhelmed by
notifications.”
Have
brief breaks to support your productivity
“To keep yourself accountable, we recommend
setting aside specific time blocks for non-work activities like checking the
news or scrolling through social feeds. When the time block ends, close any
apps or browser windows you opened so you can get back to the work at hand.”
Set
up email filters and rules
“Most of us receive at least a few email
promotions or newsletters a day that we should have opted out of long ago.
These messages crowd our email inbox and make it harder to find important or
time-sensitive notes from external partners and colleagues. In order to keep
your email inbox streamlined, we recommend creating filters to automatically
sort through what you need to see now, versus what can wait until later.
Filtering through senders is an especially quick and powerful hack. If the
sender isn’t from @yourcompany.com, filter those emails to a separate inbox so
you can catch up on them later.”
Use
“Do Not Disturb” mode
“We recommend setting scheduled focus times
(e.g. 20 minutes, 2 hours, or “until tomorrow”) so you can fully disconnect and
concentrate on the work that matters most. When a team member tries to
@-mention you or assign a task, they’ll see you’re on DND and not receiving
notifications right now. If you start worrying that you’re missing something
important you can always flip it off for a quick check-in, but try taking
advantage of the peace and quiet while you have it.”
Follow
a “less-is-more” approach on social media
“When’s the last time you went through your list
of social followers and follows? Practicing good social media hygiene is one of
the easiest ways to cut down on unwanted distractions, no matter where you are.
If an account is no longer providing valuable content, unfollow it. Conversely,
if there are accounts that provide helpful links and information, follow them
to ensure your content feeds are worthwhile. If you’re feeling extra bold,
maybe even consider deleting accounts on platforms you don’t use any more.”
Try
the same approach with your productivity tools
“We recommend taking inventory of all your
workplace productivity tools at least once a year to make sure you’re still
getting value from them. You might be surprised by the amount of crossover that
exists between tools (e.g. internal messaging, file storage, reporting), or
discover that you rarely use some at all. Trimming the fat will not only save
you hours of time spent toggling between tools but money wasted on unnecessary
licenses and subscriptions, too.”
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