Just can’t concentrate on work anymore, anyone else?

[Covidbegone]

I’ve been working from home since the start of lockdown like many people. At first, it was a misssion with home schooling and fitting in my job into the evenings. Now the kids have gone back, and in theory I can crack on during the day, but I’m finding it even harder than when the kids were needing my attention.

My job is quite creative and I miss working with my team. I get sent jobs, and unless there’s an urgency behind them, I feel I have no motivation to do them. The blur of office and home life are becoming a constant distraction. I’m putting the washing on when I should be working, or putting a presentation together when I should be sorting the kids out. The online meetings are giving me zoom fatigue, and I’m invited to many which don’t even seem to be relevant to me so most of the time I don’t feel useful anyway.

When I do get stuck into something my DH will walk into my office/ our bedroom and my concentration is shot to pieces again. Does anyone else feel like this? I just want the boundaries of home life and office life back. I’m sure even if it was for a day a week it would give me some motivation to try harder. Anyone else?

Same here. Especially now that we are back in lockdown. I have worked from home since March. Frankly I don't like the CEO I work for. A typical set in his ways middle aged man who micro-manages in many instances and makes everything more difficult than it needs to be (I am a senior manager and I just need to be able to get on my work)...It has reached a point where I no longer care and do the absolute minimum. Zoom meetings are often excruciating and his latest bright idea is to ask people to cover reception/general calls on a rota while at home which frankly has nothing to do with my role and will simply prevent me from doing my actual job. From Monday most of my work day will be spend job hunting.

Me too! I think in the first lockdown the novelty combined with the fact I was on an easy project at work with a great team who all already knew each other well meant I enjoyed it and didn’t struggle much with motivation or work life balance. But I’ve since been promoted and started with a new client with a new team and it’s so so hard to build those relationships and do the creative tasks, I find myself procrastinating a lot, then working in the evenings without good boundaries. I feel constantly guilty that I’m not doing a good job.

We had an office day last week for the first time in weeks and it was wonderful!

Yes. It got so bad a few weeks ago that I got into trouble at work. That gave me a bad jolt.

Anyway. I’m feeling a lot better/more focused and I put this down to taking Vitamin D religiously for the last few weeks. Seems to have re-energised my brain.

I'm doing ok. Things that help-

What would be commute time in the morning I put washing on, wipe the kitchen down and do whatever washing up left from night before.

I work in a client facing role for a bank, have a lot of heavy work each month. It's like being on a bloody hamster wheel and needs lots of concentration-BUT i have found I work well all day with my wireless headphones on listening to books/podcasts. It's a nice background noise and oddly makes me more focused on the task. This is something that would never be accepted in the office.

I reward myself for a good mornings work with a lunch I couldn't normally have in the office. My current favourite is 2 x buttered crumpets, a fried egg on top with 2 x rashers of bacon. Only thing that has got me through the mornings this week!

I have a clear start and finish time, although I often work 'over' a bit. I never open work laptop in evenings or weekends like my colleagues do. I need the down time. I did that at the beginning of lockdown last time, not again! I work to live, not the other way round.

I'm still at work (not wfh) but I'm also studying a MA. Have an assignment due in in two weeks and just can't focus on it at all. I'm literally sitting watching stupid YouTube videos.

I have found my people. I feel exactly the same. I have work to do - its pretty but not super urgent but my motivation has collapsed - I was going into the office one day a week which was much better, just change of scene but back to fulltime wfh now. I have never loved wfh much, a balance is ok, I need people around to bounce off. I am bored and lonely and just waste time.

Yes, hit a wall last week and am procrastinating with everything. Worked from home a few days a week for many years before lockdown and thought I would love to WFH all week. Very wrong. Making silly mistakes and beating myself that I am rubbish at my job. Thank you for making me realise I am not alone.

Another vote for pomodoro, also listen to your natural working clock and try to work with it

As well as the demotivation, everything is takng me so long because there's none of the sparking off other people, or shouting across the office for a quick answer.

I love working from home but I've also hit a wall. I lost so many of my team with no reduction in workload, and after seven months of way too much work I'm dangerously close to burn out.

I'm desperate for a holiday!

This week has been even worse because of the dark evenings. I think it's time to wrap up for the day then see it's only 4pm.

Same here. I'm less efficient. I'm less attentive. I browse social media during dull concalls. Honestly, I find it too easy to get distracted by everything but work.

I now hate working from home. I'm lucky enough to have a very short commute and would prefer to return to the office for 100% of my time. However the company I work for is very cautious about health and safety and has closed the office again for the duration of the lockdown.

I feel a bit like this.
I am more productive if I dress for work. Jacket, makeup, camera on.
Every morning I go for a short walk round the block before I start work.
That helps too. If I leave it till after work it's too dark.

Can I join too? Lacking in motivation. My workload has dropped a lot due to the nature of my work, but I still have to be online all day. I could find or ask for more work to do, but I don’t want to do that either. Thankfully I am running before logging in some days and keeping on top of housework, but I am bored and miss actually going to work.

I’m working in a workplace but we’re all finding it a bit of a chore at present. Plus we’re all spread out, can’t have proper meetings like we used to, even the little nice things like birthday cakes and biscuits have been banned. Plus everyone is on edge due to several covid cases. I can only imagine not having the disconnect between work and home is much worse.

I don’t think it helps that we have nothing to look forward to.

I was so pleased when sent home with a laptop back in March. A lot of us had been pushing to wfh for a long time. But it’s a case of be careful what you wish for. I really struggle to get motivated now. I miss the office environment, the getting up in a morning and choosing my outfit for work, doing my hair and make up, and even just the drive to work and the walk from car park to office. The lines are definitely blurred for me. I find I put extra time in at the end of the day, because I’m home anyway, whereas if in the office I get up and walk out when my finishing time arrives. I’m on annual leave this week, lockdown is here, and if I was office based I would just enjoy chilling at home, but i’m stuck in the same environment I’ve been in since March, and pig sick of the same scenery.

Following this as I’m really struggling. I’ve never wanted to work at home but now I’m stuck with it

@moltonpink yup I feel exactly the same. I know others have worst struggles but its really getting me down.

Same. It took me about 2 hours today to draft a 2 sentence email.

I did yoga first thing and stick rigidly to pomodoro today and had a much better day.
I find myself getting so frustrated though with one colleague in particular who loves wfh and goes on about how much more productive she is and how she doesn't see the need to return to the office.
I know its different strokes and all that but I want to scream WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!!!

What a relief to find this thread

Huge relief to read through this thread. I’ve done nothing (well the absolute bare minimum for months and have developed a mental block. I have raging insomnia, up all night, body clock is messed up. I’m sleeping when the kids are at school.

What is pomodoro?

What is pomodoro?

I thought it was a tomato

I find this really tough too.

I use a website called Focus Mate to help me schedule stuff that needs to get done.

www.focusmate.com

It's a community of people and you set a time and a task and you get an accountability partner - someone else who also needs to get something done.

Time is set in 50 minute chunks.

I find having to show up to an appointment and account for my time to another actual human is what I need to get stuff done, I jut can't seem to do it on my own!

Never was I so glad to be a teacher! Routine, colleagues, face to face work with the children. The days fly by and sometimes I nearly forget we have covid lurking around (well, almost...the mask on my face is a constant reminder!). I absolutely hated being at home all the time during our first lockdown (I’m in Ireland) so was dreading the schools having to close down again after we opened in September. My colleagues are exactly the same. We kept saying “let’s get to midterm without closing”, now Christmas is the goal. I don’t envy any of you who are forced to work from home. It’s really difficult to have a separate home and work life and we all need a change of scenery to keep us sane. I’m the world’s worst procrastinator anyway (hence the name!) so the fact that I don’t have a minute to look at my phone during the day (I don’t even check it at break times!) is an added plus. Re pomodoro-I used it when I was doing my masters ten years ago. It certainly helped me stay on task so is worth trying.

I've felt like this. I tend to have rubbish on the TV so it's background noise. My role has become so busy during the past few months. The phone is going constantly with customers and I get nothing done email wise.

I tend to carry on working past 5, it fills the evenings for me as I'm a lone parent and my children are in their rooms online with friends.

Really hard going at the moment