Working in Isolation — 5 Quick Wins For Boosting Your Productivity
Nothing is more important than feeling comfortable in your workspace in order to excel at what you do best. Working alone to detach yourself from noise levels and distractions can be good for your output, as proven by many a study. Depending on your type of personality, you may even find that operating under peaceful and tranquil settings frequently in contrast to a regular communal environment will help you get more done and produce greater results across the board.
That being said, everything needs to be taken in moderation and so any time you choose to work in isolation, weight the pros and cons.
Here are five reasons why you may consider this approach for boosting your productivity over the long-term.
1. Reducing everyday stress
Men and women who choose to work from home can expect an easier time eating healthy and achieving a manageable work-life balance. If you are eating healthier and making more time to spend with your family or friends, you will ultimately feel less stressed out than usual, which contributes towards a more productive workday. A 2011 study from Staples found that employees who worked offsite recorded 25% less stress.
2. Increasing overall happiness
A study by the University of Warwick have found out that people who take time out to work alone are happier and this “happy” state results in as much as 12% increase in productivity. On the other hand, “unhappy” workers were recorded as being 10% less productive.
This proves that human happiness has great and positive causal effects on a persons productivity levels due to the importance that positive emotions have on how we act and process things.
See Also: 10 Things You Should Know About Creating Your Happiness
3. Becoming more independent
Good things happen when you go it alone. Theres no better way to truly test how independent you are than trying it out.
Whether you are starting a personal project or building up a freelance enterprise, you will build new confidence from finding things out by yourself without the assistance of others. This new mindset will allow you make decisions faster and with conviction so when you return to a communal environment you have a more productive outlook.
4. Less interruptions
Fewer distractions equal more accomplishments. Productivity levels soar when you make plans to get away from it all. Whether that is five minutes or five hours, every second helps.
It’s important to use this time alone to also think for yourself and get to know yourself better without external influences at play. Hitting your stride becomes easier when your attention isn’t being split between tasks you value to be important and those belonging to others within your proximity.
See Also: Turn Your Home Office Into A Productivity Zone
5. Working smarter, not harder
Read any cheat sheet for working smarter, not harder and somewhere on the list will be a section dedicated to finding time for stillness which also translates to being able to work by yourself.
One of the positive effects this has on boosting productivity is being able to reassess the priority of each task on your list so that you are best able to make use of your time. Sometimes, being amongst the noise and the crowds can help you forget how to focus on getting the most out of your day.
