The average worker is willing to give up 20 per cent of their pay to avoid schedules set by their employer on short notice, and 8 per cent of their wages to work from home, according to a study published by Stanford Economics. What this tells us more than anything is that people value having control over their own time.

Mixing professional time with our personal life and responsibilities can negatively impact our performance in both, as the myth of multitasking shows that the quality of our work decreases whenever we are not completely focused on what we are doing. Conversely, when we are working from home we must pay special attention to our space because of the direct link between our mindset and the environment we are in. 

When “there’s no one watching”, another visit to the kitchen seems a more attractive activity than finishing up that important report. Okay, maybe food is less of a distraction to you then it is to me, but we’re all bound to have one diversion within our every-day working-from-home routine.

Whether you’re working from your living room by choice or health demands during testing times, mindfulness is extremely helpful, as it teaches us how to voluntarily sustain and  direct our attention.

“Attention is perhaps our most precious commodity”, says Susan L. Smalley, PhD, professor, founder UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center. It’s pretty obvious that the faculty of attention and the way we attend to things have a profound impact in our lives, yet, most of us are not dedicating time and effort to creating the optimal conditions for attention refinement.

It’s about time that we start paying proper attention to attention and here I will share four practices to incorporate attention training at home:

1. First thing in the morning, find a quiet space and meditate. 

This is how you are going to prime yourself to face any challenges and distractions that might come on your way with stability of mind. The key here is to do this exercise as soon as you wake up and before your senses get assaulted with various demands. 

There are many meditation techniques and your job is to find one that suits you. 

The app Insight Timer offers over 30,000 free guided sessions and a straightforward technique I share with beginners is to simply synchronise your breath with these four words:

Breath IN and silently say to yourself: I

Breath OUT and silently say to yourself: AM

Breath IN and silently say to yourself: HERE

Breath OUT and silently say to yourself: NOW

Repeat

Breath IN and silently say to yourself: I

Breath OUT and silently say to yourself: AM

Breath IN and silently say to yourself: HERE

Breath OUT and silently say to yourself: NOW

You can set a timer before you start for three minutes, then as it becomes easier you can increase the time to five, ten, fifteen, twenty minutes.

You don’t necessarily need to fold your legs to meditate. You can sit comfortably, in a posture that is at the same time alert and relaxed, and bear in mind that when training our attention, distractions are part of the process.

If you are still not convinced by the benefits of meditation this science-based article shows evidence on the positive impact the practice has on supporting stress management, decreasing anxiety, improving attention span, promoting emotional stability and overall well being.

2. Plan your day with intention by journaling.

Writing down your goals for the day not only helps you organise your thoughts but more importantly, it provides guidance on how you wish to consciously create your day. By sorting out three key priorities for the day you provide a roadmap to your brain to follow. That way you will be much less likely to get diverted from dedicating time to what is really important. And when you are off track you have a reminder to get back into your winning mindset.

I have been using The Daily Greatness Journal for five years and it has been an incredible tool accompanying me from changing my career to setting up an expanding business.

For 41 free tips on how to set your own journal, expand your mind and change behaviour, check out Journal Smarter.

3. Make your work environment appealing to the five senses

If you are in a messy space it will be very hard for your brain to think clearly, so start by Marie Kondo-ing the room where you will be working – “tidy your place, transform your life”. According to the bestselling writer, in order to keep our home a space of serenity and inspiration, we must simplify our lives and only keep what sparks us joy.

Once you get rid of the old piles of paper, non-working pens, old magazines, and whatever is cluttering your mind and unnecessarily taking up space, it’s time to make working from home feel nice.

Visuals: work with what you have to make it visually pleasing. I am not suggesting that you have to change the whole decoration of the room, but simple things like placing the chair where you will be seated to face the window, adding yellow, orange or red flowers and books that inspire you, can have a significant impact on boosting your creativity.

Sounds: music is one of the most immediate ways to swift our mood. Spotify Focus selection offers playlists for all tastes, from classic piano to “hypnotic electronic”, including binaural beats and strange white noises. My go-to is Ludovico Einaudi.

Smell: you might think that high-quality essential oils, reed diffusers, natural scented candles or organic room sprays are unnecessary luxuries, but science has shown the powerful effect smell has on your brain. Odours affect our limbic system which is the most reactive part of our brain, governing emotional processing, fear and pleasure.

A study shows that rosemary oil can increase memory and alertness and another study indicates that peppermint oil enhances focus and concentration.

My go-to brands are Neom and Scentered.

Texture: your soft mattress and cozy duvet tells your body to relax, so if you wish to have a productive day, get out of the bed – and don’t move to the sofa – but to a chair where you can keep a professional posture.

Taste: work in 40 minutes bursts with no interruption, protecting your bubble of focus and then take a five minute break and reward yourself with a nice herbal tea  or a non-sugary snack (attention here, if you have three healthy meals a day, two snacks is more than enough!)

4. Be grateful that you have a job

Showing appreciation for your work, even if you don’t feel engaged by your day-to-day activities not only makes your day more pleasant, but it also puts things into perspective. 

In times of uncertainty and financial instability valuing the incredible privilege of being able to pay your bills and put food on your plate is something that should never be taken for granted.

After you finish your work write down three things that you are thankful for and why. You can be short with your answers, but it’s important to be specific. For example:

I am grateful for the opportunity to write this article because it showed me I need to put into practice my own WFH advice, and I hope it will help others to have more present, productive and peaceful working away from the office as well.

In testing times, the work we do right now, more than ever, must in one way or another, bring unity and harmony to society. It’s only in thinking of how we can help each other and acting with compassion that we will be able to overcome this crisis. His Holiness The Dalai Lama reminds us that everyone counts: “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito in the room.”

Natalia Bojanic is the Co-Founder of Form and Founder of Switch-OM

Natalia is a former PR director who left the corporate world to follow her passion for self-improvement and wellness.

Alongside running and expanding the disruptive startup, Form, she is also a qualified meditation teacher who has studied with Buddhist monks and nuns, and been certified by the Google-developed Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute.