Like a lot of people, since the pandemic started I have been working from home.
I have a lot of trouble focusing or completing work this way, to a point where there will be days (weeks?) where I accomplish nothing at all other than showing up for meetings that I don't care about. I know a lot of people say they are more productive working from home, and I would like to be too, but that's just simply not been the case for me.
I'm currently on several medications, and am talking to a psychiatrist, and the meds (Wellbutrin + Lamictal) do help a little, but they are insufficient.
I'm not proud of this, this isn't me bragging "look how little work I do!", and I don't want any pity, I just want people who are "good" at working at home to tell me what they do to stay focused. It's getting to a point where managers are giving me the "we're just concerned" speech, and I do not blame them for that.
A couple things that have worked for me:
1. Early morning walk after the sun’s up.
2. Set just one task, no matter how small, that you can get done in the day. Even if it’s just writing a few lines of code or filling out the weekly status update types of paperwork.
3. Eat healthy. Different diets or methods work for different people but generally I would say eat mostly meat, fruit, veggies, and nuts like almonds or cashews. Don’t eat anything, especially junk food, after you finish your dinner. For me that’s about 6:30 PM on most days. No drugs or alcohol period. You don’t want to be voluntarily altering your body chemistry when you’re already struggling.
4. Given your mention of medications and psychiatry, I would guess mental health is a factor. Check out EMDR. For me it was healing on a miraculous level. YMMV.
5. In your spare time, don’t pressure yourself to do things you think you should do. Just do what you enjoy unless it’s an unhealthy behavior like drinking to excess.
6. Cleaning the house and doing daily chores like folding laundry and washing dishes are a good way to accomplish something and seeing the chore done is very rewarding considering the ordinariness of the task.
I am very well acquainted with the mental health struggle. Not saying any of these are a panacea but they can be helpful.
A few apps that help keep me on track are: Structured [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/structured-day-planner/id14991...] - A planner that I cannot recommend enough. and Stoic [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/stoic/id1312926037] a journal app that I mostly use for white noise generation, it allows you to mix sounds perfectly. (The journal part is locked behind a subscription, hence why I don’t use it)
Its really been an exercise in making hay while the sun shines. I can almost never get into a flow state, but I tend to do a lot of thinking beforehand so I can just sit down and start typing code when the time comes.
Likewise, encourage your team to schedule meetings at times that you aren't productive anyway. Use your down hours for tasks that are non-productive, but required.
Between those two things, many people can find a schedule that is personalized and gets stuff done.
Also, what do you think you're missing from the office? Is it the casual conversations? or the camaraderie? Being able to understand the cause might help to form the proper solution.