Is it just me, or is it almost impossible to concentrate at the moment?

Here’s the thing: I’ve been working from home, at least partly, for six years now. So being out of the office is no rude shock to my system. In fact, I’ve always prided myself on my ability to get things done on my own – the moment I wave goodbye to my kids, I drop into work mode and generally don’t come up for air until I realise I’m about to be late for pickup.

But lately, I’ve found myself chasing my tail. As I tap out an article I’ll notice an email pop up, and I’ll swap windows to attend to it. The email is about a Zoom meeting, so I pull up my iCal to log it, then write myself a reminder to prep for it. On my reminder list I spot something else I haven’t done, so click in to my browser window to research – and see the page I was looking at before I started my article, which I had meant to come back to…sorry, where were we?

Sometimes I feel like all the productivity tools we flocked to at the start of lockdown – the WhatsApp groups and Teams meetings and Trello boards and Slack channels – might actually be more distracting than they are helpful. I’ve tried combating this by turning off all notifications and leaving my phone in another room, but that kind of defeats the purpose.

But if it’s not the working-from-home that’s got me mentally channel-flicking at the speed of light, what is it?

Rachael Walden is a Registered Psychologist and founder of The Bondi Psychologist. And she believes pandemic fatigue has a lot to answer for. “This has been a scary time, and while we may think we are used to it, there really is no getting used to a threat, so our nervous systems are exhausted. It's been a long and protracted period of uncertainty, fear, financial worries, scary numbers of cases, and for many people, life is in limbo. We haven't been able to progress careers, plan holidays (or weddings or other fun things), see those we care about, or plan a future. This all takes a toll on us humans and our brains are less sharp, quick, and focused as a result.”

I feel less guilty already. 

If you weren’t already working from home pre-pandemic, Rachael says you’ve experienced an extra layer of challenge. Because at home, “no one is watching us - we don't have that vague awareness of others that we do when we work in an office with others. Just as we work harder in an exercise session with other hard working people, we work harder in the office if those around us are focused. If all of our friends, colleagues, housemates, partners, etc are also unfocused, then who is setting the tone? We are all easily distracted because of our tired brains, and few are staying on-task like they were pre-pandemic.” 

On top of this, Rachael feels that our relationship with work has changed. “For many, work has lost its importance in our lives as we focus on wishing to see our loved ones, establishing relationships - what a lonely time for many this has been - growing families (human and furry), and getting connected to nature.” In short, our priorities are different. And maybe that’s a good thing. I don’t think any of us have escaped the last 18 months without a renewed sense of gratitude for the simple things – time with friends and family in the number one spot.

For those of us in NSW, lockdown is set to end soon, but that doesn’t mean that we’ll all be rushing back into the office. For many of us the working model has been changed forever, with more workplaces embracing flexibility and hybrid working. So if the home office is here to stay, how can we make the most of it? “As usual”, Rachael says, “my answer is diet, exercise, and watching your alcohol intake. These are the things that set us up for good mood and stress management, and definitely improve concentration. Have a balanced and varied diet (and a treat here and there), make sure there are more alcohol-free days than alcohol days in the week. You CAN do it - it takes some getting used to but you will be glad you made the effort. And exercise most days. If you can exercise before work, excellent, if not, plan to leave work on time and fit in that workout.”

Her other key tip? “One of the most common causes of poor concentration is dehydration, so plan to eliminate this with some good habits from the start. Take a water bottle into the office and leave it there - fill it each morning and give yourself a deadline to have drunk its contents. Then re-fill it and do it again for the afternoon. You can easily knock over 1.5-2 litres this way.”

Rachael Walden

And if you are heading back to the office, Rachael suggests proceeding with caution. “Take it slow”, she says. “Whether you are mandated to return to the office or are choosing to, and whether this is full time or you are planning a few days in the office each week, you need to manage your energy. Do you remember your first full time job and how EXHAUSTING it was (my parents thought it was hilarious when I first worked full time)? Expect to feel similarly tired. If you have ever taken extended leave from work you will recall the significant adjustment required when your life got super busy again. My tip here is to ease up on the socialising on office days, at least initially. This will be hard, as we are all dying to catch up with our friends and family, but try to take it a bit easy at first. The toll that travelling to and from work will take is hard to measure, but as commuting can potentially consume quite a lot of our day, we need to make room for it and give ourselves some time to adjust. Whether on foot, bicycle, public transport or a car, the travel to and from work will be an additional stressor you haven't had to deal with for a while. Maybe start your office days with a calming workout or meditation to set you up right.”

Speaking of meditation, apparently it’s a must. “Yes, I know. Every other article about mental health or psychology mentions this. FOR A REASON. It works. When we meditate, our sympathetic nervous system (the one activated by the threat of the pandemic) gets slowed down and our parasympathetic nervous system (the one that helps us to relax and be calm) goes up a gear. There are lots of schools of meditation that prescribe a minimum amount of time each day dedicated to the practice, and while this is the ideal, you will still get the benefits of shorter meditations, walking meditations, or going to sleep meditations. Whether you use a learned technique or an app to guide you, you WILL get the benefits from regular meditation and you will notice how differently you feel when you don't do it.”

Point taken. And don’t forget the basics – Rachael suggests planning your meals and ensuring you take some of them into the office so you aren’t rushing around on your lunch break.

Finally, she says, “if you can, start as you mean to proceed with regard to work hours. If you have a tendency to stay late, or check emails into the night, why not set yourself a reasonable home time and maybe cut a deal with yourself to check emails once only when home. This will help you carve out some ‘relax’ time before bed. No one likes the hamster wheel feeling, so start prepping now to avoid it as much as possible.”

Right, I’m off to fill up my water bottle – but maybe not my social calendar. I’ve got a to-do list dating back to March 2020 to finish first.