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Distractions will happen wherever you work. If you’re in an office, then there will be people moving around, phones ringing, and people talking around you. But working from home can have its own distractions too, even though there won’t be as many people around you.
Whether you’ve been forced to work from home due to a global pandemic, or trying to live the laptop lifestyle you see people living, there are things you can do to prevent those distractions from occurring.
So, here are 8 tips to stay focused whilst working from home:
#1 – When Do You Work Best?
Forcing yourself to work when you really don’t feel like it will kill your productivity. But if you know you’re a great worker in the morning, then that’s when you should get the most important tasks done.
If you work better in the afternoon, then the same applies. Get those most important tasks done in the afternoon.
Once you have decided on the best time to work, write down the tasks you have been or are likely to put off and do those first. Otherwise, they will constantly be in the back of your mind. So get them out of the way and then you can get even more things done in your chosen timeframe.
#2 – Make Lists
And speaking of writing things down, you should be making daily lists of the tasks you need to accomplish. Ideally, do them the night before and list everything you should get done.
Starting each day with a fresh list of tasks will give you more motivation to get them done.
Without a list of tasks, you are more likely to get distracted and waste a lot of hours each day.
#3 – Have A Dedicated Office Space
If you want to work like you’re in an office, then you should have a dedicated place in your home to work. This doesn’t have to be a separate room, it might just be a desk in a corner of a room.
When you sit at the desk, your mind should be focused on work, not on your surroundings. As soon as you sit down, you forget you’re at home and just concentrate on getting those tasks completed that you’ve written down.
#4 – Set Boundaries For Family Members
This will be harder if you’re alone with kids but you should set boundaries on when people can interrupt you. They need to know that when you’re sat at your desk, they need to leave you alone.
Just have a conversation with the family members and tell them how important it is that you’re not distracted. With adults, this shouldn’t be too difficult as you can soon make your feelings clear if they don’t leave you alone.
With kids, you might want to give them a treat if they do leave you alone. Tell them they can have a snack or maybe take them to the park but only if they don’t interrupt you whilst you are working.
#5 – Switch Off All Distractions
When you’re sat at your desk, there should be anything within your control that should distract you.
Turn off your phone, or put it on silent and not where you can see it. Same with any other electronic device that can have notifications popping up.
This is your time to work and you shouldn’t be doing anything else but concentrating on getting those tasks completed.
#6 – Don’t Go Browsing
And the same can be said for going online too. You should only be visiting websites that are related to the work you are doing.
Don’t load Facebook up to see what meals your friends are having or what funny meme is being shared around.
This can lead to minutes of distractions each time and will also allow your mind to wander and totally lose focus.
#7 – Schedule Your Calendar
It’s great to write down daily tasks but you also need to know where you’re heading.
Therefore, having a calendar with all deadlines clearly laid out will help you to plan those daily tasks, so that the deadlines are met.
This will also allow you to keep focused each day because you know what needs to be done and when it needs to be done.
#8 – Take Regular Breaks
Staring at a computer screen for long periods is not recommended. Not only can it cause eye strain but you can lose focus too.
If you take regular breaks, it will help you to re-focus on the tasks and give your eyes a rest as well.
Even if it’s a quick walk outside or a drink in another room. Quite often, more can be done with less time sitting at your desk, that’s why breaks are important.
Summary
Hopefully, these 8 tips to stay focused whilst working from home will help you to do just that. The key is to have a clear target of tasks you need to do and to remove any distractions that will stop you from completing those tasks.
