Stop Getting Distracted When You Work From Home

Working from home is something that many of us enjoy. We can wear what we like, choose our own working hours and avoid the long commute to the office. However, as much as many people revel in being able to work from home, it’s not always an ideal environment to do so. Your home is filled with distractions, from pets to the TV and it can be easy to lose focus and motivation. This can have a negative outcome on your work and cause you to lose valuable time, money and clients. So to make working from home more successful and less distracting, why not try the following ideas.

Prioritize tasks. If you want to learn how to work smarter rather than harder at home, you need to start prioritizing your workload. Create a detailed list of all the tasks you need to complete on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis. This should give you a clear understanding of which tasks are essential and which ones aren’t. Use this information to create a new schedule that only includes priority tasks. If you discover that you are doing too many unessential tasks, now is the time to remove them. Some of these tasks may be minor but removing them can make a big difference. You’ll find that you have more available time, deadlines won’t be a problem, and you’ll stop procrastinating.

Create a suitable work environment. If your current home office is not appropriate for your work, this could be a top cause for your lack of concentration. So take the time to start enhancing the look and functionality of the space. Consider what you need to make your home office work for you. It could be a better desk or a more organised filing system. You should also remove anything you find distracting such as TV’s and radios unless they are essential to your work. Make it an area you want to spend time in and working in it every day shouldn’t be too hard.

Remember to take breaks. Working from home often doesn’t have the same daily structure as working in an office has. There are no allocated break periods, and there is nobody to tell you to stop working. This can often lead to home workers forgetting to take breaks and working late into the night. Not taking breaks might seem like you are giving yourself more time to complete your work. But it’s not good for your healthy and increases the risk of you losing focus and making mistakes. You’ll find it far easier to stay enthusiastic and finish your work at a suitable time if you allow yourself to have breaks. Use a daily planner and alerts on your phone to help you to plan and remind you of your hourly breaks.

With these ideas to help you, you can get your work done and continue to relish working from the comfort of your home. If you try these ideas, and your performance still doesn’t improve, it might be time to consider whether home working is right for you.

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