Working From Home – How to Avoid Distraction

Working from home is a dream shared by many people, but if you’re lucky enough to do this then you’ll probably be aware of the fact that it’s very easy to become distracted and start reducing your productivity. Without being surrounded by colleagues and having a boss looking over your shoulder, then you’re left to your own devices. It’s pretty easy when working from home to suddenly discover that your lunch hour has suddenly stretched into two hours, and that you’ve achieved next to nothing with your day! If you’re new to working from home, then the simple tips and advice in this post might be of use to you, and help to prevent you from taking your eye off the ball

Fix A Schedule

One of the biggest mistakes people make when working from home is to start and finish their working day when they feel like it. Having a structure to your day is crucial to working productively and this is no different when working from home. It’s well worth setting yourself times to start, finish and break for lunch. If you decide that you should be at your desk at half eight, then try to make sure that you’re there at that time every day. It might seem a bit strict to set yourself times for breaks, but you’ll find that as a result your day becomes much more structured and eventually you’ll end up feeling guilty for being late!

Work Space

The next thing you should think about is having a dedicated work space, away from distractions. When you’re setting up your own company, or beginning to work from home, one of the biggest decisions is choosing the room you’ll be working from. Try to avoid just putting the laptop on the table in the lounge. Instead, the best scenario is to have a formal home office from which you can work. That will allow you to separate yourself from the distractions of the home and make you feel like your ‘at work’.

Task Lists

A common reason that most people switch off when working from home is that they no longer have strict targets to meet for the day. It’s all too easy to say ‘I’ll do it tomorrow’. Try writing yourself a to-do list at the beginning of each day, with a realistic list of tasks that you need to get finished by the time you clock off. This is a great way of keeping yourself motivated and also making the most of your time. When you don’t have colleagues watching what you’re doing, then it can be quite hard to work to your full potential. By writing out lists and sticking to them, you’ll find that you’ll motivate yourself to get things done.

Keep Social Stuff Separate

One of the other temptations when working from home is to have friends over for lunch or coffee. Try to imagine that you are at work; would your boss be happy with you mixing in social occasions with your day? On a similar note, try to avoid spending your working day getting caught up in housework such as cleaning and washing clothes. You wouldn’t be doing any of that if you were in the office, so why not when you’re working from home.

About the Author: Sarah Quinn works for Wish.co.uk. Take a browse of their website to see an exciting range of heart pumping experience days and unique gifts. Click here to see what you can find!