Dealing with Distractions: How to Be Super Productive Working from Home

Plenty of us dream of working from home, and every year thousands take the plunge. The advantages are obvious, but there are drawbacks, not least the whole new range of distractions we discover. Overcoming these is partly down to self-discipline, but we can also arrange things in our home office to minimize the temptations.

Know Your Distractions

Distractions can come from many directions.

If you live on a street where something is always happening, set up your desk so you cannot see out of the window too easily.

If family or neighbors keep dropping in to chat or to ask for help, draw up clear rules—when you are working you are working. It may take a while, especially if you have small children, but eventually everyone will get the idea.

If noise is a problem, find out if there is some way you can get your home office soundproofed. It will reduce the distracting noises and you won’t feel so guilty if you can’t hear commotions in the house.

If you have a habit of wandering into the kitchen to find things to eat, set aside specific times when you allow yourself to do that.

Make Your Office an Office

The more you can make sitting in your office feel like going to work, the less you are going to be tempted into doing non-work things.

Get the lighting right. Natural lighting is really good, but if that is not possible arrange to have the best lighting you can afford.

Arrange your furniture like a proper office, with a real office desk and a real office chair. Place your files conveniently and have a professional filing system.

By all means have photos and nice things around that will help you feel at ease, provided they do not clutter your workspace.

Invest in technology that works. There is no longer an IT department you can call to sort out your computer; you are going to have to do it yourself.

Take a Break

There is nothing more distracting than being uncomfortable or having frequent headaches, so look after yourself.

Take regular breaks, get up, and walk around. Have a set of exercises that you do at intervals, especially to relax your back, neck, and shoulders.

Your office chair is going to be your greatest ally, so get a good one and learn how to sit in it properly.

If your budget allows it, consider a desk which allows you to swap between sitting and standing positions. Changing position if a good way to keep focus.

Don’t neglect your eyes. Don’t stare at a screen for more than about 20 minutes without giving your eyes a break and focusing on something different for a while.

Enjoy Your Workplace

Working from home is great for many people, but be aware of your limitations. It really does take discipline and investment in some proper furniture. If you can manage both of those, you may never want to go out to work again.

Sophie Little knows all about distractions! She has 4 kids of her own plus runs a kids daycare from her home; there’s hardly a moment of peace. Over the years Sophie has become really good at managing her time – She shares some tips with others who work from home.

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