Working from home sounds like a dream. You get to sit in your pajamas all day, have an easier time preparing your lunch, and not worry about picking out elaborate outfits every day.
In the United States, remote work is becoming the new normal. California has become the mecca of remote work, as it’s the state with the most work-from-home opportunities. More and more California lease agreements are being signed just for this reason.
However, is working from home that easy?
Distraction is one of the biggest issues. Maybe you’ve always preferred to be at the office, but for one reason or another, you’d like to turn your home into a home office. If you want to stay on task while working from home, here are five tips to follow.
1. Create a Home Office
The first step in avoiding distractions is to set up a quiet workspace. You might be used to heading to the office, however, it’s time to transition to working from home.
If you’re working from home, try to avoid working in your bedroom, especially on your bed. It’s best if you have an extra room as a dedicated workspace.
How you set up that workspace is also critical. Ensure that you will have enough privacy and personal space to work. Lighting is also essential, so don’t work in the basement.
If there isn’t enough space in another room of your house, consider setting up a desk with enough space in your living room or a corner of your bedroom.
Invest in a proper work desk to avoid using your bed, sofa, dining table, or kitchen table.
2. Avoid Social Media and Television
The urge to check Twitter or Instagram is always there. However, when you’re working from home, you’ll need to fight that urge and focus on your work. A couple of things you should keep in mind regarding using social media or watching television include:
- Don’t watch television, even for a few minutes. Even if it’s just the news, it can break your concentration.
- Keep your cell phone on do not disturb mode. If you’re working at home and need to focus, turn off notifications or use “do not disturb”.
While you won’t have your boss at home to look over your shoulder, you shouldn’t take it as an excuse to get distracted by your phone or TV.
3. Take Regular Breaks
Taking breaks is an important part of staying focused and productive. If you don’t take breaks, it can be easy to get overwhelmed by the constant stream of emails, phone calls, and texts that come in throughout the day. You need time to process all those messages before moving on to your next task or project.
If possible, take a short 5-10 minute break every couple of hours during your workday apart from your lunch break. This will help give you perspective as well as recharge your brain so that you are ready for what’s next on your plate. During this time away from being at the computer screen.
Try going outside as well, even just to get some fresh air and sunlight. The fresh air helps clear your mind and keep you motivated.
Eating healthy foods during these breaks will also help keep us sharp throughout the day.
4. Keep Your Work Area Clean
One of the best ways to keep your work area free from distractions is by keeping it free from clutter. You shouldn’t eat where you work, because it’ll make it harder for you to focus on your job.
The same goes for drinking: try not to have any snacks or drinks around your work area, as this will only lead to distraction and irritation when they inevitably spill. Additionally, be sure to use wipe down your monitor and desk regularly.
That way, dust won’t collect on your computer and tools.
5. Delegate Responsibility at Home
If you have a partner that works away from home, make sure they do their fair share of the chores. If they don’t, it will be hard for you to focus and get things done.
Just because you work from home doesn’t mean that you have to do all the housework and child care yourself.
Hire a babysitter if necessary, or send your child/children to nursery school (if possible).
With all of these tips, you can be sure that you’ll be able to focus on your work and not the distractions in your home. No matter what kind of work you do, distractions will always threaten your ability to stay focused.
However, with these tips, you can find ways to be a productive employee and limit any potential distractions.
