There are likely many reasons you’ve chosen to run your business from home, but among the biggest are the flexibility and convenience. You’re able to work wherever and whenever, kicking the nine-to-five lifestyle to the curb.
Working from home can also help you focus better on your work without the distractions of coworkers and pointless meetings. But that doesn’t mean you’ll be completely free from interruptions.
In fact, there can be more distractions at home, depending on your situation. Kids, pets, loads of laundry, dirty dishes, Netflix … any of these can hinder your productivity. You set your own rules, so why not indulge?
Achieving self-control is difficult, even though you know distractions are killing your effectiveness. Taking a break or trying to multitask are tempting, but usually result in lower-quality work and wasted time.
If you’re like the majority of people who work from home, you need some good strategies for limiting disturbances. Here are a few.
1. Set Your Work Schedule
Because you’re working from home, you probably work outside conventional business hours. The flexibility is nice, but it’s better to have some structure.
You should set aside at least six hours a day for work activities, which can help a lot. You don’t have to make it 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; it’s okay to fit your hours into a random schedule.
For example, if you’re trying to work around your kids’ schedule, you might work for two hours in the morning before they wake up, five hours during school, and an hour after they go to sleep. It’s unconventional, but setting aside the time can make the difference in completing quality projects.
2. Remove Distractions from the Office
Every home business needs an office, or at least a dedicated workspace. It’s easy to let home responsibilities pile up on your office desk, but you should keep those elsewhere so only work-related items fill your field of vision.
In addition, don’t let things sneak in that don’t belong. You don’t need a television in your office, for example, and it shouldn’t be the place you store clean laundry before it’s folded. This office is for work and work alone.
3. Use the Pomodoro Working Technique
If you’re the kind of person who needs an occasional break to stay productive, take it … but do so strategically. Try the Pomodoro technique, in which you set a timer for 25 minutes and work constantly during that time.
When the time is up, set it for five minutes, and do something other than work — something you enjoy. You might check social media or do a part of tonight’s dinner prep. When the timer goes off again, return to work.
Many have found this an excellent way to stay productive and ignore distractions for the majority of the time, but it’s not for everyone. If this doesn’t work, create your own system of breaks to enable you to breathe and maintain productivity.
4. Drown Out Noise
Sounds can make it very difficult to concentrate. Some are worse than others. Your kids’ after-school television watching can be a distraction, even if you have no interest in the shows.
You can control this type of distraction by drowning out surrounding noise. One option is to turn on non-distracting music and listen to it through ear buds. Usually, instrumental music without words is best. If you prefer complete silence when you work, try noise-canceling headphones.
5. Make Time for Yourself
Your entire life shouldn’t revolve around work, but it’s too easy for it to do so when your home and office occupy the same space. Taking time for yourself and doing some socializing are integral components of staying sane and healthy on the job.
Offer yourself some of that free time. When you’re launching a business, it’s hard to justify taking two purely selfish hours for yourself, but you should.
Go out with friends. Watch your kids’ soccer game. Read a book you’ve been meaning to pick up. It doesn’t matter what you do as long as you’re stepping away from your typical work routine and allowing yourself to relax.
This action will be rejuvenating and allow you to return to work with full vigor and increased productivity.
