Forbes efficiency expert Cheryl Conner says productivity loss is reaching “epidemic” proportions. She has a point. The average American worker spends a significant fraction of the typical workday off task, doing things that don’t directly (or even indirectly) contribute to their work product.
For at-home workers, distraction is an even bigger potential threat. You know all too well how much temptation there is in the solitude of a home office — and how easy it is to get and remain off task at the slightest provocation.
These six tips and tricks won’t eliminate the possibility of distraction during at-home work, but they should make it easier to stay on task. Have you tried any already?
1. Formalize Your Office Space
Your dining room table or living room couch won’t cut it. You need a real home office space that’s separate from your living quarters. If you have a spare bedroom, that’s a natural fit; just make sure you’re not using the space for anything else. Other options include finished basement rooms or outbuildings. The location isn’t as important as the exclusive use.
2. Get a WiFi Doorbell
Tired of getting up to answer the door just as you’re getting into your groove? Get a WiFi doorbell and let people come to you — or, more accurately, empower yourself to figure out whether they’re worth your time. There’s no need to get up when the package delivery person rings your bell, after all.
3. Upgrade Your Equipment and Accessories
Lots of home-based business owners try to get as much mileage as possible out of their outdated desktop computers, printers, and communications devices. This is a classic example of being “penny wise [and] pound foolish” — saving a few bucks at the expense of far greater earning potential down the line. When it doesn’t work properly, or takes longer than intended to complete routine tasks, outdated equipment becomes a distraction. Unlike the latest viral cat video, it’s not even a fun distraction.
4. Remove TV and Other Media-Supporting Devices from the Area
If you have a TV within eye- or ear-shot of your home office, unplug it now. Ditch your personal cell phone, too, and use a business-only cell phone instead. Whatever you can do to cut down on non-work screen time during the workday, you need to do.
5. Make Daily and Longer-Term To-Do Lists
One thing that’s not likely to be on your to-do list: “get distracted.” Use to-do lists and calendars to tightly circumscribe your workday and eliminate periods of unstructured time. Don’t make them too ambitious, though, or you’re likely to throw up your hands and check Facebook instead.
6. Set Strict “On” and “Off” Hours
Don’t work when you can. Work when you must. Set strict business hours during which your sole focus is work — barring unforeseen emergencies.
How Do You Avoid Distraction at Your Home Office?
If none of these distraction-avoidance strategies seem particularly suited to your at-home work situation, perhaps you have a better idea. You know best how to keep focused amid all the matters — some legitimately important, some trivial, and some wholly irrelevant — competing for your attention. Why not share what you know? You might just make a fellow home-based entrepreneur’s day — or career.
