Keeping Focused while Working From Home

[Andrew Christiansen]

Keeping Focused while Working from Home isn’t always easy, but there are ways to conquer distractions. Stay focused and I’ll share them with you.

1. Don’t go online and look up articles on how to stay focused while you are working from home.

2. Don’t go online.

3. Don’t surf anywhere you are not supposed to go.

4. Don’t play games online.

5. Don’t play games on your computer. Hide the icons.

6. Don’t read your email. Keep two separate emails. One for business, one for pleasure.

7. Stay away from forums and blogs.

8. Keep your instant messenger closed.

9. Shut of the phone.

10. Give the kids money to go to the mall. Make sure the mall is in another country.

The secret to staying focused while working from home is to get rid of the computer, the phone and the family. I’ll just make the wild and crazy assumption that you can’t do that. What are more conventional methods?

Planning is paramount. Make a plan on what your objectives are for the today. The advice is tried and true. You can also better evaluate where your strengths and weaknesses are, measure your productivity, and monitor your progress.

Become one with your project. Okay, so that sounds a little corny. Absorb your thinking and environment into your project. When you do housework, (if you do), let your project fester in your brain. Keep pen and paper around the house so you can jot down ideas when they pop into your head. Try not to lose the pen and paper.

Stay organized. I hear you laughing. Another classic tidbit of advice. Try it, it just might work. Buy fun office supplies. Even if they don’t work, at least you had the chance to go shopping. (Stay focused when shopping.)

Some advisors suggest having schedules and set times. I advise you to become familiar with what motivates you and times you feel most productive. It’s not the same every day. No sense staring at a computer if your brain is blank. If your job is mundane, do something that tires you out before you work, then you’ll enjoy the time to sit down. Better yet, do something you hate even more than work so work looks enticing.

Get help. It is not a sin to get help.

Make your job easier. Discover new ways of doing things, try new computer shortcuts.

Exercise. Another tried and true method. Get up and stretch. Go for a walk. Relax. Think.

Appreciate your job. Remind yourself of the values of working from home, and if you aren’t productive, those values won’t be available to you anymore.
Talk to yourself. Talk about your problems outloud to yourself. Make sure the neighbors aren’t watching and act crazy enough so your family leaves you alone.

Make sure you love your job. If you love your job, you will naturally be happy doing it. If you hate your job, get retraining and start doing something you love. The biggest distraction you can have is hating your job. So focus and get back to work.

[Lynn Terry]

[LuckyMommy]

Stay off twitter!

[angelaaa]