Working from home is not as easy as you may think… the reality of it is hard and to be able to make it work you need to have good discipline, self-control and be organised. If you do not have these then your productivity levels will remain low and you will become distracted more easily. In order to work from home, you need to be determined to want to succeed!
Here are a few of the many things that can become distractions when working from home:
Family obligations: Working in the same environment as friends and family can be challenging as roles can be blurred, being ‘CEO’ one minute and ‘Mum’ the next can be tough. Working on a business requires you to put a lot of focus and energy into it, therefore without proper time management an entrepreneur may lose their time doing household chores without finishing a single task for the day. Try and keep a separate workplace where only you are allowed, this will help you to get all your work done.
The TV: It is known that background noise can help to improve your productivity, but putting the TV on can do the opposite… If something interesting comes on, it can be easy to stop what you are doing and divert your attention to this, and without realising you’ve lost valuable hours in the day! Make sure to set a TV schedule, if you get all your work complete then allow yourself to watch an hour or two in the evenings before you go to bed.
Social media: When you get a notification it is easy to pick your phone up straight away to check it, you will most likely end up scrolling and the time passes without you even realising. To eliminate this distraction you should check your phone in the morning, in your lunch break and then after work so it does not interfere with tasks you are trying to complete in the day.
Online shopping: Having constant access to online shops can be both a blessing and a curse, this links in with my last point about continuously scrolling through your phone. Being able to purchase products without leaving your chair is an advantage although it can easily eat away in to work hours without you even realising. In some cases, it may be better to put your phone out of sight so that you are not tempted to go on it.
Many people that are working from home still need to overcome distractions that affect their productivity. Give the above tips a try and stay focused and persistent, and within no time you’ll develop good habits and accomplish your workdays with no worries!