The number one issue employees and self-employed professionals have with working from home is the distractions present.
Distractions at home can be anything from easy access to a couch or bed to having a short snooze to children playing and running around, things in your house that provide entertainment and those items that remind you, hey, you're home. Time to relax now!
And precisely, that's what we don't want to deal with when working from home, especially when having performance targets. Working from home is a luxury for many, and if you are one of the fortunate few to have a separate, dedicated room as your home office, then fantastic. At least you know you can determine what you have in that room and be able to close the door and get to work.
However, if you don't have that luxury of a separate office room in your home, and have to contend with working from your bedroom, lounge or kitchen, then there are some steps you can take to minimise distractions.
Remove items from close-by that remind you too much of home and those items that you determine are 'distracting'. Move them to another room or wherever as long as they're out of sight.
Get set up with your computer, keyboard, mouse, monitor and phone. Sit in a comfortable, ergonomic chair. And use a proper desk to work. Doing so will put you in the 'working zone' of thinking and acting like you're at work and have to get things done.
If you live with other people residing in the house while you are working, have a serious conversation with them about not distracting you while you work. Also, ask them to respect your privacy and need to concentrate by either turning down the TV or not having it on at all.
Organise your day. Set times for breaks to go for a walk, have a small bite, and for lunch. Plan what you need to do from the morning and tick them off as the day goes by.
Have a good night's sleep. Have a set sleeping pattern and stick to it. Be serious about when you're having breakfast, when you start work and when you finish.
And there you have it. I hope that these strategies have been helpful in any way.
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