How to Focus While Working From Home

Lists are easy to make, and serve as an incredibly valuable tool for organizing one’s schedule. Just like if you are going to the supermarket and need to remember what to buy- lists are a key reminder of the tasks that you need to get done in a certain time frame. Try making a list at the beginning of each workday(or the night before, if you prefer), and write a series of goals for the day- starting with what you need to get done, and then follow up with more ambitious or fun ones at the end. This way, you may complete your required work for the day and find that you have time to get ahead of schedule or work on a creative project. However, there is little point in making a list if you don’t check it as you go along- it will help you stay on track, and feel an earned sense of accomplishment every time you check something off. Use lists to help structure your day, and you will go a long way.

While the good news about working remotely is that it may give you more of a chance to be comfortable, you do not want to get so comfy that you don’t feel motivated to work. If you are thrown off by switching from a work environment to a home one, it may be very easy to doze off, get distracted, or just not feel the sense of urgency in completing tasks that you do while at the office. Start by establishing a new office space to work out of consistently. This does not have to be your own custom-made home office, as many people do not have the time and money for that. But it should be a place where you can feel awake and have limited districtions. If you are looking for space, perhaps you can convert your dining room table into a desk, or living room setup into a makeshift office. And avoid your bed- this is a major no-no!

This is an issue that I have experienced before, and if you have had similar problems, I can guarantee that you are not alone. It is very easy, especially in such turbulent times, to get distracted by checking the news or your social media feed over and over again. When working on a project, you must find a way to block out this noise; unless it is apart of or relevant to the specific work you are doing, of course. Turn the sound off on your cell phone notifications, and perhaps try using websites such as https://selfcontrolapp.com which allows you to block out distracting websites for certain lengths of time. Perhaps you can try listening to music while you work- it can provide a bit of a distraction if that helps, but still allows you to focus on your work.

Ultimately, there is no article or self-help column that will be a sufficient replacement for your own personal experiences. Everyone is different, and everyone has different schedules and habits appropriate for themselves. Make sure that you are going according to your own pace, and take advantage of what may be a more flexible schedule to your benefit. If you find that waking up early and cranking out your work quickly works best for you, go right ahead and keep doing that. If you work better when waking up later and taking numerous breaks, try that instead as much as possible. On the flip side, if a tactic isn’t working at all, you don’t have anything you need to prove, you should try something else instead. Trial and error is a proven method of figuring out which tactics will work for you.

We would love to give you as much help as possible, but ultimately only you can set your schedule, and only you can lay out and accomplish your goals. As the great Slim Shady once said, “You can do anything you set your mind to.”