Tell people you run your own business from home and eventually someone’s going to say, “You must be really disciplined. I could never do that.” While the office environment is just as hard to cope with in its own way, it’s true that there are unique challenges that come with working from home. The one people usually mean when they comment on your amazing willpower is distraction.
If you dream of working from home but aren’t sure you could handle it, or if you’ve recently started working from home and are struggling, I hope this post will give you some inspiration! Here are my 3 biggest distractions working from home and how I deal with them:
Distraction #1: Household Tasks
Did I water the plants yesterday? Wow, that shelf is dusty. I have no idea what I’m going to make for dinner tonight…maybe I should give that some thought.
If thoughts like these run through your mind when it’s time to sit down at the desk, you’re not alone. Being in the middle of your household environment, with its endless to-do list, can be a major distraction. And it’s even easier to justify jumping up to fold the laundry or wash that frying pan because that’s work too, right? It’s got to be done at some point, so why not now?
You know deep down that while those tasks are necessary, they don’t count as work in a business sense. But it’s just so tempting to neglect one form of work in favor of another. You know, “Look at me, I’m being productive!”
How I Deal with the Distraction of Household Tasks
For me, preparation is key when it comes to tackling this distraction. I do my meal planning and grocery shopping on a set day so that I know what I’m having for dinner each night. I have a chores schedule in place so that I know what I need to get done each day. And I have a quick planning session each evening in preparation for the next day, so that I have some idea of what’s coming.
I also set work days and hours, so that my workday has a clear beginning and end—and I stick to it! No hopping onto the computer to check emails on weekends—that’s my time. And no leaving my desk on Monday morning to unload the dishwasher—that’s business time.
Distraction #2: Food
I don’t know about you, but when I get bored, food seems to be the first thing that pops into my mind. It only takes a minute to grab an apple and cheese, right? I can eat it at my desk while I’m writing and it will hardly take any time away from my workday. Plus, I’ll be able to concentrate better once I’m satisfied and not thinking about food anymore.
This is a mistake I made a lot when I first started working from home. The truth is, I do get legitimately hungry around ten o’clock, even if I had a decent breakfast. And my time in a traditional office, with its traditional depressing break room designed to drive you back to the desk in desperation, didn’t help. That had taught me that it was totally okay to eat at your desk—even desirable. A sign of your busyness and dedication to the job.
Wrong. It’s not healthy at work, and it’s not healthy at your home office either.
How I Deal with the Distraction of Food
Since my ten o’clock hunger pangs are genuine, not the result of boredom, I’ve set that as snack time. It’s good to give yourself regular breaks throughout your workday, and stepping away from the desk for five to fifteen minutes while I grab something to eat is a nice reset and helps me come back feeling ready to tackle the next task on my list.
I also keep a glass of water on my desk so that when I’m not feeling very productive and my subconscious decides I should fill the time by putting something in my mouth, I can—and no harm done.
Distraction #3: Technology
I’m a ghost blogger, so…yeah. When I’m at work, I’m on the internet—which is basically a distraction factory. I’m blessed with an intense dislike of social media, so scrolling through my Facebook feed or watching inane videos on TikTok doesn’t even cross my mind. But it’s still all too easy to go down a research rabbit hole when I’m looking up facts for a client’s blog post or trying to come up with new inspiration for content creation.
Probably the biggest culprit for taking my mind off work is that other technological innovation, the smartphone. Phone notifications are designed to grab your attention through as many sensory channels as they can reach—and they do it well.
How I Deal with the Distraction of Technology
While I accept social media as a necessary evil for running my business, I keep it corralled by having social media platforms accessible only through a browser on my computer. No social media apps on the phone for me. This minimizes the number of notifications coming through my phone, which helps me stay focused—because those little red bubbles alerting me to a new message bug me, and even if I don’t particularly care what the message is I’ll probably go in and check it just to erase that irritating blot on my screen.
So far, it hasn’t been worth it for me to set up a focus time on my phone for work hours; I just don’t get that many text messages or spam calls, but using the focus setting on your phone is definitely an option if your phone is a particular distraction to you. Setting it facedown or putting it another room (if you don’t need it for work) can also help.
Dealing with Distractions When You Work from Home
Your biggest distractions working from home might be different from mine (and if you feel like sharing your distractions and strategies in the comments, please do!) but hopefully this post has given you some inspiration on how you can deal with whatever tends to derail your own workday.
It can help to remember that distractions aren’t unique to the home environment—they’re just different. At the office, while I was never tempted to leave my desk to fold laundry, I got distracted all the time by conversations with coworkers, treats in the break room, or cleaning out my inbox. It just seems to be a trait of human nature that when we’re supposed to be doing one thing, we’re suddenly seized with a burning desire to do something—anything—else.
In a traditional work environment, you usually have someone else’s eyes on you to keep you accountable, so if you need to, you can mimic that at home. Set up weekly meetings with a business buddy who can keep you accountable, use a timer to set work times and break times, create spreadsheets or checklists to set goals you can track visibly. Whatever works for you. Working from home comes with its own unique set of challenges—including distractions. But once you identify those distractions for what they are and come up with a strategy for dealing with them, then working from home becomes flexible and productive—and you’ll never want to go back!
