4 Simple Tips For Staying Focused While Working from Home

Whether you work from home for your 9 to 5 or have a home-based side hustle, it can be easy to become distracted by dirty dishes, laundry that needs folding, or even just going down the internet rabbit hole. To make the hours spent working from home more productive and reach your goals, it is essential to create a distraction free work environment.

1.  Create a designated work space.

It can be more than tempting to work from bed, your couch, or even allow your documents to take over the kitchen table. But this is often the source of distraction and can also make it difficult to separate working from your time to relax. Even if your apartment is only 500 square feet, getting creative with space should allow you to have a designated work area. Googling small space office solutions provides ample unique ideas for any space. For example, installing a simple shelf desk with a comfortable stool doesn’t take up much space, but does create a set area where your work items can live.

Once you have a designated work space, decorate it in a way that helps you focus on your tasks and goals. Perhaps add a beautiful calendar where you can mark your deadlines, a cup for pens, or a favorite piece of art. Your work space should be a place where you want to spend time.

2.  Identify and remove distractions.

If you already have a designated work space yet still find yourself getting distracted, take a look at what’s on and around your desk. Is it stacked with papers, bills, and receipts? Consider putting these distractions away in pretty folders to clear up your desk top. Is the pile of laundry or ever growing grocery list sitting at the forefront of your mind? Rather than fight it, perhaps it is best to tackle whatever task that is nagging you before sitting down at your desk. That way you can begin your work day with a clear mind.

3.  Focus on your goals.

Do you work from home because you love the flexibility of being able to pop to a café to work for an afternoon or go to an afternoon concert put on by your child’s class? Have you started a work from home side hustle so you can save for an ultimate girls’ trip to Europe? Whatever your goal may be, make it present in your work space. Hang a photo of Europe or one of your child’s drawings above your desk to remind yourself. If you feel yourself becoming distracted, visualize your aims, and this should help to return your focus to the task at hand.

4.  Create a playlist.

Popping on headphones and turning up a soundtrack that motivates you can be so helpful if you need a productivity boost, especially in the late afternoon. The music app Spotify also has premade playlists that can imitate the sounds of a café or play songs by your favorite artists, so you don’t even need to spend time to make a playlist.