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In the previous decade, the number of people who work from home has climbed by 115 percent. That’s a substantial boost. If you’re one of them, you’re part of a fast-growing trend that seems like it’s just accelerating, especially as younger people enter the workforce.
But whereas the home office comes with perks -- simpler to create the setting, fewer time-wasting meetings, less prone to get sidetracked -- it also has its own share of possible diversions. You want to optimize your productivity and prevent anything that may slow you down. How do you do that?
1) Only Use the Home Office for Work
When you get to your workplace, you should be entering an entirely different setting -- one that you identify with work. Sitting on your sofa isn’t going to cut it. (This will also harm your back and rear-end.)
Set yourself up with a different computer than you use for non-work tasks. If feasible, have a fully separate area set up as your office and just use it for business. Creating a distraction-free workspace involves keeping it orderly, too -- according to Extra Space Storage. “If your home office is messy, take the time to declutter your desk and get organized. Working at a tidy desk can assist cleanse your thoughts and keep you focused on the work at hand.”
Create a work-centered atmosphere so that every time you sit down at your computer, you’re already thinking about working -- not about checking your social media or playing Hearthstone. Make sure that your environment is set up in a way that makes you think about working.
2) Set a Schedule
Just as you need a physical place committed to work, you need a space of time that’s devoted to work. Working from home means you never truly leave the workplace behind, and if you aren’t cautious, the borders between business time and personal or family time can get muddled.
If you want to gain optimum productivity, make sure that you clear out room for work and keep to a fixed routine.
That doesn’t have to be eight to five office hours. In fact, it probably shouldn’t be.
Your most distraction-free time available for focus might fall during the morning hours or the late evening especially when you need to care for children. Having that quiet productive period according to your morning or evening preferences could make all the difference between accomplishing tasks and remaining unproductive throughout your day.
3) Make Sure the Kids (and Others) Have Ground Rules.
If you have children, you know well what a distraction they can be. That’s amplified by a lot when you’re working from home. If the kids are nearby, make sure there are some ground rules in place so that they know you’re working and not to disrupt you.
Some parents will put up a notice when they don’t want to be harassed. Some will close the door.
Whatever road you pursue, make sure that the kids know: when you’re there in your office, you’re working, and only to be bothered with emergencies. Make sure you plan time to come out of your office and connect with them -- they’re less likely to harass you if they know you’re coming out eventually.
You must set hard limits with friends and neighbors who utilize the remark, "since you're at home, could you..." NO, you cannot.
4) Invest In Your Office
Nothing is more distracting than having to deal with technical glitches or stuff that you don’t have on hand. Stopping your job to go to a print shop, go purchase paper, or deal with a balky computer is both annoying and productivity-sapping.
Make sure you’ve invested in setting up your home office the same way you’d set up your office at a business. Have everything on hand that you need, and make sure it’s up to date and in functioning order—because having to jury-rig without the correct equipment accessible, or deal with troublesome old gear, is a significant distraction.
Read Also: Every Small Business Owner Should Own Essentials
5) Stay On Task and Off Email
We’ve all done it. Work for five minutes, see an email come in, tab over and read it -- maybe briefly respond it -- then take several minutes to get back to the work at hand.
That’s not the way to be productive.
When you’re working, make sure that you’re remaining on target by turning off your alerts. Don’t leave them on for your phone or computer -- email, social, anything. Then establish specific periods during the day when you read and answer emails.
It may feel like you’re being less productive -- but batching your conversations all at once -- helps you save time and stay involved in whatever you’re presently working on. Batching is also a well-known growth hacking tactic for corporations. It takes longer than you think to go back to task when you’ve gotten out of the mentality.
6) Make Sure You Socialize
No man (or woman) is an island, to quote John Donne -- and you’re no different. Without having some time with other people, you’ll probably become a bit stir-crazy, and that sets you up to be distracted.
Make sure you’re getting out and really talking to people, not simply parking yourself in a chair and not moving all day. Whatever shape that take -- business meetings, getting lunch with a buddy, spending some time with your partner and/or children -- keeping social will keep you grounded.
7) Take Breaks
Working straight through isn’t actually the greatest option, as research has revealed over the previous several years. A research done a few years ago by DeskTime found that the most productive timeframe was 52 minutes of work broken by 17 minutes of rest.
This doesn’t imply you need to whip out a stopwatch. But you should build in time away from work -- you’ll be less likely to get sidetracked and more productive with your time.
The home office may be fantastic for entrepreneurs, but you have to make sure that you’re set up for success. Use these techniques to catapult yourself to even higher productivity and supercharge your home office.
