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Like peanut butter and jelly, working from home and getting distracted were pretty much the staples of my remote working journey for my first few months. Every few minutes, I would wander away from my home office, start work later and finish earlier and sooner or later my performance started to suffer.
I knew something had to change and after a (painstaking) process of being honest with myself I found the following 29 steps help me to work from home without distractions.
Which of these tips works best? Why do we get distracted when working from home? Keep reading to find out more.
Now it’s worth mentioning that this post has a lot of information and so if you’re curious about the best equipment needed to work remotely simply go to my resource page here.
Schedule your day
Easily the biggest and easiest impact you can have won getting distracted when working from home is to just schedule your day.
Taking the time to block out the tasks you need to accomplish and the amount of time it will take to do them, gives you the ability to focus on the tasks at hand
Word of advice though guys, please ensure you schedule our break and take the time you need on them. If you don’t schedule a lunch break or breaks throughout the day it’s super easy to be left feeling frustrated.
So what is the best way to schedule your day?
Whilst a lot of people will try to sell you on fancy paid for apps or books I always found the best thing to do was to use google calendar which gives you the option to block out your day.
What’s best is that it’s free to use and you can add multiple calendars in there so definitely check it out.
Stick to your regular work hours
This one took me a while to figure out
Sticking to your regular work hours is one the most important things you can do when working from home to avoid distraction.
This is because us remote workers have the tendency to work longer and harder then our office based counterparts, eating into our personal lives and ruining our focus.
For example, let’s say your normal work hours are 9-5 and on Monday you work 8-8. By Tuesday, your performance will be a lot more diminished and it will take a lot more time for you to get into the habit of work.
If you are struggling to take breaks – feel free to check out this blog post I wrote talking all about taking breaks when you work from home.
Soundproof your office
So anyone who lives with other people or has noisy neighbours knows just how embarrassing and distracting it can be when you are in the middle of a video call.
As such, soundproofing your rooms is a quick fix response that can easily help dampen some of the noise coming into your lovely home office.
There are a few ways to do this, firstly you could invest in soundproof tiles ( link takes you to Amazon) on the walls that sound seems to come through from – this is great if there are multiple people working in the same house as it will help for everyone to not get in the way of each other.
My ideal for soundproofing thought would be a nice pair of noise cancelling headphones, my choice would have to be the Sony WH1000xm3 which are the market leaders in terms of popular noise control, you can read up more about them here.
Meal prep your food
So if you have a really busy day or tend to find yourself taking longer then you should cook your food for lunch or dinner consider meal prepping your food.
There is nothing worse after a hard day of work, to think of fresh food ideas five days per week, so why not take this challenge out of the equation by making your food in advance
I just started dieting myself ( working from home has made me pack on the pounds a little) so I like to prep all my food on a Sunday night for the weekdays.
Invest in storage boxes to store your food to keep them fresh.
If you’re struggling to find the room in your fridge one work around would be investing in a mini fridge or mini freezer which costs a lot less then buying a full blown tank of a fridge.
Keep your pets and kids somewhere else
Did you know there are roughly 3 million remote workers who have pets?
Pets can be distracting enough even if you don’t work from home and throw kids into the mix and getting distracted is pretty much a way of life.
One of the best ways then to avoid the distractions that kids and pets bring is by keeping them outside of your office.
I’ve written an entire blog post talking all about how to stay focused when working from home with pets but keeping them in a different room is a sure fire way to keep them focused.
Kids will be a little bit more tricker, especially if they are not at school or you have younger children.
If you can try to drop them off to a babysitter or guardian for a few hours for your important tasks, and then focus on your busy work like admin whilst they are present so you still get facetime in with them.
Avoid any personal calls
Working from home is a lonely road and I would never tell you to cut out any social interaction when working.
That being said if there is a big task you have that needs to be finished at your workplace it might be time to turn your personal phones into airplane mode and stay focused on the task at hand.
Okay so what about the roles that require you to stay next to your phone or make a bunch of calls like sales or customer service?
Most phones have the option nowadays of blocking certain callers for a few hours, alternatively, speaking with your manager or HR team about giving you a work phone.
If you are making work calls from your personal phone your workplace should help contribute towards either with a new phone or specific VOIP or internal calling apps.
Do your chores later
One of the major benefits remote working has is the ability to do your chores during the work day when you have completed your tasks.
If you however find yourself getting distracted more often than not, doing your chores will often lead to longer periods of procrastination when it comes to work.
Instead schedule your day to allow for times to do your chores.
To make this more interesting and not make chores feel like, well, chores, consider splitting your chores out every day so you have a different activity to keep you busy.
Figure out how to automate
There is a reason that Amazon is one of the most successful companies the world has ever seen – it’s learned the secret of automation.
Whilst automation has led to a lot of us viewing remote working as being the new normal, it also has its downsides with with an estimated 20 million jobs being lost to automation by 2030
Automation can definitely be a double sided sword but if used correctly it can save you a bunch of time and help spend your precious hours on the most important tasks at hand.
I like to use the following as a way of break down my tasks:
|
NOW All the tasks which are critical to getting completed go into the now category |
LATER
Any tasks which fall into the later category are the ones which don’t take too much of your time and you won’t get in trouble for if you leave for a few hours |
| DELEGATE
If you are a manager, tasks you delegate are tasks that do not require your direct attention in order to be completed |
NEVER Some tasks will not require you to respond back ever such as responding back to spam emails. They can fall into the Never pile. |
Get face time in with your colleagues
Part of the reason you might be feeling so distracted is just a lack of human interaction or facetime.
Human beings are social creatures.
Working from home is an isolating place and not getting human interaction can have some very serious consequences.
A quick way to get around this especially if you find yourself in lockdown is to just just use facetime or video calls to get time in with your colleagues.
You can catch up about work or even get to know them better by doing things like weekly quizzes.
This should not only give you a break away from your work but you should come back feeling refreshed than before.
Invest in noise cancelling headphones
Excess noise can be difficult when working from home, so investing in a nice pair of soundproofing earphones can go a long way to help keep you focused throughout your day.
One Of the biggest benefits of noise cancelling headphones I feel is the full immersion and sound quality foten being far superior to those of traditional in-ear headphones.
My recommendation ( which you can find on my recommended gear page here) would have to be Sony which offers market leading soundproofing and sound quality at an affordable price.
Use the pomodoro technique
Taking breaks is one of the easiest ways to keep focused and away from distractions when working from home.
If you’re honest with yourself you will probably find that you take less breaks at home then you do at work so getting away from your desk will help you come back feeling refreshed and recharges.
The best way to take break would be to use the pomodoro technique whereby you do the following:
- Work for 25 minutes
- Take a 5 minute break
- Work for 25 minutes
- Take a 5 minute break
- Work for 25 minutes
- Take a 30 minute break
- Recycle until your work day is completed.
It’s been scientifically proven that taking shorter, fewer breaks is more effective than taking longer breaks or definitely give it a try.
For more help on the pomodoro technique check out the video below or read up my blog posts on taking breaks when working from home here.
Have a dedicated place to work from
The elephant in the room.
If you find yourself working from sofa to sofa or even worse… from bed, you might find yourself getting distracted more than most, instead invest in a room in your house or a corner in your apartment to have a dedicated office space setup.
Home offices can massively help with productivity and help counter stress.
Unsure what products to use? Check out my recommended gear page for a full list of items but I feel as though every office needs the following:
- Standing desk ( why not get some exercise in when you work from home)
- Chair
- Lighting
- Laptop
- Plants
- monitors
Listen to binaural music
I know what you’re thinking. What the heck is binaural music?
Binaural beats help synchronize brain activity helping you keep focused for longer periods of time then you would listening to normal music.
Having background music open that helps keep you focused is a great way to stop yourself getting distracted when working from home.
For me, I like to open a YouTube tab while I’m working and listen to the following:
Set a clear boundary between work and home
This is a massive problem remote workers face.
As discussed earlier, remote workers tend to work longer hours than their office based counterparts, blurring the line between the work day and their personal time.
This can lead you to feelings of resentment towards your job, sapping your concentration and keeping you distracted throughout the day.
Instead set up a dedicated space to work and ensure you finish work when you work day would normally finish.
A great bit of advice I always learned was the work will always be there, but you will not, so be sure to just do what you can in the time you’ve got and then move on and enjoy your evening.
Give yourself time to relax
When was the last time you really gave yourself time to relax and just enjoy the day?
Too many of us remote workers are nervous about putting time in our calendars to just do nothing and just switch off, like going for a message or just staying in bed for longer than you might originally.
By scheduling this in as much as you would any work tasks gives you something to look forward to helping you to avoid any distractions.
Get out and exercise for 30 minutes
The human body needs at least 30 minutes of exercise everyday to stay healthy and yet most remote workers struggle to get even an hour’s worth of exercise per week.
Working out or going out for a run for 30 minutes everyday will not only keep you active which has a host of benefits, but also allow you to get some fresh air, ensuring you come back feeling more refreshed and focused then you were when you left.
Mixing up both aerobic and anaerobic exercise at different intensities will give you the biggest benefit.
Keep a journal
So when I first came across the idea of journaling It was something I felt was a little bit new-age, I mean writing down how my day went and talking about my feelings was something quite foreign to me.
That being said, starting putting this into action was quite a bit different.
If you have a problem, how do you know if it is persistent without checking in regularly on it?
Journaling allows you to keep a daily log of the days you felt more distracted and can help notice patterns, for example if you always feel more distracted on a Monday it could be because you’re not sleeping well on a Sunday night.
Tracking patterns and journaling can allow you to take a step back and focus on some of your pain points.
Make a note of what you get distracted by
Similar to journaling you should make a list of everything you feel you get distracted by.
Human beings are different, and what might be distracted for one person won’t be for another.
I know some people who can very easily work with the TV on in the background, me absolutely not.
Making a list of what distracts you and is individual to you will go a long way in countering how to avoid feeling distracted.
Set yourself deadlines to be accountable
Anyone who has ever gone to college or university and had a big paper due knows how little work is done up until a few days before you need to hand it in.
The same goes with work, and so by setting yourself deadlines even if they are only imposed by yourself will be critical to avoid getting distracted and getting work done.
The best way to do this I found is on a weekly basis, schedule out your most important tasks for the weekend then give them active time frames when they need to be completed by.
A great book I read that helped me do this Eat That Frog by brian Tracey which you can find out more about here.
Do one task at a time
I don’t know about you, but multitasking and having 17 tabs open at the same time just makes me feel more overwhelmed than productive.
I know it might not seem like you’re getting a lot done but believe it or not, doing too much work at the sametime can also distract you.
Instead, try to break your day up into tasks as opposed to doing multiple tasks at the same time and yoU’ll find yourself getting distracted less.
Warm up your brain
You wouldn’t train your muscles without stretching or warming up first so why would you do the same with your brain?
Doing simple exercises like writing down all the thoughts on your head on a piece of paper will give you mental clarity, and not make you feel like you’re being pulled in ten different ways.
Eat less carbohydrates
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not one of those carbophobe who think carbs are the enemy, but anyone who has eaten a huge lunch only to crash a few minutes later knows exactly how damaging eating carbs at certain times can be.
Aim to eat slow release carbs like oats or whole grains instead of fast release carbs like sugar during the day to keep your blood sugar level which should help stop you feeling lethargic throughout the day.
Get dressed
Getting dressed during the day will help give you a sense of direction, focus and purpose for your work day.
It is especially important when working from home.
Studies have shown that people who dress professionally or dress for their jobs, live up to the qualities of their roles.
To find out more about this I’ve written a post which you can read more about here.
Leave your house
By the time it hits 5, too many of us home workers just feel like cozying up on the sofa avoiding the great outdoors.
This is especially true in the winter and what many of you might not know is that not getting the crucial vitamins into your system can lead to a number of health problems.
Aim then to leave your house for at least 15 minutes per day, you will come back home feeling more refreshed and ready to get on with the rest of your day.
Get plenty of light in your room
This is a great tip for anyone who struggles to work in the morning.
One of the best things you can do when working from home is to air out your rooms and try to get plenty of light in them.
Light causes the human body to want to stay awake and so aim to work from a room that either has a large window where you can get natural sunlight from.
Consider investing in LED light or lamps to really add brightness to your room and it should help you get on with your day.
Change the color of your office
Color has a direct correlation with how focused and productive you are in a day with colors like blue and orange for outperforming colors like red and white.
Consider changing the color of your office to colors like blue to ensure you are getting the best psychological benefits of doing so.
I’ve written a blog post talking all about what beat color to paint your room in which you can find here.
Disable your social media
Social media is the bane of many of our lives with it being the single biggest factor contributing to why we are so distracted most of the time.
Using apps like Moment or App Detox are great ways to monitor your usage or even limit the amount of time that you are allowed to spend on these sites.
Start a side hustle
This might seem counter-intuitive in the first instance as giving yourself more work is going to make you more distracted right?
The truth of the matter is that starting a side hustle was one of the best things I did when I first started working remotely as it allowed me to manage my work time more effectively.
This often allowed me to overcompensate in my day job helping me stay more focused.
Personally I’m a huge fan of blogging (you can probably tell reading this right!) and definitely recommend Project 24 by income school which talks you through the a-zs of making money online- it’s definitely my side hustle of choice
Be patient
If working from home is relatively new to you it’s going to an adjustment period until you have figured out how to avoid getting distracted. The best thing to do is not to panic, stay patient and work at the task every day.
Doing 1 thing 1% better every day leads to huge changes over time so don’t beat yourself too much if you are struggling to stay focused.
Get 8 hours sleep
Sleep is one of the most important things we can do for mental performance when working from home and so not getting enough quality sleep will lead to feelings of frustration and distraction.
Turn off your phone and any UV light at least an hour before you go to sleep and give your brain the time it needs to relax.
Why do people get distracted when they work from home?
People get distracted when they work from home due to not having a dedicated place to work from and not setting clear boundaries between their work and personal lives. Remote workers should only work the hours required of them and not go above and beyond just because they work from home.
Which work from home roles get distracted the most?
Work from home roles that require a lot of interactions via calls and video meetings are the ones that are going to be more distracting. This includes things like customer service, sales and HR roles. This is because they are often not in charge of their schedules and are at the whim of other people and a good internet connection.
Do people get more distracted at home then they do in the office?
Surprisingly, people who work from home are more focused than their office based counterparts, working on average 16.9 days more per year then them.
What are the biggest distractions that people who work from home face?
The biggest distractions remote workers face when working from home are interruptions by family members, pets, friends, clients and poor internet connections, as well as entertainment like social media, netflix and the feeling of comfort you have at home.
How to work from home without distractions?
So hopefully this blog post has given you several ideas as to how to work from home without any distractions.
Finally a lot of people reading my blog want to know what products I recommend for a home office/remote working. You can find out my recommendations here and learn how I make money whilst working remotely on the side here.
The content on this on this site has been written by Fehed Nicass who has over a decades worth of experience in sales and has worked remotely for the past 2 years.