How To Avoid The Biggest Distractions When You Work From Home

Small business owners and freelancers often have the flexibility to work from home. The problem is, the home provides many distractions. Here are some of the biggest culprits and how to steer clear of them so you can stay productive.

Over at small business blog Flying Solo, Gemma Hawdon lists the things at home that she finds the most distracting. She has some advice on how to resist them and stay focused:

  • The pantry – Specifically the biscuit jar (I’ve been there, too). Hawdon’s solution is to get rid of the biscuit jar and, if you want to be more extreme, put a lock on the pantry and let somebody you trust mind the key.
  • The kettle – It’s tempting to have multiple tea/coffee breaks at home. Hawdon suggests locking the kettle in the pantry as well during work hours
  • The TV – Probably the biggest temptation of all for those who work from home. There’s no office chatter and silence can be deafening so the TV is something that could provide background noise. But before you know it, you’re curled up in front of the couch soaking up daytime TV shows. Hawdon doesn’t really provide a good solution to this but for me personally, I turn on some quiet music in the background instead of turning to the TV. I find this less distracting.
  • Social media – This is needed for promoting your business, but it’s easy to get side-tracked. Just keep your business and personal social media accounts clearly separate. Then block all friends on your business accounts.
  • Housework – There’s always something to clean or tidy around the house. Make sure you have a designated work area at home and stay put. If you don’t wonder around the house to see what needs to be done then you won’t be tempted to do housework.

How do you deal with distractions at home? Let us know in the comments.

[Via Flying Solo]


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