Avoiding Office Distractions

Here are eight things you can do to make distractions in your home office less of a problem.

In the present business world it has become pheonemal for many people to work from a home office. At first this may seem like a great opportunity, however, it can create some unique challenges. One of the biggest difficulties is the number of distractions that can take us away from our work and keep us from achieving our goals.

When you work from a home office it is easy to get distracted from work.

Here are a few ideas that can help manage these distractions and improve your productivity.

Create an office.

Have an office and do the majority of your work there. If you don't have space to create an office, find somewhere in your house that has the least amount of traffic and opportunities for distractions.

Set specific "business" hours.

This can be particularly important that you can't be disturbed while your working. When you have an office, close your door and place a do not disturb sign on it. This is particularly important if you are making client calls because it helps prevent family members from accidentally barging in on you during a critical call.

Use a "to do" list-everyday.

Creating a list of what you need to accomplish everyday can help keep you focused. If you know that you need to achieve a certain number of tasks throughout the day, it can prevent you from getting distracted during the day. One of the challenges with this is that household duties or running errands are more enjoyable compared to work we have to complete. However, I have frequently found that once I get involved in my task, the desire to do something else fades.

Set deadlines for the projects you're working on.

Even though I don't have anyone holding me accountable to these deadlines, i find that this approach can help keep me on track, you may also. You may also share deadlines with other people to help keep yourself focused especially if this type of accountability works for you.

Give yourself permission to relax from time-to-time.

It's actually okay to allow yourself to get distracted once in a while. As long it's not a regular occurrence, you don't have to worry too much about it. However, if your relaxation time overtakes your work time, then you need to reconsider your priorities.

Share your goals and objections.

This type of accountability works well for many people.

Recognize that the results you achieve are a direct result of the effort you put into your work.

It’s not hard to put aside work and do chores or run errands. Eventually you will learn that the more effort you put into your work, the better results you’ll achieve in terms of the earnings and income generated. This will makes it much easier to avoid the disruptions and focus more on your work.

Lastly.

If you find yourself procrastinating on a particular task or project, remember the following three words and repeat to yourself over and over. "Do it now."

This can be a great way in order to avoid yourself from getting distracted by other things you would prefer to do.

Distractions are sometimes positive. An escape from work, you can clear your mind, give you the possibility to refresh yourself, and increase your degree of energy.

However, it is important to remember that you have got a responsibility to yourself and your business to limit these distractions.