One of the biggest challenges for people who are working from home is staying on task. Your home offers a variety of distractions that can pull you away from your work at any point, affecting your productivity.

There are ways to remedy this, though. Here are 8 tips to help you avoid distractions when working from home.

Create a dedicated workspace

Creating a dedicated workspace when working from home is necessary because it gives a professional atmosphere and significantly boosts productivity during work hours. Moreover, by establishing a workspace at home, you are able to concentrate better on work.

Use the right tools and resources

When working from home, it can be easy to get distracted and de-motivated without the right tools and resources. For example, it can be challenging and frustrating to work on specific tasks and complete them in a given time frame, without a high-speed internet connection. As such, it will help to invest in optimum remote tools and resources to keep your work-from-home running smoothly.

Make a to-do list

It is easy to procrastinate when there is no clear view of daily tasks. Starting each day by writing out a list of what to do and adding estimates of how long each item will take to avoid overloading yourself would keep you focused on your work. Then, work through the list, crossing each task off as you complete it.

Stay away from phones and social media 

Mobile phones can be highly distracting while working and should be avoided as much as possible. To enhance concentration and productivity, having a scheduled time to operate your phones and surf social media would help.

Maintain a strict schedule

The habit of waking up, having breakfast, and getting ready for work as one would do while working from the physical office, would be beneficial in avoiding unnecessary distractions and positioning you psychologically for work. Maintain a strict schedule and adhere to the work hours. This aid you in finishing up your tasks on time.

Exercise and take breaks

Exercising and taking breaks pump your energy level and clear your mind of distractions. Being able to burn off steam, stretch your legs and get some fresh air is key to concentrating throughout the day and performing at an optimum level.

Manage your social interactions

As much as well social interaction helps us maintain balance and boost performance, it is easy to get distractions and many breaks with people around you, such as a sibling, friend, spouse, or even a baby. Communicating your work hours to your significant relationships would help you get the space you need for work. You may also get a child-minder for your baby.

Stay connected

Engaging in proper interaction with your employer, client, and the needed stakeholders while working from home prevents you from getting sidelined and lost. Staying connected and keeping the communication channels open keeps you engaged, prevents misunderstandings with the needed work relationships, and helps you avoid feelings of anxiety, loss, and stress.

Distractions will happen when you work from home. Be careful also not to be too hard on yourself. Allow those things to pull you away for a bit, especially if they are important to you, and then return to work. 

You’ll find that walking away for a bit and practising self-care makes you even more productive in the long run.

Hope you found this article helpful. Watch out for more helpful content.