How to Stay Focused While Working at Home
Staying focused while working from home is often a challenge, but it’s especially tough during the summer months. How can you possibly stay focused while working at home this summer with the kids home from school and the sun shining through the windows calling you outside?
Follow these simple tips to overcome summer distractions and keep your mind on your work.
This post may contain affiliate links which means we receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Establish Working Hours
Whether you decide to wake up early before the kids get up or work in the evening when your significant other is home, set a designated time that you will work every day.
Let your family and friends know that these office hours are your time to work uninterrupted. It’s amazing what you can get accomplished when you’re able to work free of distractions, if only for a couple hours.
While you probably won’t be able to get all of your work-at-home tasks completed during your office hours, having a set time dedicated to work will help you plan your day more efficiently.
What you don’t get finished during your office hours can be handled at various intervals throughout the day (during nap time or while the kids are outside playing, for example).
Plan Ahead
Just as set office hours while help you establish a schedule, planning will help you stick to that schedule. In addition to planning for looming deadlines or client meetings, also plan time blocks for you to handle more menial tasks that often get put on the backburner.
Whether you use a detailed planner or a simple to-do list, planning out your work day is essential to stay focused while working at home this summer.
Planning ahead also means completing tasks ahead of schedule. Stop procrastinating on projects with a deadline far in the future and finish each piece of work before it’s due.
With the unpredictability of life during the summer months, it helps to have a cushion between the time a task is completed and its deadline.
Revisit Your Why
It sounds cliche, but sometimes you need to take a few minutes to refocus your attention and remind yourself why you are working and not blowing everything off to spend time outside.
Here are some productivity tips to help get you back on track with your goals. Also, make sure to avoid these activities that drain your productivity and get in the way of a successful day.
Take a Break
Working at home affords you the option of setting your own schedule and spending more time with your kids, so take advantage of this flexibility.
If you make the most of your office hours and plan accordingly, there’s no reason you can’t enjoy your summer as well. In fact, regular breaks can actually make you more productive!
According to the Pomodoro Technique, frequent breaks can help you stay more focused on your work and get more accomplished in a shorter period of time.
So, to truly stay focused while working at home this summer, work hard when you can and take the rest of the time to enjoy the season with your family.
