Top 10 working from home distractions

It’s National Work from Home day. Are you concentrating on the report you are writing? Or are you daydreaming of what you will have for lunch? In this feature we point out the top 10 distractions to watch out for on your day out of the office and how best to avoid them.

Getting up late

The first distraction to hit you when working from home is that warm, comfy bed you drag yourself out of everyday. Don’t use working from home as a reason to stay in bed late. The top tactic to getting a productive start to the day is to get up and get ready as normal, as if you were going to work. This ensures you are wide awake and ready to work when the clock ticks over to 9am.

Structure you breaks

One distraction at home is the availability of plenty of cups of tea, extended lunch breaks and a fridge full of munchies. Try and make sure you structure your breaks like you were in the office. Rather than continually stop starting with your work you know when that break is coming and can focus on relaxing for that time.

Entertainment choices

Many enjoy being able to put music on loud (well, louder than earphones anyway) when working from home. This gives music to work by without the visual distraction of the TV. It is really distracting from your work and you will make silly mistakes you may not make if you were in the office environment. Enjoy your tunes or the radio but avoid flickering pictures in the corner of your eye, however tempting Diagnosis Murder may be…

The internet

We all have to fight the urge at work but don’t slip into bad habits at home. We all need to use the internet on a day to day basis but try and resist looking up that next holiday or the latest TV series box set on eBay. Save this for your breaks or when your work is done.

Social networking

In line with the last point, this is perhaps the most dangerous distraction for any office worker. At work, people are much better at controlling themselves but just because no-one is watching doesn’t make it OK. Use your Facebook and Twitter by all means, it has even been credited with sharpening concentration, but again try and limit this to break times – perhaps even use it as a reward once you have completed a task.

Family/Flat mates

Other people around has got to be one of the biggest distractions when working from home. Family commitments always make you want to leave work behind and flatmates sitting watching This Morning will undoubtedly look more appealing than what you are doing. Try to block this out. Point out to family and friends at the start of the day that you are home to work and ask them politely to leave you be. At least you will be home in time for dinner.

Errands

The temptation when in the home is to get stuff done. Washing, cleaning, sorting through that junk mail. Tasks you resent at the weekend and want to get out of the way now. Remember, you are working. Treat the space like your office. How would your boss feel if you started pairing up your socks at work? It will wait until after you have finished for the day so try and leave it until then.

Email to a friend

Print this page