Home Office Distractions – How to Deal With Them?

Similarly to the office environment, you can get easily distracted by dozens of things at home. Sometimes, it can be even more challenging to cope with these distractions at home compared to the office. See the most common home office distractions and how to overcome (or at least minimize) them. 

Turn Off Your Mobile Notifications 

Social media notifications or any other notifications grab your attention. And it's costly - imagine you're disturbed by mobile notifications at least two times/hour. It's so much time! If you don't need a mobile phone for your work, try leaving out your mobile phone upside down on a table or in another room. This precaution will help you from continually checking the mobile screen. Set a schedule and check your phone, e.g. before you start working, around lunch and after work. 
If anyone needs something urgent, they'll probably call so don't worry about missing something (see the very famous phenomenon FOMO - fear of missing out).

Set Yourself to No Disturb Mode 

Informing your roommates or family members about your working hours is beneficial for both sides. They will know when they shouldn't disturb you, and you will know when you can enjoy uninterrupted and productive time for your work. This rule applies to any friends or relatives who try to call you during the day and want to chit chat with you. Explain to them that working from home also has its habits and that you can't spend an hour chitchatting when you have to work. 

Stick to Your Working Hours 

Sticking to your working hours needs strict discipline. It can be tempting to stay longer in bed or start doing housework before you start your working day. But these activities can get longer, and you could end up starting working hours later. Instead, try starting working at the same time every day. It can help you with the daily routine, overall concentration and productivity. Besides, know the time to clock out. It's also tempting to work longer because you need to finish something. But remember! The home office is not about working round the clock. 

Do the Non-work-related Issues After Work 

Don't try to do some housework during your scheduled working hours. What looks like a little clean-up (let's say dusting) can quickly turn into 20 minutes activity, which breaks your workflow. Instead, prepare a schedule of the housework activities for the whole week and do them preferably after work. Of course, you can squeeze these activities as part of a regular break into your working hours, but always know how much time it'll take and make sure that it won't break your workflow much.

Plan Your Breaks 

Working from home also demands regular breaks to take. If you don't take them, you can get lost in browsing the web or scrolling down the Instagram feed to take a break. Instead, do some quick workout, rest for a while, make a cup of coffee and relax. You need these regular pauses more than you think, so don't try to omit them when working from home! See more challenges you might encounter when working from home (remotely). 

Distractions break your workflow, so it's essential to identify them and work on eliminating them as much as possible. Otherwise, you will end up with less work done and more tired than usual because of the continuous context switching. What distractions do your regularly encounter when working from home? Have you found any way how to avoid them? Let us know!