6 Tips to Stay Focused in Your Home Office

Working from home certainly has its perks. Managing your own schedule, spending more time with family and letting creativity flow in your own space can be comforting. But with all the comfort comes distractions.

If any of you followed the BBC Dad story, you may have cringed at how embarrassing it must’ve been for the reporter to have both his kids and his wife disrupt his live interview. Whether it’s hearing the baby crying or your neighbour drilling his wall, home offices can be frustrating.

To help you, here are six tips to stay focused in your home office:

1. Set clear rules

To remain productive, you need a distraction-free zone. Create this space in your office by setting clear rules for your family members and anyone else who visits your household during working hours. You can do this by sitting down and explaining your schedule, but more importantly, by sticking this schedule on your office door.

2. Add plants

Plants have super healing powers. They can:

Reduce stress – In a study conducted a few years ago, adding plants in a work environment reduced tension/anxiety by 37%, depression/dejection by 58%, anger/hostility by 44% and fatigue by 38%.
Reduce noise – Plants can also reduce noise as much as five decibels.
Cleaner air to breathe – By adding plants to your office space, CO2 can be reduced which means you have cleaner air to breathe. Clean air helps you think clearly and eliminates sickness.

3. Create a to-do list

It’s always better knowing what you’re going to do before the day starts. Create a to-do list the night before. It will help you keep focused on what you need to achieve before the day ends.

Most people use their calendars as a to-do list, but I prefer to visualise my tasks. Purchase a whiteboard so that you can clearly see what you need to do each day. Cross out what you’ve completed with a red marker so that you can have a clear view of how productive you were that day.

4. Get an assistant

Relax! It’s impossible for you to do everything on your own. That’s what Assistants are there for. If you feel that you can’t afford an Assistant, go for a VA instead. She can help you to complete some of your tasks so that you have more time to do other things.

Not sure where to find a good VA? Drop us an email (hello@vaconnect.co.za).

5. Invest in noise-shutting earphones

I recently discovered that the right headphones almost shut off all outside noises. It’s like a soundproof for your office. You can listen to your favourite music, news station or radio while you work and all the other noise will be forgotten.

Here’s a blog that lists the best noise-cancelling headphones.

6. Declutter

Clean up your workspace as much as possible to allow a creativity zone. File your papers, get rid of coffee cups and move all irrelevant documents. What you want is a clear desk for clear thinking.

Also, don’t allow family members to turn your office into a storage room. The clutter will not only make you feel less comfortable but storing stuff in your office will also give them the opportunity to get into the room to collect stored items.