Working from a home office has its benefits, but staying focused and shutting out distraction can be a challenge. Recently, the school children of our world have been faced with the same challenge as they’ve moved their operations from their vibrant, social schools into solitary, makeshift home offices — sometimes kitchens or bedrooms.
Sure, their “bosses” are some of the nicest teachers in the world. But when the zoom calls are over, our kids are still faced with the same grind facing every other home office worker: manage your time, meet your deadlines, answer your texts and emails, update your Google Classroom. And don’t forget to eat, exercise, and bath from time-to-time.
I’ve been working as an independent contractor for more than 20 years, most of that time from a home office. Here are some of the techniques I’ve used to get my work done:
Leave your phone in another room
My day begins with a boring morning routine. I dress. I make coffee. I avoid my phone.
In fact, I leave my phone right where it’s been all night: on my bedroom floor, plugged into a wall charger.
I prefer to jump into my work first, then answer emails and texts later when I’m on a break. My auto-response settings will take care of any morning emails, and the do-not-disturb setting on my iPhone will explain my absence from texting, at least for other iPhone users.
Ignoring my phone for a while also means my head won’t be distracted by news feeds or social media. I’ll have a clean slate on which to start my work.
Shut down all applications not needed for your immediate task
If your work requires a computer, as it does for most of us, there are some further measures you can take to protect your concentration.
I learned this trick from my brother, who is computer programmer and entrepreneur: When you first sit down at your computer, immediately shut down all applications you don’t need for your work.
Don’t shop, browse the web, check email, or even glance at social media unless it’s necessary for your work.
Start with your biggest task
One assignment or task usually stands out as most prominent or pressing. This is the one I want to start with.
My main goal for my workday is to throw myself into this task with as much energy as possible, and try to accomplish it before I do any communicating, social media, or web browsing.
In order to do this, I must preserve my most valuable commodity: my attention.
Have you heard of decision fatigue? Well, I myself have a pretty serious case of “attention fatigue,” which sets my mind wandering after an hour or two in the chair.
Pouncing on my most daunting task helps me conserve my attention before it ebbes. Then I can point my attention like a fire hose at a burning building, aiming straight at my most monumental task — the one that requires my maximum creativity and nimble thinking.
This first big push of my workday sets the tone for the rest of my day. If I’m able to achieve my most daunting task first, it’s a win for my productivity and my confidence.
Use “batching” for texts, emails, and calls
News, communication, texts, emails — these are roadblocks to your creativity, but also may be necessary for your work. In order to minimize their distraction, I try to handle all of them at once, in a single session.
In his book The 4-Hour work week, author Timothy Ferris calls this “batching.” It’s a way of being more efficient about your communications, so that you avoid your brain being pulled in lots of different directions.
In order to think in emails and texts, your brain needs to abandon its focused, creative mode for a bit. Not a big deal at first. But the problem comes a few moments later, when your brain tries to shift back into its original task.
After writing a text or an email it sometimes takes me 10 to 20 minutes to find my creative, productive groove again. This is why the constant glance at a phone for quick updates — or even the occasional chiming alert of an email or text — is so destructive to one’s productivity.
I schedule my batching session for after breakfast, or just before lunch — fitting all of my morning emails, texts, phone calls, and web browsing into one 30-minute session.
Eat and exercise
Want to get extra problem-solving power from your brain? Just stop thinking.
Amazingly, when you step away from your work your brain continues to process in the background, often coming up with novel solutions you never could have imagined through total concentration.
It’s quite easy to access these amazing, free solutions: just take a break and move your body around. Walk, jump-rope, or ride your bike for 15 minutes.
It should go without saying that it’s important to eat a few healthy meals each day — preferably away from your work area. Don’t go too long without eating, and don’t load up on junk food.
Limit your hours and plan your end-time
When we work from home we are vulnerable to overworking because we don’t have the natural pauses that come with working in an office with lots of people.
I try to set a limit on the number of hours I work per day. And it’s fewer than you might think. (I’ll give you a hint: it’s less than eight).
In fact, depending on the work that lays before you, an intentional two-hour work day could be more productive than a longer one — especially for a student or part-time worker.
Before you start, take a look at the work at hand, and choose a time when you will quit for the day. When that time comes, try to quit even if you haven’t finished everything you had planned.
Use “microtasks” to punch through low-energy moments
In the last hour of my workday I feel my brain slowing down and my concentration waning. This is the best time to implement something I call micro tasking. The goal of micro tasking is to quickly make a list, and then try to complete as many of the tasks on the list as you can within a set time period — usually an hour.
Even if you don’t complete all of your tasks — or even one — you’ve engaged your brain on your terms, and most likely have made some important progress that you’ll be able to build on.
Spend at most 3 minutes creating your list. Set a one-hour timer, or Google the word “timer” and use your web browser to set a timer.
Now go for it! Sprint through your tasks and enjoy a fun reward afterwards.
Microtasks also work great at the beginning of work, especially if I’m feeling lazy or uninspired.
Reward yourself
You’ve made it through your work day and it’s time to reward yourself with some idle time, a walk, or a healthy snack.
Be social, read a book, or simply let your mind wander — your brain may even solve some of tomorrow’s problems in the background.
Eight steps for staying focused while working or schooling from home
- Leave your phone in another room
- Shut down all applications not needed for your immediate task
- Start with the biggest or most daunting task
- Use batching for texts, emails, and calls
- Eat and exercise
- Limit your hours and plan your end-time
- Use microtasks to punch through moments of low-energy
- Reward yourself
Computer and phone image by StartupStockPhotos from Pixabay
Email image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Rock climbing image by Hans Braxmeier from Pixabay
Exercise ball image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay