Do you suffer from bright, Shiny Object Syndrome?
I know I do.
It is so easy to be distracted when you’re working from home with children, pets, television, social media or other home related activities. Studies have shown that that recovering from a distracting event can take up to 25 minutes. This is a huge time waster.
So, how do you handle the distractions and still manage to be productive? It isn’t easy
Here are 5 tips on how to eliminate distractions.
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Set specific “business” hours: This is really important, especially if you have young children. It is very difficult for children to understand that they don’t disturb us while we’re working. So set your business hours around your children’s schedule.
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Simplify Social Media: Today, Social Media is a must have for small businesses and business owners often waste hours on social networking sites each day without even realizing it. Try using a program where you can schedule posts like HootSuite. Facebook has recently added a scheduling option for posts, too.
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Create a Work Space: Designate where you will be working. It should be completely separate from the rest of your home life. This could be a devoted corner, desk or room, whichever you choose, you need to use it as a “work only” space.
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Stop multi-tasking: Most of us see multitasking as a way to get more stuff done during the day. Unfortunately, multitasking decreases the quality of our work. We are one-task-at-a-time creatures and we do better with just one task after another.
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Clear your head: Mental breaks are necessary for maintaining productivity. Take short breaks from time to time and step away from your home office. Go outside and get some air for about 10 minutes and refresh your mindset.
Master the distractions of your home office and you will be a much happier and more productive worker.
What are some other ways you might curb home office distractions?