How do you stay focused when working from home?

17 comments

1. I’m usually on deadline for something so i’ll do it due to the pressure i need to turn something in. if not, I’ll probably slack off during the day and work at night when the pressure hits. sometimes I just slack off if it’s a day where nothing is pending and really theres not much to do

2. I start each day reviewing my to do list. I put that list in order of what needs to be done first, second, third, etc. And then I start on the first thing. Put some music on. Make coffee. Get comfy. I set timers on my phone to get up and stretch and rest every 30-45 minutes so I don’t get burnt out. And then a timer to return and resume until each task is completed.

3. I have a dedicated space in my house for WFH, it helps limits the other distractions as I’m further from the TV, the kitchen, the husband, the cat etc.

   Also I’ve learnt that I don’t need to be 100% focused all the time. If I was in the office, I’d be having random chats with people, going to make myself tea, walking between meetings etc. All downtime where I’m not necessarily 100% productive. In a WFH context, I can channel those bits of time into things like collecting deliveries, putting my laundry in, doing a tidy.

4. I work in an office and keep my door closed.

   I also have something playing in the background that I don’t have to play close attention to.

   I take short breaks if I feel that I need to stop.

5. [removed]

6. I am even MORE focused because there is no one interrupting.

7. I struggled with this. I have a separate room for gaming but it felt weird doing work in there so I had to end up renting an office space.

8. I have an office in the house and I go there to work nd that’s it. I HAVE to be good about it aa I set my own hours and there is nothing worse than scrabbling to fit them in

9. Lol me rn distracted

10. My husband is a software engineer. I can say the situation as, he doesn’t even get time to loose focus 😂

11. Use a pavlovian response system every time your productive. Don’t work in your bedroom. Set up an office area void of personal things and reward yourself with each task you get done

12. I’m only focused when the primary task of the moment is urgent. Otherwise, with me feeling extreme burnout and disinterest in my job + the fridge, couch and bed being only a few steps away from me, I don’t really have great focus during the day. LOL.

13. Look up the Pomodoro Technique!

14. Focusmate

15. Set up work space outside of my room and often will call friends that also WFH. We’ll “work together” to hold ourselves accountable. I love it.

16. I shut the door to my home office. I take no personal calls that I would not take in the workplace office. I make a 15 min block twice a day to do things like make coffee, use the bathroom or stare at the ceiling. Knowing I have two spaces to clear my head help me stay focused. I’m also either leading calls with my team or working on very complex documents so I cannot be distracted and perform well.

    I never do things like laundry or dishes while on a call. I dress professionally, two days I worked in yoga pants after a medical procedure and I FELT less professional. So a suit at home is how I roll. It also helped my kids when they were young, if they saw mom down the hall in a suit, they knew not to expect interaction. See me in home clothing? It’s all about them.

17. Before baby:

    I would have my to do list for the day, review, complete each task.

    I am the type to need some background noise. So I’ll play a podcast or have a show playing.

    I sometimes would need a change of scenery, so I’d work on my balcony or I’ll go to my standing desk.

    With baby(6 month old): I really have no idea. Everyday is a struggle. I get the work done.