If you’re struggling to get focused and avoid distractions, know that you’re not alone in this battle. You may have started this work-from-home experiment with high hopes of calibrating both your work responsibilities and your downtime aspirations, but instead, you’re just plain distracted.
The logistics of finding a comfortable space and making it clear to your roommates/spouse/children that you are working is a painstakingly learned art, rather than a formulaic science.
Let Go Of What You Cannot Control
Live and let live – this tip may seem out of a self-help book. But it applies to time management just as much as shedding emotional baggage.
To avoid these uncomfortable feelings, your mind will seek out distractions. Sometimes this will mean diving into a huge time-waster that leaves you confused at how you ended up off task for hours.
Something outside of you is pulling you away from yourself or a goal. But the distraction is actually on the inside.
By letting go of what you can’t control, you will open yourself up to opportunities. The more you try to exert control over something completely out of your hands, the more stress you’d feel!
It’s okay to need some time before you get started checking things off your to-do list. If you allow your brain to warm up a bit before “eating the frog,” you’ll feel more motivated and less tempted by distractions.
Just by the way: Do things like in-person office meetings help dictate your schedule? If this holds for you, develop strict parameters for yourself when working from home. You may opt for focusing on guarding the time when you’re ‘on the clock’.