How to focus when working from home

How to focus when working from home

There are many benefits to working from home: greater flexibility, less commuting and a reduced need for businesses to spend money on office space.

There are, however, many challenges too: overlaps between your work and personal life, isolation and household chores providing too much of a distraction.

Luckily, we have some techniques for finding and maintaining motivation. Here are our top tips on how to focus when working from home.

Choose an optimal home office location

Not everyone has a grand home office. But whether it’s a box room, spare bedroom or even a corner of the living room, try to choose somewhere in your home with ample space to house all your working essentials.

Lighting is essential to keep your energy levels high and your eyes healthy, so try to choose a spot with access to natural daylight. If this is not possible, invest in good work lighting to ensure you're not straining to see your screen or tools.

Also, think about locating your office space where there is going to be minimal chance of disruption. This could be disruption from a busy street outside, neighbours next door or family members or housemates inside. Try to be based as far away as you can from the kitchen or utility room – it’s all too easy to distract yourself with constant snacks from the fridge, or the urge to empty the washing machine instead of knuckling down to the real task at hand!

Maintain healthy routines

Maintaining (or implementing) healthy workday habits will ensure you are working in a way that is beneficial to your wellbeing without causing burnout or exhaustion.

Plan a daytime walk so you get some exercise and fresh air each day, as well as taking time to eat away from your screen. A balanced diet is important for consistent productivity, so ensure you are eating plenty of fresh fruit and leafy greens, as well as plenty of wholegrains and protein too. Stodgy carbs, salty snacks and sugary treats might give you short-term satisfaction but are guaranteed to put you into a slump later in the afternoon.

Rather than relying solely on caffeine to keep you going throughout the day, drink plenty of water as staying hydrated can help you concentrate for longer stretches.

Reduce visual clutter

While some people prefer to work among organised chaos, most of us perform much better when not surrounded by mess.

Try to maintain a clean-desk policy at home by tidying away papers into files when you're not using them and clearing away empty mugs and plates each day.

If you're going to be working from home long-term, you might want to consider some storage solutions that are permanent in your home office.

Fitted home office solutions ensure space is used effectively to make things as comfortable as possible. Neat storage space, tailored to your unique specifications and needs, will allow you to focus on the task at hand and maximise your productivity, instead of gazing at piles of equipment and stationery on show in front of you.

Keep your triggers at bay

Our environments can have a huge impact on how we perform throughout the day. If your phone is your biggest distraction, keep it on silent in another room. Otherwise, you can set downtime on certain apps or social media platforms that you find hard to avoid during working hours.

Other triggers could include the TV, video games or another hobby, so be sure to schedule in time for these passions but avoid temptation outside of that.

Experiment with focus-aiding tools

If you still find it hard to focus once you've sorted out your storage and regular routines, you might need to experiment with dedicated accessories or equipment to help you further.

There are lots of tools that can help you build and maintain focus, including noise-cancelling headphones, ambient music and various time management apps. Now Do This helps you boss your daily to-do list, while Rescue Time software allows you to block certain sites and forces you to face the reality of how much you are being distracted during the day.

Stay focused with a fitted home office from Hammonds

We’ve helped many people discover how to stay focused when working from home with our stunning home office set-ups.

If you are keen to find out more about how we can help you maximise your office space with bespoke storage solutions, book a free design visit with one of our expert team members.