Staying Focused While Working Remotely

  Catherine Naylor

There are many reasons why a person would want to take advantage of a work-from-home opportunity as opposed to working in an office or other workplace. One reason could be that a person has children and can’t afford childcare. Depending on how many children a person has, childcare can cost as much as $1,000 a month, and sometimes even more. Another reason why a person might choose to find at-home employment instead of a position at a traditional workplace is due to lack of transportation. There are many other reasons why a person would opt to make money without leaving their house, but regardless of the reason, if you are interested in becoming a remote contractor, then you are not alone. Many remote contractors love the flexibility and freedom of working from home, but sometimes experience difficulty to staying on task. There are many distractions from various sources, errands to run, appointments to make, and sometimes simply the urge to goof-off. Here are some tips for remaining focused while telecommuting, so you can ensure that you are as productive as you are required to be in order to meet all your work-related goals.

Make a schedule – just like a traditional job, you need to ensure that you create a regular schedule for yourself. Some people lack the self-discipline to be able to rely on becoming productive whenever they “feel like it” because many only “feel like it” very infrequently. If your position requires that you spend forty hours a week in order to get everything done, then you need to be sure to schedule yourself for forty hours. It’s okay to go to appointments or run errands during the day, since this is an advantage of telecommuting, but you need to ensure that you make up those hours. Even if you have to make them up after dinner or before bed, you need to make up that time. A virtual position is no different from a traditional one, as you still have a responsibility to perform one or more tasks, but the only difference is that you don’t have a boss closely scrutinizing you.

Turn off your cell phone – if you communicate with others through your cell phone and you receive frequent calls and text messages, then you will want to keep your cell phone turned off during working hours. It’s easy to become engaged in a conversation with a friend or loved one and temporarily forget about your tasks at hand. This is why many traditional employers prohibit cell phone use except on breaks. By keeping your cell phone off during your designated business hours, you prevent yourself from talking and texting when you should be busy. Of course if you have children you will want to keep the lines of communication open in case the babysitter or school needs to contact you should an emergency occur. In that case, you might want to keep your cell phone on but just remind family and friends that you are busy during the times that you designate and instruct them to call or text outside those hours only.

Keep the TV off – not many people watch television while at traditional jobs, so during your scheduled business hours at home you should keep the TV off as well. By keeping the television off when you’re supposed to be working, you won’t become interested in a program that will keep you from your job. Not only can watching television during business hours reduce your productivity, but it can reduce your earnings as well. You are also more apt to make mistakes if you work while distracted, and if the work you perform requires accuracy, or you have deadlines to meet, watching television can definitely prevent you from meeting your goals and deadlines. If you have favorite television shows that come on during your scheduled business time, then you might want to invest in a DVR in order to record them, which will enable you to watch them at a more convenient time.

So if you have the opportunity to perform one or more jobs from home, then you should know that it is possible to be successful and remain on task at all times, provided you discipline yourself. As long as you adhere to a schedule which consists of predetermined, timed breaks, and minimize any possible distractions, then you should be able to make a living from home as a business owner, virtual assistant, or even a freelancer. Many people who have chosen to make their home their place of employment find that they are happier, less stressed and can make more money than at a traditional company. Some people work as contractors, performing telephone work for one or more companies, while others freelance for many different companies or accept any opportunities that they have experience in. No matter what remote job opportunities you ultimately decide to become involved in, you can ensure that all your work gets done as long as you set your mind to it and keep yourself on a strict schedule.