Comments on: Work From Home? 8 Ways to Keep Focused

By: Home Guy

Home Guy — Thu, 27 May 2010 16:04:01 +0000

Love these tips.

@Will – I agree with the pushups. Gotta get the blood moving.

My tactics are:
- Don’t open your email unless you are sending something out that is urgent. Your email can wait. Do your work first from your list.
- Don’t turn an instant messaging service on.
- If you find yourself on a time waster site. Just close the window and return to your list.

By: Aury (Thunderdrake)

Aury (Thunderdrake) — Fri, 21 May 2010 02:03:00 +0000

It was only recently that I began to work from home full time here. There’s a lot of bad habits to easily fall into for doing so, and it takes a good deal of discipline to break them.

I mean, I’m pretty new to blogging as a whole, which is definitely showing a lot of hard work. I mean- Oh hey, my Team Fortress 2 Clan is calling!

By: Will

Will — Sun, 16 May 2010 20:14:00 +0000

I find that sometimes it’s hard to stay away from time killing websites so I added a bunch of those sites to my hosts file so I can’t access them without serious work:

127.0.0.1 http://www.gizmodo.com gizmodo.com
…
When I try to go to gizmodo.com it now redirects me back to my machine, and just fails.

- I also dress as if I was working at an office.
- I don’t answer personal phone calls
- I give myself more frequent breaks to stay focused when I am at my computer.
- I type brb in my messenger client when I am away and clear it when I am back.
- When I feel sleepy I immediately drop down and do as many pushups as I can. It really helps move the blood and acts like a mental redbull.
- I make lists all the time and check them off, even small items go on the list so I can see that I’m making progress… even if it’s small.
- I use Manic Time to see what I do each day and how much time I spend in each program. Every day I try for 1 extra minute of actual work time than the day before.
- I start work at 7:00am every day because I get so much more done in the mornings than the afternoon.
- I try to keep my hours to 40 every week because then I’m not feeling like I’m always working… off-work time is my time and I try to work hard so that I’m not always working.

By: Kyle C.

Kyle C. — Fri, 14 May 2010 11:38:28 +0000

I have been working from home now for about two years, I am only in the office once or twice a month. The most important thing for me to stay on task is 1.) close google reader and 2.) make a list of everything I need to accomplish.

If I make a list I know what has to be done and I start working through the list. It stresses me out to see all of the stuff on their so I start working through it until they are all gone.

By: Money Reasons

Money Reasons — Fri, 14 May 2010 02:20:47 +0000

Thanks for the tips, I telecommute from home once or twice a week. I find that it’s hard to get myself together and I think these tips will help. Especially putting on the pants! Usually I just put comfy shorts and a t-shirt on.

By: kosmo @ The Casual Observer

kosmo @ The Casual Observer — Fri, 14 May 2010 02:11:35 +0000

@ cm – I work for a huge corporation in a conservative industry in a fairly important white collar role … and I get to wear jeans and t-shirts to work. A bad day in jeans beats a good day in a suit, I think :)

By: cm

cm — Fri, 14 May 2010 01:22:22 +0000

A friend of mine and I came up with something called the Pants-time Index, which is a measure of how dissolute or productive you are in life based on what time of day you first put your pants on.

He was prompted to think about this by noticing that one day it was like 8 *pm* and he had yet to put his pants on yet (he was unemployed at the time) and was still lounging around his apt in his boxers. Then there are those who have crisply pressed pants on 7 days/week by 7am. Horses for courses.

By: Kosmo @ The Casual Observer

Kosmo @ The Casual Observer — Thu, 13 May 2010 19:36:32 +0000

I’m definitely a big fan of pants.

Every now and then, I get the chance to work from home. It’s really nice in the summer when I can connect my laptop to WiFi and work from the deck. Sunlight makes me more productive.

By: Wayne

Wayne — Thu, 13 May 2010 17:33:09 +0000

Hi, I too work at home and do a very similar checklist like you. I get up / shower / get dressed like I would if I went into the office. Sets the tone by doing this. I also set up my office in the corner of my finished basement. Very similar to a cubicle (ie no windows so no distraction) I work like I would until my scheduled breaks (lunch which is when I also surf web and gym) I do have my day planned ahead of time to be productive. Task list and meeting list. Works well for me. Seems I am more productive at home than in office.

By: Suzanne

Suzanne — Thu, 13 May 2010 17:32:42 +0000

I have been working from home for the past 3 years. It definitely takes discipline to remain on task and not let your daily life interrupt your work life. You are right on with these tips! Even though I think I know what I need to do to be successful seeing it in black and white makes a big difference.Thanks for that reminder! :)