How to Stay Focused: Working From Home

Staying focused on your job is no easy task when working from home. So, how can you prioritize your projects in such an unstructured environment? Keep reading to learn some tips and tricks I've worked into my routine!

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While working from home provides many benefits and is a privilege for some, adjusting to the lifestyle can be difficult, especially when it comes to staying motivated to work all day.

When we have co-workers, it's easy to stay accountable, knowing that we have to answer to someone. But if you're self-employed or only communicate with your boss via email/SMS, staying on track is no easy feat if you're fully or even partly in charge of setting a schedule, assigning your projects, and staying on the clock.

This is an issue I've run into many times since switching to a WFH position, and over the past year and a half, it's taken some trial and error to figure out how to pull myself back into focus.

While there's no secret remedy to staying productive, I've adopted many practices into my daily and weekly routines that help me to re-focus my energies back on my work instead of defaulting to scrolling on my phone or turning on the TV.

Setting a Timer/ Clocking-In

When I began working from home as a writer, I had a really hard time getting my articles done within a specific time frame, because I was being paid per word rather than per hour.

My job didn't have a traditional clock-in system to keep me on task, which made it easy for me to get distracted. I'd often end up spending ages on an article that should have only taken a couple of hours to complete.

Eventually, I began setting a timer on my phone. I examined the word count and level of research for each article, estimated how long I thought it would take to complete, and then I set the clock for that block of time.

This really helped me to stay on task, as it motivated me to see how quickly I could get the work done, sort of like making a bet with myself.

I usually set the clock for two-hour increments and would take 15-30 minute breaks once the timer sounded. Knowing I had a break coming up made it even easier to stick to this way of clocking in, as I didn't feel guilty stopping halfway through an article, knowing that I actually earned the break.

Taking Scheduled Breaks

Clocking in goes hand in hand with clocking out. While you may feel the need to grind your way through the workday to stay accountable, that will only serve to prevent you from remaining productive.

That's right- TAKE BREAKS. While it may sound counterintuitive, your brain and your body need time to rest and recuperate. If you work straight through the day, you'll end up burning yourself out, which will actually make it harder to stay concentrated on the task at hand as the day goes on.

As I mentioned above, taking a short break every two-three hours works best for me. After a couple of hours of staring at a computer screen, my eyes get tired and my focus begins to dwindle, so taking 10-15 minutes to eat a snack, stretch, or do some dishes gives me the boost and reset that I need.

It's also a good idea to take full lunch breaks. I mean a full 30 minutes to eat and listen to a TV show or Youtube video. If you try to eat and work at the same time, it will pull your focus back and forth, which will not only hinder your progress on your deadline but can also be bad for your health if done regularly.

Turn Off Notifications and Set App Limits

I've never really been addicted to my devices, but when I'm trying to work and my phone is buzzing off the table, it's nearly impossible for me not to pick it up and start scrolling. This is also a tough issue to navigate when you need your phone to communicate with your boss, clients, or team members.

Fortunately, most smartphones have a tool for setting time limits on certain apps, which will automatically silence notifications once the limit has been met. So, if you can't fully silence your device, you can at least prevent specific apps from distracting you during work hours.

For example, I have a 1-hour limit set on Instagram and TikTok, which I usually exhaust by mid-morning by being a content creator.

Because of how active my accounts are, especially Instagram, having that limit in my settings is essential. It prevents me from constantly feeling the need to check my phone and answer DMs, reply to comments, or check my stats, all of which can be done after work.

So, the bottom line- if you can silence your phone, do it. But if you can't, limit the apps you don't need to use during the day.

Eating High-Protein Snacks

Maintaining a decent level of energy is essential for remaining productive, especially in a work-from-home environment where you're sitting down for most of the day. A great way to sustain energy is to reinforce it with protein-rich foods.

Protein breaks down slower in your body, in turn providing you with a longer-lasting energy source.

With more energy comes focus, further enabling you to stay on-task throughout the day.

Therefore, make sure to have snacks on hand for your breaks that are high in protein, such as nuts, yogurt, cheese, peanut butter, or vegetables.

Meal-Prepping Breakfast and Lunch

This is a practice that I recently began adopting into my routine that has significantly increased my productivity. By preparing my food ahead of time, I don't have to cook on my lunch break, a task that can be very time-consuming if you, like me, are a health-conscious eater.

Meal-prepping my breakfast also serves to increase my focus, as it helps me to start my work day earlier, rather than taking an extra hour out of my morning to cook and clean. As someone who is the most productive early in the morning, this type of prep is pretty essential.

However, if you don't have the fridge space to prepare meals days in advance, I recommend keeping your meals as simple as possible so that they require very little time to cook.

Exercising and Stretching

I think exercise is the strategy that comes to mind for most people when on the topic of motivation and focus. Physical activity positively impacts the dopamine and serotonin levels in your brain, which directly increases your focus and concentration.

I personally exercise on most days for about 30-45 minutes. However, on days when I don't have the time for a full-body workout, doing a 5-10 minute stretch or some cross-crawl exercises works just as well for the brain.

There are also many short workout videos available that you can easily integrate into your workday. For example, try this 5-minute desk ab workout from Sharona's Hill while taking your 15-minute break.

Listening to Music

For the most part, I can't focus on anything if I don't have background noise, so I usually listen to Spotify or Youtube while working.

However, it's important to choose audio that doesn't distract you further (such as the latest Taylor Swift album that I can't stop scream-singing), so I usually listen to lo-fi, instrumental jazz, or classical music during work hours.

However, bear in mind that not everyone can improve their focus with music- sometimes it has the opposite effect. If you're unsure how this method will impact your concentration, try it out with a project that isn't too urgent to see whether you're more or less distracted by background noise.

Watching WFH/ Daily Routine Videos

In the same vein as listening to music, sometimes listening to daily routine videos while I work on certain tasks helps me stay motivated.

I love seeing how other people manage their work/life balance, as it often gives me some good ideas to try, and listening to such a video while I work helps me view scheduling in a more positive and enjoyable light.

As mentioned above, if you get easily distracted by background noise, reserve your video-watching for breaks or after work, but I highly recommend finding videos on YouTube on this subject. Not only will you find great tips for focus and motivation, but the slice-of-life perspective of the video will add a fun and comforting aspect to setting these types of goals!

These are just a few focus methods that have enabled me to work productively, but there are many other factors that tie into maintaining the work-from-home lifestyle. For more on this topic, check out the Related Articles section below!