Being productive in our own homes and offices isn’t always ideal. Add to that almost three years of working from home anyway, and it may just be a good idea to get out of the house to get some work done.
Distractions at home
One way to not get any work done is to allow our home life to creep into our work life. Dishes are piled up in the sink. The laundry is growing by the day. There is dust on everything, and oh yeah, I really need to wash the windows.
It’s so easy to get up and tell yourself, I’ll just put this away, clean that, etc. Three hours later, you have not done one bit of work. We all mean well, and yes, these all need to be done at some point.
But, do they need to be done right now when you’re sitting down to work? Nope. They can all wait. The problem is, we (and I’m quite guilty of this) use these things as distractions and excuses to not work on what we should be.
A quiet place to be productive
Let’s face it, home isn’t always quiet unless you’re home alone. My go-to quiet space is a study room at our local library. I reserve it for two hours and spend that time being productive.
Adding headphones to the mix can help even more. I’m easily distracted and tend to hear everything around me. People talking on the phone in the study room next to mine, kids running around in the library, etc. I always bring my headphones and tend to put on some quiet, instrumental music.
Change of scenery
This is a good one. We get so used to staring at our own space that it becomes uninspiring sometimes. Shake up your view. One of my favorite places, as mentioned, is my local library. There is a 4-way fireplace and it overlooks the Fox River. Beautiful, especially in the winter with snow.
Coffee shops and cafes are also good options. I’m in the process of trying out different locations. Testing out the bakery items is a bonus. Just kidding. Honestly, I’m in search of one that isn’t jam-packed every day and is a little more on the quiet side.
Focus on one thing
Pick a project to work on while you’re in your chosen getaway workspace. I think we all have those projects that we start and then they sit around for a while. I know many of us have months (or years) of images to edit. Or, maybe you have a book project you’re working on. How about catching up on writing blog posts or scheduling your social media postings?
There are so many things we can focus on to work on. The key is to choose one. Before you even leave the house, pick the one project you really want to make progress on. That will be ALL you work on during the time you’re in your away-from-home workspace.
If you find yourself struggling to be productive at home, try any one of these options. Let us know how it goes.
Do you have other ideas and solutions to this issue? Share them with us in the Photofocus Community or in the comments below. We’d love to hear them.
