Working from home has a lot of advantages and a lot of pitfalls. One of the obstacles anyone who works away from the corporate environment has to contend with is keeping focused and on task when no one is around. It is very easy to get distracted in a home office. You can see the dirty laundry piling up, you can hear the dog whining for a walk, you can feel the tug of internet games just a click away! To be productive in any work environment you need to be self-disciplined and focused. To do this in a remote office sometimes takes a LOT of self-discipline and a LOT of focus.

Here are two tips I employ to help me stay productive in my home office:

1. Make an appointment with yourself every day. Determine the time that is appropriate for you to be at your desk and working and keep it consistent EVERY day. At 9:00 am I am at my desk and starting work even if all the things I wanted to get done didn't happen. That keeps me from sleeping in "just this once" or slipping in one more errand before I get down to business. No, I stop whatever I am doing and I sit down and begin working.

I have a friend that wanted to be with her young children during the day. So at 9:00 pm every evening she would stop what she was doing and start her work day. The time is not critical - the self-discipline of starting at the same time each day is the key. Yes, there is great flexibility in working in a remote office (be that at home or the local coffee shop) but with that flexibility comes temptation. To reduce the temptations make an appointment with yourself and stick to it!

2. Creating a to-do list will help you remain focused throughout the day. Boy have we heard that one before...because it is true! Starting your day with a list of tasks keeps you focused on what you need to do and will keep you from spending too much time reading your favorite blogs, playing a "quick" game of solitaire to warm up your brain or the many other things we can do to occupy ourselves from really working. Creating the list is your last task on the previous work day so that when you sit down tomorrow - you are ready to go. This will set the tone for your day. Your list can be electronic or good ole paper and pen, whatever works best for you. The important thing is to start the day with focus and purpose.

As you implement these two simple ideas you will find your time spent more productive and help you continue to enjoy all the advantages of working remotely. You can get more done in less time with a little self-discipline and focus.

Jill Tibbels is the Vice President of Learning and Development for Ziglar, Inc. and works remotely from her office in Austin, TX.

Quote

Discipline yourself to do the things you need to do when you need to do them, and the day will come when you will be able to do the things you want to do when you want to do them! Zig Ziglar