Working from home is peaceful, comfortable and amazing and it is something we introverts, ADDs and hsps dream of as the perfect life.  Getting paid while I’m sleeping, no more alarm clocks that wake me up mid-sleep cycle, sleeping in, working while I’m in pajamas, …  Yes! Sign me up!
I dreamt about it for many years before I took the leap.  Best decision ever! 

Then comes time to work from home… and it’s, well, let’s say, different.

I do all of those things, don’t get me wrong, and the benefits of working from home are the best.  But there are also distractions that you didn’t think of that kinda disrupt that ‘smooth-sailing’ work-from-home life.

One of my favorite benefits is that it gives you the freedom to work on a schedule that works for you.

But staying focused can be a challenge. In this blog, I want to give some tips for staying focused when working from home.

Set up a dedicated workspace

One of the most important things you can do to stay focused when working from home is to create a dedicated workspace. This should be a place where you can work comfortably, free from distractions. Ideally, you should have a desk and chair, as well as any necessary equipment such as a computer or printer.

But as an introvert or sensitive person, sitting up on a chair can be tough on your more sensitive body.  And since you have fewer distractions from coworkers, or you’re simply a lot more motivated, you easily sit on that chair for longer periods of time.  And it adds up over time, so you can feel sore or your back muscles start aching.

Set up an alternative workspace

With that in mind, you’re allowed to switch it up.  Come up with some alternative options.  That could be your comfortable sofa, with a fleece blanket to keep you warm and comfy, or like a friend of mine, from the comfort of her bed.  You’d think you can’t, but she wrote an entire book from her bed.

Working from your bed comes with a side effect though.  Just be aware of it.  It’s usually better to keep your bed only for sleeping (and you, that other fun stuff).  But if that’s your way to getting work done when your body is tired or your environment is distracting, by all means, go ahead.

Stick to a schedule

When working from home, it can be easy to lose track of time and work longer than you should. Or you get distracted by laundry or dirty dishes piling up, so you ‘quickly’ put in the laundry or fill the dishwasher.  Only to be interrupted again when the timer goes off and you need to hang up the laundry.  Makes total sense, right?

Why would you not do it, you’re at home and you have all day…  And so you find yourself at the end of the day, having done loads of things, but not that much work-related stuff.

To avoid this, set a schedule for yourself and stick to it.  Usually, coaches will tell you to try to start and end work at the same time each day and take breaks at regular intervals.  Which, again, makes sense.  However, I take a different approach to this and we set up a personalized schedule that works for you and your lifestyle.  If that’s a 9-5, great.  But if that’s another version, also great.  The key is however to design one that actually works for you instead of against you.

Eliminate IT distractions

One of the biggest challenges of working from home is the temptation to get distracted. To minimize distractions, turn off notifications on your phone and close any unnecessary tabs on your computer.  I have some great softwares I recommend to all my students. Because every single one of them comes to me with 5 windows open with 37 open tabs in each window.  (And then they wonder why they’re overwhelmed, but that’s a story for another time)

Noise

I could create a catchy title for this, but ‘noise’ says it all.  It’s all those unwanted, disturbing, distracting sounds from people (and their appliances) who keep forgetting that you are working from home.  Or trying to.

One big helper tool is using noise-canceling headphones to block out any noise.  They’re great and I recommend them at the beginning of any course, but they tend to only eliminate low noises, voices, and higher tones not that much.  But still, they’re amazing!

Intentionally Take breaks

You know this.  But do you take them?  Taking breaks is important for staying focused and productive.  But be real, taking breaks is important for your health, your body and your mind, your energy, your happiness, your joy, and your sleep, …

So from now on, make sure to take regular breaks throughout the day, and use this time to get up and move around. Take a short walk or do some stretching to help refresh your mind and body.

You could plan out your breaks with the Pomodoro Method.

This method plans 25-minute fully focused work sessions, followed by 5-minute breaks. After the fourth 25-minute work session, you take a longer break of approximately 15-30 minutes.  It works well for many people.  However for us introverts, sensitives, and ADDs, I don’t always feel that it’s the best way.  I prefer to design a schedule that works for you and your lifestyle.  So whether that’s 2,5 hours of full focused work followed by a short or even very long break or 6 hours and then a whole day off, it should be designed in a way that matches how you’re wired.

Stay organized

When working from home, it’s important to stay organized. Make sure to keep your workspace clean and tidy, and use tools such as calendars and to-do lists to keep track of your tasks. This will help you stay on top of your work and avoid feeling overwhelmed.

The pitfall is however that we tend to create ginormous to-do lists.  Way too many things go on the list and then you feel disappointed that you ‘didn’t get anything done’.  One way to avoid this pitfall is to get clear on the 3 main things that need to be done.  One thing doesn’t mean ‘paint the house’ or ‘create a website’, that’s not one thing.  Be smart and divide them up into smaller pieces.  Each of those smaller pieces is your ‘one thing’.

Communicate with others

Just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean you should be isolated. I know, it’s so easy to just turn off all communications.  Nobody disturbing you, just heaven!

However, we’re humans and we’re not designed to be alone all the time.  So make sure you add in moments to communicate with people.  That could be your colleagues or manager, your mom, and nieces, but also your neighbor or the lady walking her dog in front of your house. 

Mix ’em up.  You can communicate in person or use tools such as video conferencing or Messenger to stay connected.  You know this, but it’s easy to forget.  Or you don’t feel like it because you’re having a bad hair day or fill in the excuse. 

I’m not gonna lie, working from home is awesome! 

It really is and I recommend it to everyone who’s looking for much better balance and more freedom!  Especially for you introverts, sensitive energy souls, hsp, ADDs, empaths and enneagram 9s out there.

It’s the best way I know to achieve a better work-life balance, but it does require discipline, focus, and most importantly, support from a like-minded community. 

I hope you put these tips into practice and see a massive improvement in life. As with all new habits, it may take time, but it will be worth it!  Just keep practicing.  You’ll be amazed.

Let’s get you started!

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