Comments on: 5 Focus Killers…and How to Beat Them

By: Why Modern Workplaces Don’t Work – WebWorkerDaily

Why Modern Workplaces Don’t Work – WebWorkerDaily — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:01:08 +0000

[...] As web workers, we’re fortunate in that we typically don’t work in regular office. But we’re still subject to interruptions, and as such can also use tools and careful scheduling to reduce their frequency and boost productivity. Rather than an update meeting, for example, try using an app to keep your colleagues in the loop. Interruptions jolt you out of “the zone,” so if meetings or conference calls are absolutely required, scheduling them back-to-back will reduce the number of interruptions to your working day. WWD’s “Productivity Superstar” columnist Karen posted some great tips for reducing distractions in “7 Ways to Find Your Focus,” and for those working from home, complete with distractions like having to answer the doorbell and dealing with family members, Georgina provided “5 Focus Killers…and How to Beat Them.” [...]

By: 17 Ways to Kill Common Distractions

17 Ways to Kill Common Distractions — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:01:47 +0000

[...] all the noise from the Internet, our computers and our environment, some folks struggle to work and focus even for 10 minutes straight. In this post, I’m going to offer some ways you can stop the [...]

By: This Weeks Helpful Reads… Week 177

This Weeks Helpful Reads… Week 177 — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 11:18:53 +0000

[...] 5 Focus Killers… and How to Beat Them by Georgina Laidlaw… Now that you survived the above post and found a work at home job, now you have to deal with keeping focus on your work and not being (too) distracted from the tasks at hand. Also worth a read. [...]

By: Show and Tell: Favorite Links of the Week | thejakers

Show and Tell: Favorite Links of the Week | thejakers — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:53:51 +0000

[...] you freelancers: 5 focus killers and how to deal with [...]

By: Evelyn Guzman

Evelyn Guzman — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:23:05 +0000

Those are excellent recommendations on how to beat the focus blues. Working on a home business takes a lot of beating in the form of interruptions whether they come from inside you or externally like those household interruptions as phone calls and such.

Evelyn Guzman
http://www.homebusinesssteps.com (If you want to visit, just click but if it doesn’t work, copy and paste it onto your browser.)

By: Shahab khan

Shahab khan — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:05:39 +0000

Phone is not a issue for me too, the only problem i face is due to Household interruptions.

By: Georgina Laidlaw

Georgina Laidlaw — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:13:28 +0000

Melanie, I feel your pain! One solution I can think of is to log out of IM when you really need to focus.

Alternatively, just ignore messages that come through while you’re status is set to “Busy”. To me this is roughly akin to letting your calls go to voicemail — you can always come back to them later, when you’re not so busy.

By: Greg Phelps

Greg Phelps — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:21:19 +0000

For me, the home office offers far more productivity than my office at the business. However my neighbors don’t grasp the fact that I work 8 – 5. They always call to ask me if they can borrow a cup of flour.
I just stopped answering the home phone and that took care of that.

By: Melanie

Melanie — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:05:10 +0000

I’ve been trying so hard to teach people the meaning of the “Busy” status one may set on IM. I must be a poor teacher. This is the idea that I am trying to convey: when your IM buddy’s status is set to “Busy,” do not send him or her any messages.

Any recommendations on how to make this simpler to understand?

By: Lea Schellhorn

Lea Schellhorn — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:25:04 +0000

I’ve only been working from home for a few months but one of the things that has worked for me is to use little household chores as breaks throughout the day, a chance to stretch my legs and get away from the computer for a few minutes. Every morning I make a list of the things I need to do for work and as I cross things off, I take a short break from work and get little things done around my home.