Wednesday 30 July 2014

Interruptions

Everyone who has worked from home has probably experienced this situation.  You've settled down at your computer with a cup of coffee or tea, opened up the various tabs, windows, and files that you need for your project, and started to get in the groove of working when a kid barges into your home office with a question or complaint.  You help settle the issue, then turn back to work.

Five minutes later you're interrupted again by yells for help with something.  You get up from your desk to deal with it.  By the time you get back your drink is cold and you've lost your train of thought and you have to start over.  Before you know it, an hour or more has gone by and you've gotten very little work done.

Short of retreating into the farthest room of the house and locking the door, what can one do?

Lay down the rules.  Inform the other family members that you need a certain amount of time for work, and you're not to be bothered unless it's a real emergency like flood, fire, or burglary.

Get someone else to watch the kids.  If the kids in the household aren't old enough to keep themselves occupied, consider hiring a sitter for them during the times you need to work.

Set aside a block of time when the house is quiet.  Whether early in the morning or late at night, this can minimize the chances of someone walking in on you.

Take it on the go.  When all else fails and if you have a laptop or tablet, try to work somewhere else.  Many malls, coffee shops, and libraries have free wi-fi areas where you can connect to the Internet and work in relative peace.  (This also requires having someone else watch the kids.)

What methods do you use to get work done at home?

5 comments:

  1. I shut everything around me off...no tv, radio, etc. I take myself into my work area & shut the door :)

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  2. I wake up at 5am, so I get in a good three hours of work time before everyone else in my family wakes up. There are times I also need to work in the afternoon. In those cases, I put headphones on, and my daughter is usually really great at not interrupting me unless it is really important. Unfortunately, I can't at all say the same for my husband...which is why I hardly ever get work done in the evenings when he is home, or on his days off.

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    1. I wish I could do that but I'm most certainly not a morning person, I'm more of a night owl so I tend to get more done after everyone's in bed.

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  3. Amen to the hiring a sitter. Honestly, I think that is a must with very young children. If I was an employer I'd be angry if I found out I had an employee (even a work from home one) who was working on company projects on the company dime while being distracted by their baby/toddler.

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  4. Great suggestions! It's tough blocking out distractions, but it really makes it easier to stay focused and get work done more efficiently. I try to work in the evenings after my kids are in bed (I'm a night owl!).

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