How to Work from Home with Distractions

How can you work from home with kids? | Photo by Alexander Dummer on Unsplash

With many people new to working from home, and family members or roommates homebound along with them, getting any work done can be a bit complicated, especially if there are kids to monitor and take care of too.

And while we love our families and roommates, getting work done with additional distraction isn’t ideal. So what do you do when those around you are being inconsiderate of your work time?

We have a few tips that have helped us while working remote.

Communicate with Your Family and Team

Have an open talk with your roommate, significant other, and kids about your work hours or even if you need focus time. And check in with them too. They also have important projects or goals that require space and time to complete, so it’s important to work together so you can each have your own uninterrupted moments.

Let your roommate know if you have video calls scheduled for the day. Confirm with your kids when they’re doing online classes or when they can set aside time to focus on homework or have a quiet craft project. You can set a loose schedule for office hours and school time, or play music when you’re all working on individual work to signal to everyone that it’s time to study.

While you’re at it, communicate with your employer too about your working from home situation. For instance, if the kids are home and you’re on a video call, let those participating know, in case anything’s overheard or if any toddlers decide to pop up into camera view. Or, if your hours can be flexible, communicate with your boss and see if you can work in the evenings when kids are winding down.

Have a Separate Work Area

If you can, try to avoid working from your couch or your bed. Slumping into your comforter or amidst pillows can signal to your brain that you’re ready to relax, so don’t give yourself the opportunity. Besides, it’s much nicer to head to the couch at the end of the day once you’re offline.

Instead, try to set aside a go-to work area, whether that’s a home office, a desk in your apartment, or just pulling out what you need and placing everything on a clean kitchen table. For those times you need peace and quiet or just a nice place to have a phone meeting, try the closet (which is perfect to cancel outside noise) or even the car.

Physically having a specific area for work can get your focus back on track, and it signals to any roommates or family members nearby that you’re now in your “office” now.

Put on Headphones

When in doubt, put on headphones. Whether you’re working in a coworking space or have people running around at home, never underestimate the power of headphones. Wearing them is a universal “Do Not Disturb” sign, so you don’t necessarily have to play anything.

You can also level it up and find the best pair of noise cancelling headphones, which helps to really tune any peripheral sound out. 

And there are plenty of focus playlists to choose from online. Video game soundtracks are a great option and are designed to help gamers concentrate.

Headphones are like a big “do not disturb” sign. | Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

Try Listening to White Noise or Ambient Noise

If you’re finding focus playlists distracting but need to have something on, try to mitigate any sound distractions with an online noise generator. Many people prefer Pink Noise, which is a lower frequency range than White Noise, so it hits a lower register and helps tune out most peripheral sounds. You can even mix up your frequencies with certain online noise generators and create a noise frequency that’s specific to you and your environment.

And it sounds crazy, but have you ever tried listening to ambient environment noise? Try searching for forest hiking noises or running rivers for some livelier, escapist sounds. Breather created Sounds of the NYC noise collection which are background recordings from the streets and shops of NYC neighborhoods. It’s a great go-to because it helps tune out immediate distractions in the same room but gives a pulse to work I’m doing.

Start with a Timer

We all know the trusty Pomodoro technique of setting a timer for increments of productivity and breaks, and it works because we immerse ourselves into a project a little more quickly with a quick-end time in sight. The timer even creates a bit of pressure that encourages us to really commit. 

So start your day with a 15-minute timer. Get those around you in on it, and you’d be surprised by how quickly everyone forces themselves to focus before the clock runs out. It also guarantees a bit of quiet time and ends any discussions.

A positive side effect of the timer, especially if you have others joining in, is that it gives you that social influence to your productivity. If everyone around is working and focusing, you’re going to follow suit. It’s one of the reasons we like working in coworking spaces, afterall.

Test What Makes You Productive

The biggest lesson I learned from my first year of remote work was that I had more choices in how my day-to-day work life could look like. And yes, that can start with anything from “should I change out of my pajama bottoms to start work?” to “can I utilize my night owl tendencies and give my boss those hours for when I’ll be online?”

Remote work is flexible in that it opens the possibility for the individual to really take charge of their day. So ask yourself, what you would work best in? And if your manager or team can let you, test out different things to find that deep focus. You’d be surprised by when you’re most productive and how you can hone it.