How do you deal with interruptions and get more done?

To be an entrepreneur with a home office has it’s advantages and it’s disadvantages. When we break away from our corporate jobs to the fabulous life of working in pjs and an escape from gas prices, we don’t think about the ugly stuff that comes with a home office.

What is the ugly stuff? Here’s a quick list:

• It’s so easy to sleep in (sometimes this isn’t on the ugly list!)
• It’s easy and tempting to work until 1am.
• Other’s think that if you own your own business you must be rich. It’s like the government hands you a fat check because you call yourself an entrepreneur.
• Other’s think that if you work from home you have time to pick them up from airport, babysit, keep an eye on the repair guy and keep up with Oprah.
• Other’s think you can take social phone calls during the day now that you don’t have a boss looking over your shoulder. Work hours are work hours.
• Time goes by much quicker in your home office than in your corporate office. Hmmmm….why is that?
• You realize how little gets done in a work day when you work for yourself.

So how can you stop the interruptions and get more done in a day?

Here’s a short list of what I do:

• I find that scheduled phone calls take up more time than is scheduled. It takes a few minutes to prepare before the call and a few minutes after the call are spent sending out an email, replying to emails that came through while you were on the call or other random things. So I schedule at least 1 day a week where no phone calls or appointments can be made. There are no interruptions and more gets done.
• I create a “to do” list. There is something satisfying about scratching off a task. Without a “to do” list it’s easy to fall into the “oh I don’t have anything pressing to do today, I might as well spend some time on youtube or facebook”. I use www.wrike.com to manage my “to do” list.
• Don’t answer the phone, unless it’s a close family member. This is the biggest interruption of them all. It easily distracts you from what you were focusing on and it’s even harder to regain your focus when you end the call. Voice mail was created for a reason, don’t feel guilty for using it!

How do you stop the interruptions and get more done in a day? Enter your suggestions in the comment box below.

If you like this post, please consider buying me a coffee.

Written by Sandra De Freitas

Check out our other blog:
WordPressBlogsites.com