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Working from home can be such a great idea. The promise of having freedom at work, being one's own boss and a lucrative income can all be associated with this work path. No wonder why many people are trying their luck with this career. For nearly a decade of working online, I already encountered different issues which I believe I successfully dealt with. Among the common issues, we might encounter are finding the right site or work, inappropriate or lack of skills, the proliferation of scammers, and time management among others. For someone who is working online, these issues must be addressed in order to have a smooth flow in our daily work process and achieve our goals.
Image Credits: Freephotcc via Pixabay
In the Philippines, a report from the Philippines Statistics Authority showed that the employment rate in the country has increased to 94.5% in April 2018 from 94.3% on the same month of the previous year. another report from the Department of Information and Communications Technology shows that there 543 technical workers who were trained in 2017 in the Rural Impact Sourcing Technical Training Project (RISTTP). The main objective of this program is to reduce the unemployment rate in the country.
Though these reports might have not clearly shown the real number of Filipinos who are working from home, I personally believe that the availability of work-from-home jobs had contributed to the increase of employment rate in the country. There are several groups in Facebook with more than a hundred thousand members and I think there are even more who are actually working online from our country. Some may be doing it on a part-time and a smaller percentage may be doing this kind of work for a full-time. Admittedly, I personally know a few individuals who are working online. One is my sister who works online as a medical transcriber and my son who occasionally work as call reviewer in Humanatic. Others I only know through social media and we never meet personally. Although I am hoping that one of these days, me and my co-members here in Bitlanders could also have a time together.
Related Post: The Realities of Making a Living Online
Different Type of Distractions We Can Encounter While Working From Home
Even at the current time when technology is at its peak, a common connotation still prevails that our home is generally intended for relaxation and resting. This is the usual thing, we go to work and we come home to take a rest and be with our family. So, when other people would see you around the house on weekdays, they would be thinking that you are not working and you are free. Others may even have negative thoughts if you tried to explain that you are working from home.
Distractions may come in different forms. These are the things that we need to deal with every day and there is no one else who can provide the necessary solution but us. We can make adjustments if necessary. Distractions may come in a simple phone call, unannounced visit from friends, noise from the neighborhood, children, and many others. What is even more frustrating is that these distractions can come when we are at the heights of our concentration.
Simple Solutions:
Here are a few suggestions which can help up minimize the effect of these distractions and therefore help us achieve our goals. What we have are ideas on how to avoid distractions but rather how to deal with these distractions we are facing every day.
1. Set a Monthly Goal or a Target
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We have this ultimate goal that we want to achieve. This goal defines our main objective why we are doing what we are supposed to do. Breaking down this goal into smaller part will help us gain a clear direction of where we are heading to. Setting a timeline will let us monitor where we are at a certain point of time. A 30-day cycle is a very manageable timeline which would be easier for us to monitor progress and make necessary adjustments if necessary.
Personally, as I am working online as a part-time writer/blogger, my target is to create at least 4 well-written blog post in a week. This would be equivalent to 16 blog posts in one month. This would allow me to earn just enough and can also allocate time to my other online activities.
The victory of Success is Half Won when One is Gains the Habit of Setting and Achieving Goals
Og Mandino
2. Create a Home Office for Working
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Creating a home office space intended for our work would certainly help eliminate distractions and help us stay focused on our work. We can utilize a small portion of our home or probably a room which is not being used for privacy. We can set the space that is ideal for working and as much as possible free from noise and other distractions.
3. Start Early
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This is one of my most effective strategies ever since I started working online. I am a morning person and I work efficiently during the early part of the day. For me, early morning is the perfect time to work because everyone else is sleeping. Meaning, no noise around which could cause distractions and at the same time, my brain is still fresh thus I could work faster compared when I am working late at night or when everyone is up and awake.
4. Breakdown Your Tasks
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Working on a smaller task can be easier than trying to complete one whole job at a given time. One example of this is when your online work is consists of several tasks. Breaking down the whole work into smaller portions can help you give focus and finished the work on time.
5. Set You Phone in a Silent Mode
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I always place my phone in silent mode even at the office or when in public places. Not only that I don't want distractions but also respect other people's time.
6. Mute Notifications
Messenger notifications can really be annoying especially when working over a certain project. It will not only distract you but can also cause to open other applications which will lead to delays.
7. Turn Off Notifications for Facebook and other Social Media
Image Credits: Tumiso via Pixabay (Edited through Canva)
Facebook and other social media are great tools for online workers like us especially if our work has something to do with marketing. Though, it is also a known thing that social media is a great distractor. Once you started browsing your Facebook account, it might lead to endless interaction. The best way is to turn off notifications and assign a specific time for using these apps.
8. Create Visual tools to Monitor Your Progress
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Our work requires output to see if we are really gaining success in this particular field. This may come in the form of earning or a finished product. We cannot consider a work as an output unless it is 100% done. Having a simple monitoring tool will help us monitor our own work.
9. Don't Be Afraid to Post a Sign
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Communication plays a big part in attaining a stress-free and distraction-free environment. If our family members know about our work and what we need from them in order to achieve our goals, they will certainly help us in one way or another.
Here is another video that I'm sure will help you understand more about getting things done and limit the distractions while working.
Video Credits: Living With a Purpose Academy via YouTube
On the final thought...
As we move along, we will be experiencing different forms of distractions depending on our status in life. Finding out what will work for us and will not, can be a real challenge. Trying out different strategies can help us settle on the one that is most suitable for us. What I have written here might not be applicable for everyone but can be for others. Any additional idea will be greatly appreciated. You can use the comment section below for your comments and suggestions.
Thank you for reading.
Meanwhile, here is a Querlo chat for you...
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DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this blog post are that of the author and does not in any way represent the agency or department she currently belongs.
ADDITIONAL NOTE: The sites mentioned in this post are for information purposes only and links are provided for easy access. The author does not receive any remuneration from the said companies or sites.
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Written for Bitlanders
by Sharon Lopez
Date: Spetember 01, 2018
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