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If I had a dollar for every time someone has told me they don’t know how I work at home with “all those distractions”, I’d buy a few albums by bands that I know help me concentrate.

Of course, we all know that working remotely with success takes more than a good playlist: it requires real discipline. The kind of discipline that keeps you at your desk when no one will know if you’re not. The kind of discipline that keeps the television off, and your brain switched on.

I’ve heard people say we’re born disciplined, or we’re not, but I don’t believe it. Anyone can learn to be disciplined in their work — disciplined enough even to work from home, with “all those distractions” (even though the only distractions I can see right now are dirty dishes and wet washing). Similarly, even the most disciplined of us have days when we lack focus and struggle to get anything done.

If you’re looking to be more disciplined, here are some tactics that I’ve found to help.

1. Plan your day.

If you don’t know what you need to do, or what’s coming up, it can be difficult to maintain your discipline, since there’s no pressure.

A first step to being more disciplined is to set aside time in your diary for every task you need to do. Some of the time slots and tasks may change, but this plan will at least set your own expectations for what you need to achieve.

2. Plan your breaks.

That wet washing of mine really needs to be hung out to dry. These kinds of tasks often assail the home worker, and there’s no point trying to ignore them.

Instead, put them into your daily schedule too, along with “legitimate” work breaks, like lunchtime. Build them into “break” time around your other tasks, or slot them in at lunch. If you plan those tasks, you’ll know you’ll get them done, too, which will get them off your mind and allow you to focus on your work.

3. Chunk tasks and set time goals.

Look at each work job you need to do today, and think about what’s involved.

By breaking those large tasks down into smaller chunks, and estimating a timeframe for the completion of each, you give yourself mini-goals that are easy to achieve, and give you a continuous sense of progress. You ‘ll probably also get a bit of a kick out of beating your estimate now and again.

4. Develop a reward strategy.

Your reward strategy is a way to pat yourself on the back for your achievements during the day.

It might involve a coffee break, an exercise break, a break to hang the wet washing out, or five minutes to catch up on the news. Long-break rewards should be slotted into your schedule, so you can see them on the list and they can help motivate you to get through your tasks. But use your breaks strategically, so that you’re duly rewarded for your discipline at logical points through the day.

5. Let your chat client show when you’re away.

More than a few remote workers I’ve dealt with have set their chat client status to show that they’re always at their desks.

Not only is this annoying for colleagues trying to get in touch with you, but it provides you with a nice fluffy layer of protection from being accountable for the time you’re not at your desk. Set your chat client status to its default, so that it switches to an away message when you haven’t touched your computer for five or ten minutes. It’s bound to help you feel more immediately accountable for how you fill your work-from-home day.

6. Make delivery promises, and stick to them.

To build that sense of external accountability, start making unprompted promises to deliver work to your colleagues.

I’m not just talking about big-ticket deadlines; I’m talking about everyday tasks that contribute to your colleagues’ projects. Making a commitment to deliver to someone will almost certainly help you to be more disciplined about the way you work, and the way your prioritize what you have to do each day. Having someone else’s expectations to live up to is a great motivator.

7. Do something you enjoy.

I find that if I’m passionate about what I’m doing, I’m usually pretty disciplined about it.

Even if you’re having an off day, it’s much easier to be disciplined about your tasks if you believe in them. If you feel like the things you have to do are pointless, meaningless, or a waste of time, you’ll probably be more attracted to playing with the pooch or watching television than getting the job done.

What do you think supports a disciplined approach when you’re working from home?

A Half Hour of Exercise Can Boost Creativity for Hours

Article they summarize

This attitude and outlook isn’t unique to the gym.  Many whom I’ve talked to feel the same thing every day, every place they go.  They run the rat race hoping for a way out, yearning for something more.  Others walk by with seemingly better bodies or lives, but that is out of reach.  Everyone can reach their goals, but first they must realize their true values, views, and goals.

Step off of the dreadmill and write a new plan, follow a new path.

Many find that their dreams are being erroded, washed away with lost time and rising debt.  Has this happened to you?  Most are trying to keep up a facade of wealth and power, and only find stress and problems.  Some though find the ‘rat race’ amusing at best and refuse to take part in it.  They took their grandparents advice to spend some, save some, and give some.  They have found that living within their means and not over loading their schedules actually works better.  Stress levels plummet or vanish, time is opened to spend with family, and money is suddenly available.

Take a few minutes a week to meet with a life coach and discuss where you are, and where you want to be.   We offer free 30 minute consultations to do just that.