Dealing With Distractions: Housework

Housework can be very distracting when you work from home, especially if you are easily distracted. It can be very hard to concentrate on work when you see a pile of laundry that needs to be done. If you are working in the kitchen and see the sink full of dirty dishes, it can be tempting to stop working and do them, especially since it won't take long. If you are sitting in the living room, working while your children play, you might get distracted by the dirty floor, which needs to be vacuumed. Even if you continue to work, your mind may still be thinking about everything else that you need to do.

Got a dirty home, but still want to focus on your work? Here are some tips to help. 

The easiest way to deal with housework that is calling your name is to work in a home office where you can shut the door. That way, you don't have to see the pile of laundry waiting by the washing machine. You also won't notice that there is a lot of dishes in the sink that need to be done! That being said, you will need to keep your office clean, so you don't spend hours cleaning it, instead of getting any real work done.

Many people do their housework during their breaks. They may work an hour and then start a load of laundry. By their next break, it will be time to put it in the dryer. They might make a phone call or two and then put the dishes in the dishwasher. Maybe they vacuum the house when they need a break from sitting.

If you make enough money with your business, and you really are struggling with a dirty house being too distracting, you could also hire some help. Even if someone comes once a week to vacuum and dust your house, you have that much more time for your business. Could you imagine how much work you could get done if you had someone come in to do some light cleaning for you? 

Some people even hire a mother's helper. This can be a teenager (or an adult) who helps with the children and some light housework. You may want them to start dinner for you and keep after the laundry during the day. If you have a lot of important work for the day, you can even have them take the children to the park, so you don't have a single distraction. A mother's helper may just be your saving grace!

The best way to avoid the distraction of a dirty home is to have your own office within your home. Even if you don't have a big office, you are going to want to be able to shut the door so that you can forget about everything else that you have to do! 

Then, you can use your breaks to do some light housework. You may need to get up and move around a little bit, and that is a great time to unload the dishwasher or start a load of laundry. You may use this time to start dinner in the crockpot, so all you have to do is wait a few hours and your dinner will be done. 

You may also want to think about getting help. Having someone to come in and clean for you could give you a few more hours to focus on your business. You may even want to hire a mother's helper. A teenager could help you with your children and some light housework while allowing you to focus on your business!

Previously published on Medium.