With the current situation due to COVID-19 pandemic, majority of the businesses are working from home. This kind of set up may not be new to some businesses especially to those who are in the tech industry. However, to some who are still transitioning from traditional set up to digitizing their business, this can be a huge adjustment.

Working from home comes with a lot of flexibility; however, that may also be a pitfall. Being at home might tempt you with many distractions. And in the digital age, there are more than enough distractions that could keep you away from your tasks and goals.

Flexibility could hamper your productivity due to distractions caused by too much consumption of social media or Netflix, online meetings, and pretty much anything that prevents you from achieving maximum productivity as an entrepreneur.

Fortunately, if you have this problem, we’ve compiled handy tips to keep you from succumbing to distractions:

1. Set an alarm for everything

As an entrepreneur, time is an invaluable asset to you. From accomplishing important paperwork you could only do yourself to monitoring the business current standpoint during the quarantine period, you have a packed schedule almost daily.

Then again, the perks of having your own business is the fact that you are the lord over your own time. You are free to squeeze in appointments and breaks in your schedule, but you should do this to remind yourself that you need to follow it to the minute.

No matter what you put into your schedule, setting a deadline for yourself gives you a sense of accountability to be as productive as you could, and if possible, within your allotted
timeslot.

2. Reduce your screentime

This is similar to tip #1. Reducing your screentime is a tip that can neither be overlooked nor said enough. Have you ever tried using a part of your self-alotted ten-minute break on the
phone almost mindlessly scrolling to your social media feed, and before you’ve realized it, 30 minutes have passed already? If you don’t want your business to take a nosedive, don’t dive your nose down to your phone screen that often!

However, it is an inevitable fact of modern life that our smartphones have become extensions of ourselves. As entrepreneurs, we likely use our phones to multitask and increase our productivity beyond our brick and mortar space. But reducing screen time can also reduce our likelihood of developing physical issues associated with prolonged gadget use.

Alternatively, we can use actual stationery for scheduling and writing notes; studies suggest that they improve memory and recall far better than when we write on our laptops
and phones.

3. Less meetings

Meetings are very time-consuming. And due to our current situation, virtual meetings can pile up. Without a clear agenda of the meeting, these can end up being unproductive. For every meeting that you will set up, it is recommended to make it as short as possible. If everything can be done via email, you may do so to save time.

4. Set up a workstation

Productivity starts at your desk. It doesn’t need to be grand, as long as you’re comfortable and able to have an efficient workflow. Having your own workstation at home can train your brain to be in its ‘office mode’ just like your regular routine at work.

5. Take a break!

Internal distractions can also cause you to focus less. When you are overwhelmed by so many things happening at once, it’s important to take a pause, a deep breath, and a much-needed break to refocus.

Time wasted is money wasted. As an entrepreneur, time is an invaluable asset because we can accomplish so much when our time is well-managed.

Every time you catch yourself ‘wasting time,’ remind yourself of our 5 easy steps, and you might find yourself back in the daily grind in no time.

Do you have more productivity-boosting tips to share? Share them in the comments!