This post is updated November 10th, 2021

A collaborative post/ There are numerous benefits to working from home, but it can also have a few drawbacks. One of the biggest downsides to remote working arrangements is difficulty focusing on work.
In a study published by Statista, survey respondents revealed that some of their struggles with working remotely included factors that affected their level of focus, such as distractions at home. This comes as no surprise considering that professional lives have blended with home responsibilities, making it more challenging to focus on one thing. Fortunately, there are ways to remedy this.
Here are six ways to improve focus while working from home:
1. Effectively Set Your Goals at the beginning
Focus and deliberation are improved when setting goals. Keep focus and productivity on your mind. First thing first, set the achievability and efficiency of your goals. Start at planning and formulation of goals stage.
There are a handful of goal-setting tips that would certainly help you get done with the sensitive and ardent task of setting your goals, be it for the long term or even for the short term. In the end, you would realize you are also increasing your productivity. Here are several useful guidelines.
When setting goals while working home, consider and know yourself well first. That is because you should take into consideration your various skills, time, schedule, routine, and knowledge in achieving or executing your goals. If you run short of any of the mentioned concepts, chances are realizing your goals would be as hard as you end your day.
To observe clarity and organization, it would be helpful to write down your goals on a piece of paper. In doing so, make sure to include the time frame or when you want the goal to be achieved or completed and what measures you can do to achieve or accomplish such goals. That way, it would be clear to you how and for how long your efforts in achieving such goals would be.
Make sure your goal is specific. Specify or have a clear picture or idea what it is you really want to get done for the day. If the goal is still too broad or general, simplify it further and further until you get to the specifics.
Set your goals measurable. To make it so, make it easily comparable to several set of activities or to other simpler and achieved goals. By that, the progress and development of your efforts to achieve the goals would be measurable and comparable.
Of course, being realistic is part of the game. You would not set goals that are too impossible to achieve, right? Otherwise, it is not a goal you are setting but an impossible and impractical schedule, which could only be achievable by mere chances and luck. Being realistic makes up for practical and logical goal setting.
Set time frames. If possible, deadlines should also be imposed. You know how your body does wonder when subjected to the adrenaline rush. Sometimes, deadlines are helpful because they kick you to get going and make some things done. Of course, it would not always be helpful, but try it for once. You would be surprised how your focus is boosted because of your motivation to beat deadlines.
The slay your goals planner is perfect for not just setting goals but also slaying them. As Nadalie said, Don’t just set goals, but slay them. Check out the planner along with the goal-setting course to experience its effectiveness.
2. Exercise daily
Exercise can not only improve different aspects of physical wellness, such as cardiovascular health and muscle strength, but it also plays a significant role in improving one’s mental faculties. Studies have found that even just a few minutes of exercise can boost memory and cognition since physical activity changes your brain function.
Any exercise of your choice can improve focus and concentration, whether it’s running, swimming, or yoga. Try adding mindfulness practices as you exercise to further improve your ability to focus.
3. Have a designated workspace
Working from home is comfortable and convenient, but it can also be extremely distracting to do your tasks in different parts of your house. Having a designated work area can significantly improve your focus since it adds consistency to your environment, allowing the brain to recognize where and when to focus when it’s time for work.
When setting up your workspace, consider where you will place your home office and how the ergonomics will be. Investing in even the smallest ergonomic accessories can make a world of difference in how you improve focus and concentration.
Increasing your comfort level with something as simple as a wrist rest can help you remain productive without developing any pain from typing all day. You can also shell out some cash for a comfortable office chair to ease any discomfort in your back and neck and prevent repetitive stress injuries.
Better ergonomics can help prevent any chronic pain, which would otherwise divert your attention from your work.
Visit officemonster.co.uk for more options to set up your workspace. They have a wide selection of office materials that are very helpful to improve your focus while working at home.
3.1 De-clutter your workstation

Is your office table always too crowded? There could be too many documents or piles of papers sitting on your tabletop. Getting your table clean is one gauge you are focused on. Try to finish all the papers to do. Set aside or put out all unnecessary things like used paper, figurines, books, or small ornaments. Such things could only accumulate clutter, which in turn could hamper your free and fast movement in your own workplace.
3.2 Free your personal computer
from many unnecessary files. Focus is affected when your PC is full of many unnecessary files. Finding and retrieval of important files could be harder as there would be confusion. Organize your computer files. Sort documents and categorize them properly. Delete unnecessary files or store them in your backup or removable disk.
4. Take supplements
Sustaining your focus throughout the workday can be difficult without the proper nutrition. And while food should fuel you, it does not always meet the specific amounts of vitamins and minerals that your brain needs to concentrate. Taking supplements to improve focus can help you remain sharp and attentive to your tasks as the day goes on.
Start by choosing ingredients like caffeine and L-theanine, an amino acid that has shown potential in improving mental performance. You can opt to take them in tablet form or drink green tea, which naturally contains both ingredients and other antioxidants.
You can buy mushroom capsules to stay balanced and enhance your healthy glycemic balance by aiding healthy blood sugar metabolism. Maitake capsules are readily available in Asian countries such as Japan and I do know people who take them.
You can also try kratom powder, an herb that is made from the dried pulverized leaves of the Mitagyna speciosa plant. This herb is beneficial to alleviating fatigue, brain fog, chronic pain, and more.
ALSO READ: 10 TIPS TO INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY
5. Play games
Having a bit of fun can contribute to your ability to concentrate. Doing activities such as playing games to improve focus have been found to increase grey matter in the brain, which is responsible for promoting networking and connections. This results in faster thought processes and even increased intelligence.
This improvement in overall cognitive performance comes from the quick decision-making and problem-solving skills necessary to play games. These require intense focus and concentration, which can be applied when working from home to achieve outcomes through similarly complex processes.
6. Start the day early
There is magic and effectiveness in waking up early and doing your morning routine. One productivity secret is to start the day early but let’s be honest, it’s hard to get out of bed at 5 AM. But remember this, a lot of highly productive people would say “if you want to win the day, you gotta win the morning”.
There are a lot of benefits of starting the day early. You’re more likely to eat a healthy breakfast, get moving or meditate. When you wake up early, you’ll have more time to enjoy your morning routine, write journals, go for a walk, and when you have enough time to acclimate yourself, this will give you concentration and focus to do important tasks without distractions.
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OVER TO YOU
There are many ways to improve your focus despite all the distractions of a work-from-home setup – the key is finding the methods that work best for you. Learning how to focus while working at home with these tips will help you get more things done and become more productive.
This article was specially written by Alison Woods. I hope you liked it and gave you a healthy dose of inspiration to win your days while working at home.


Love these tips! I’ve been staying productive but still somehow lacking focus in quarantine so this list is definitely handy for me. Thanks for sharing 🙂
It can be hard to work at home because that’s where your mind associates with resting. Setting timeframes for yourself is so important. It can be tough to stick by it but I also find it helps when I change into outdoor clothes. I feel lazier in my pajamas
Very timely naman po for me tong blog na to. Extra challenge talaga pag work from home. Number one problem ko is procrastinating. These tips that you have listed Ms ali will help me keep my focus and be productive at all times. Thanks 😊
Thank you Hyun. Procrastination can be really hard to beat but with these tips, I hope you can keep your focus while working at home. 🙂
I agree po. Very helpful talaga
Effective talaga na yung una mong gagawin yung mag set ka ng goal, Para yung focus ng isip mo ay ma achieve yung main goal.
I’ve been doing most of the things in this list and I can say that they’re effective for me! Might wanna add some of the things listed here for more productive and focused days ahead! Thank you for this,
Thanks, Tales, They’re effective for me too especially waking up early and tidying up my workspace.
I’ve been working from home for 3 years already but there are still days where I can’t keep my focus. These are really helpful and I have done most of it too! When it comes to focus and productivity, I do the pomodoro technique. Really a good step when I need a reset.
Thank you Enna for reading. Promodoro technique is something I teach too and share too.
im guilty because hindi ako maka focus madalas sa work ko lalo na ang daming hinihingi ni bagets or pinapagawa ganun. pero i always try my very best to finish my tasks for the day
Good to hear that you keep your tasks on schedule at the end of the day. and yes it can be hard to stay focused when we have kids at home
Heya Ali,
I started working from home the last year and oh boy, it was 360 degrees adjustment. I’m used to having my own office and the drive going there was how I clear my mind (I love to drive). Then pandemic hits… I agree with all of the points here specially de-cluttering. Back in my office, I only had a few items most of it are office supplies. At home, I had my computer in my bedroom but it was a little bit distracting as it was set up near my bed (with tons of knickknacks here and there). I finally decided to occupy the guest room since I will not be taking guests anytime soon. Thanks for the tips!
Thank you Polly, a lot of people had to experience working at home due to the pandemic and yes we gotta adjust a lot. Organizing my workplaces resonates with me a lot too. My mind is cluttered when my space is cluttered.
Hello Ali!
This is so nice! I am also working from home so this article speaks to me in different ways. I am guilty of not exercising and not waking up too early because of my late shift. Thanks for reminding us about the importance of goal setting and putting things in the proper perspective. How about dealing with family members who are not cooperative with your set up? Any advice? Haha. Cheers!
Thanks, Danica for reading. It can be hard to wake up early sometimes. I am guilty of this too on Rainy days. But yeah we all need reminders. For dealing with family members, I think setting solid, strong, boundaries is very important and effective when it comes to dealing with family members.
Goal setting really helps actually. It actually guides your day. Also, it helps you track your progress.
This is true. Thanks Emman